Since I first entered parliament in 2005, I’ve worked to support young people with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This can include growing up in poverty; family breakdown; exposure to domestic violence or criminality; parents with mental health problems or addictions; children struggling with their own mental health, disabilities or neurodiversity; or individual incidents of trauma.

• I introduced the Children (Protection of Privacy) Bill in 2008, which highlighted the harm caused to children through exploitative reality TV and shows like Jeremy Kyle.
• Working with the Family Rights Group, I introduced the Kinship Carers Bill to support children whose parents can’t look after them. I also served on the Kinship Care Taskforce, which led to the Government’s Kinship Care Strategy.
• I joined with key Bristol stakeholders to set up Feeding Bristol which provides thousands of free meals to children during the long school holidays.
• I was also on the Food Foundation’s cross-party committee, overseeing the Children’s Future Food Inquiry, which highlighted child food poverty and called for a Right2FoodCharter.
• Post-pandemic, I sat on the steering group for the Commission on Young Lives, led by former Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield. More recently I’ve been supporting local groups like Empire Fighting Chance with their work to combat knife crime.
• I introduced the Children (Parental Imprisonment) Bill 2024 and secured a commitment in Labour’s 2024 General Election Manifesto to identify and support children affected by parental imprisonment. I am a trustee of the excellent charity Children Heard and Seen.

Since I was first elected, we have seen real progress in support for children with ACE, and I will continue to work to improve outcomes for children.