Sheffield Children’s collaborate with Save the Children on first South Yorkshire Child Poverty Summit  

We were delighted to be part of the Save the Children’s first ever South Yorkshire Child Poverty Summit, which took place on Monday 17 February 2025. The milestone event was shaped by the everyday realities of children, families and communities facing stark inequalities from across South Yorkshire.

 Sessions were solutions-focused, centred on the lived experience of children and families, and drew from policy and emerging research. The day covered topics including housing, community power, health equity, and education and aspiration, discussions will delve into how lasting change for children can be achieved.  

Sheffield Children’s Chief Executive Ruth Brown introduced and facilitated a session called “Health for Every Child” with Zain and Esther, Health Champions and Young Ambassadors within South Yorkshire and Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity. The session highlighted the direct relationship between child poverty and persistent health inequalities that can last a lifetime. Presenters each discussed the importance of regional and local leadership ensuring every child has a chance at a healthy future, and demonstrated how vital it is to involve children and young people in decision making.

Ruth opened the session with a personal reflection and an insight into her experiences as a child, and her commitment through her role as Chief Executive of Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to be a part of, and create change. Through partnerships, funding and Sheffield Children’s own research and innovation teams, Ruth talked through taking the lead in researching health inequalities that affect children. Alongside activity such as developing the National Centre for Child Health Technology, which will design, create and test innovations in children’s health, Ruth talked about her pride in the small steps being taken every day to lead change and being part of collective action as we work alongside families to make our services more accessible to people from communities experiencing poverty. 

The event was named ‘A Place of Hope’. This is a direct quote from Professor Sir Michael Marmot, captured in the Panorama film,  Britain’s Child Health Crisis, during his visit to The Meadows, a collaboration between Save the Children UK, Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield City Council, based in north Sheffield. The nursery has received much acclaim because of the impact on the families and local community it serves. A safe space and haven for many, the testimony of parents is that it has helped them to realise achievements they did not think possible. The Meadows is one example of a hyper-local approach to mitigating the negative impacts of child poverty at the same time as building the relationships that make change possible for families.

The day was drawn to a close with a panel discussion, including Save the Children UK’s Chair of the Board of Trustees and Sheffield Children’s Consultant Paediatrician Dr Tsitsi Chawatama-Kwambana. She talked about the founder of Save the Children UK – Eglantyne Jebb – who started the organisation over 100 years ago in 1919.  Dr Tsitsi reflected on the statement “humanity owes the child the best we have to give”, and the work that needs to be done to provide this. Dr Chawatama-Kwambana, alongside a panel including Sir Michael Marmot, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, summarised learning from the day and reflected on the actions to take moving forward.

Oliver Coppard finalised his thoughts on the panel with an impactful reflection (inspired by anthropologist Margaret Mead), “Never doubt the power of a small group to change the world.”

It was an inspiring day full of connections, opportunity for learning and collaborating. Thank you to Save the Children for connecting us all together.