'Without question you can't disconnect the £2.5 billion government has taken out of youth work over the last decade with all the challenges we're seeing in children's lives right now.'
Listen to principle 6 of my manifesto.oasisuk.org/episodes/7 with Mark Russell 🇺🇦 (he/him) CEO of The Children's Society

Thank you Southwark Cathedral & Mark Oakley for hosting as Steve Chalke introduced his Manifesto for Hope. Buy the book and listen to the podcast series here: manifesto.oasisuk.org

Morning has broken! Just stayed the night at Oasis Restore, the UK’s first Secure School, with a wonderful bunch of youth justice partners, to experience a day and night in the life of the children who will join us here due from next month when we open.

Carl Jung, Jesus, and a talking greyhound. My Pause for Thought, with Zoe Ball for Radio 2 yesterday morning
Listen here - bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0… or read below!

It’s not just psychologists who believe that, for the sake of children’s lifelong mental, relational and physical health, England & N Ireland must follow Scotland & Wales and make the smacking & slapping children by parents illegal. Ask millions of adults, they will tell you too!

View across London, from the top of BBC Broadcasting House. Here to chat with Zoe Ball and deliver a little pause for thought and reflection.

Without an effective youth service, our education system will always struggle. My book ‘A Manifesto for Hope: Ten principles for transforming the lives of children, young people & their families’, is available in print or audio & go manifesto.oasisuk.org for the podcast series.

Our welfare system is failing the most disadvantaged in society. At the same time, we’ve sidelined our greatest national asset: local people, charities, grassroots & faith groups. It’s time for a change because it’s not just WHAT’S delivered, it’s WHO delivers it that counts!

As the founder of a group of almost 60 schools, I tell you that the task of every school in safeguarding any child is made vastly harder by the irresponsible behaviour of social media giants and the lack of commitment to tackle them. We are messing with children’s futures!

Meta doesn’t care about children. Lowering the age for WhatsApp users from 16 to 13 is utterly irresponsible. Its crass lack of thought proves again - all that matters to Meta is cash. Children cannot thrive in the isolation & dangerous world of end-to-end encripted screen-life!

Dear Mr President. How about making your promise of protection for the innocent people of Gaza ‘ironclad’ as well!

‘You’re a winner. A winning sperm. Do you know how many other contestants you were up against that day? Tens of millions. But there was only one winner - you! Celebrate!’ Listen here to my Pause for Thought for BBC Radio 2 yesterday morning. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…

“You can judge the wisdom of any society by the investment it makes in its children.” It’s Principle 5 of my Manifesto for Hope podcast series with Dr Celia Sadie, clinical psychologist at Oasis Restore, about the revolution we need in our care of children.manifesto.oasisuk.org/episodes/6

The idea that setting an age limit for 'smart' phone usage & stricter controls on social media apps for under 16s is 'micro-parenting', is mad! Why do we have laws about where children sit in cars or wearing seat belts? Because we care enough to do all we can to protect children!

In the light of the Cass Report, as it says, let’s end the 'toxicity' of the uninformed debate around gender that’s made professionals 'afraid' to openly discuss their understanding, and do the research it recommends with open minds & real compassion for vulnerable young people.

Life confronts us all with a myriad of challenges, but what have you got to be thankful for today?

If you are up and around, halfway through breakfast, on your way to work, or in bed & enjoying a well earned rest, tune into BBC Radio 2 just after 7.15 this morning for a little pause for thought as I chat & laugh with Zoe Ball about Einstein, life, death & the great sperm race!

The NHS is on its knees. We’ve a stark choice; keep pouring money into policies that don’t work, or invest in better ways to improve people’s health. We need a reset; one that empowers local charities, grassroots movements & faith groups in a partnership approach to health care.

As Wes Streeting makes the case for the much needed reform of the NHS & the involvement of private companies, I also want to ask about the massive role of grassroots & faith groups, who already do so much around early help & social prescribing, & offer huge bang for the buck!

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

Love this from George Bernard Shaw