A Fair Start for Every Child: Our Calls to the next UK government

Every child deserves a fair start in life. And yet at home and abroad, children are being denied this basic right. Too many children are born condemned to an early death or to a life of poverty and struggle.

2015 is the year that governments around the world will seek to agree on a new set of global goals for development. The next UK government has the opportunity to play a leading role in this global process, promoting ambitious goals that could see an end to extreme poverty and the scandal of preventable child deaths within a generation.

In the UK, we must ensure that economic recovery leaves no child behind. Child poverty numbers are predicted to climb significantly. Many of the poorest children leave primary school without basic skills in reading and writing. The next government has the opportunity to tackle this injustice, and take steps to ensure all children are reading well by the age of 11.

This brief sets out the five pledges we’re calling for to ensure that children at home and abroad have the support they need to survive and thrive