What needs to happen?

• Government expenditure on children and young people which is a vital long-term investment for the development of the country’s future infrastructure and economy.
  
  
• commitment to a long-term strategy to make sure that no child is left behind.
  
  
• “stronger collaboration between government, sport, recreation, education and parents if we are to get children and young people active” (Emma Boggis, CEO of the Sport and Recreation Alliance).
  
  
• The collective delivery of these improvements understanding that the sector is not working and is failing to deliver meaningful change.

The ‘Why are we failing our children?’ report

This report revealed that activity levels amond children and young people have stagnated over the last four decades. Infact generally speaking, despit much effort, children are less active today than they have ever been. 

It refers to a previous report by the alliance (then the CCPR) in 1977 called ‘Sport and Young People: The Need for Action Now’. The report highlights that many of the historical issues  would, depressingly, feel very familiar today. 

James Allen, director of policy, governance and external affairs at the Alliance explains “The sector isn't inclusive enough, children are not active enough and we are failing to make our offer attractive and fun. There is a gap between the urgency of the message and the reality of what's being delivered - a mismatch between what we call the 'grand narrative' of the importance of the issue and what is often a patchy and short-term response.” 

Key findings: 

• We need to work together with children and young people to ensure they are well represented in the design of policy and programmes which affect them. We have not listened enough to what they want.
  
  
• We need joined up working across the whole system with a common vision and purpose. There have been lots of good initiatives and programmes, but little coordination. The system is complex and confusing, and lacks an overarching purpose or effective systems of accountability. 

• Government must create a long-term strategy. “There has been little political will to prioritise the issue” Allen says. Political turbulence has also been a barrier.
  
  
• We must make sure no child is left behind. Working in co-ordination with the wider youth sector, we must strive to eradicate negative contact and commit to introducing young people to positive experiences of sport, physical activity and recreation.
  
  
• We must learn from others and history to identify key learnings. There is an under use of international comparisons. There have been very successful interventions over the period and we need to learn from what has worked and consider opportunities to work at scale and integrate fully into a wider systemic approach.

The way forward for the alliance

The alliance wants to replace it’s own historical lack of consistent action over the last forty years with decisive action, with an appropriate long-term vision for enhanced outcomes.

“We are aware that this is both a challenging area of work and also something which will require concerted, joint effort over the long term. The levels of inactivity, obesity and poor mental health amongst our children do mean that there are higher levels of public consciousness about this” says Allen. “We are determined to do what we can to work with our members and the wider sector to get behind the campaign to establish a fundamental right to be active.”

The Alliance has committed to being ‘much more active and vocal on this issue’ and has established it as one of its four key strategic priorities. The Alliance’s role will be to co-ordinate and for the sector to come together behind a shared vision. To bring voices together and crucially, to make sure that the voices of children and young people are meaningfully heard moving forward”.