Policy Library

Save the Children has worked in the UK for over 90 years, supporting children through our programmes and campaign work.

In the last five years alone, we have reached over 100,000 children directly and led national campaigns across a range of issues to improve children’s life chances.

We focus on tackling poverty and providing opportunity during the critical first years of life, from birth right through to the start of primary school. Our work is driven both by the evidence and the experiences and voices of children and families from across the UK. We believe that addressing early attainment gaps means ensuring that all children have access to high quality services and home learning environments, and that we address the root causes of low income.

Our programmes do this by helping parents to support their children’s early learning and by ensuring that all children have access to the resources and experiences that make up positive learning environments. Our national campaigns focus on ensuring that all children have access to high-quality, affordable childcare, which can help support the benefits of home learning.

We know how crucial the first few years of a child’s life are. By focusing on early learning, we help make sure children across the UK get the best start in life.

The system of childcare support is a patchwork of complexity

The system of childcare support is marked by complexity. Currently, there are seven main ways that families can claim support with their childcare costs in England.

Childcare offers