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The Red Book

Holding governments to account: The Red Book

Over the past eighteen months elections have been held across the UK, with four new administrations being formed.

Action for Children is committed to holding governments to account for the impact their decisions are having on vulnerable children, young people and families. Action for Children has a responsibility to speak out where we see that the most vulnerable and neglected children are being disproportionately affected by governments policy.

The Red Book

• Download The Red Book

Following the spending review a year ago we publically stated that we would monitor closely and report back on whether the UK Coalition Government has been able to protect the most vulnerable, children, young people and families during this time of significant change. The Action for Children Red Book 2010/11 is the first of a series of annual publications which does just that.

Our findings

Our findings indicate that:

• there are more children in need of support;
• cuts to the budgets of vital services means that increasingly this need cannot be met
• on current trends this will only get worse.

We are increasingly working with families who are reaching breaking point, where for example children are at risk of neglect and entering the care system, or getting into trouble with the law, or where parents are no longer able to cope.

• Find out more about The Red Book's background
• Download individual chapters with descriptions
• Find out more about what Action for Children do

Growth, fairness and reform

This section of Action for Children’s The Red Book has been written as a commentary on the themes outlined by the coalition Government in its 2010 spending review.

Action for Children outline that they believe in:

• growth that embraces the potential and aspirations of everyone through support;
• fairness that means no disadvantaged young person or child is left behind;
• systemic reform of a political system that supports long-term thinking over political cycles.

Download Growth, fairness and reform

The end of the beginning?

This section of Action for Children’s The Red Bookoutlines the broader economic context, identifying the impact of the 2010 spending review.

It is a literature review written by the Social Market Foundation.

Download The end of the beginning

Action for Children

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