The Rt Hon The Lord Boateng PC, DL
“Love matters is an important contribution to public policy on the family not least in its recognition of diverse and culturally specific needs The challenge now is implementation and delivery. The Church its Dioceses and local congregations have a key role to play in this regard at the heart of creative partnerships between the statutory private and voluntary sectors”
Chair of the Archbishops Commission on Racial Justice and formerly Cabinet Minister and Minister for Young People
Dame Rachel de Souza DBE
“At the heart of this excellent report is a call to value families in all their diverse forms, recognising that it is the strength of the positive relationships we create within a family that so often shape our outcomes in life.
I wholeheartedly endorse the message on the importance of family, asking government and policymakers to talk more openly about family and try to emulate the protective net family can cast around its members in all public services. This report echoes many of the findings from my own Family Review: for a renewed Family Test that reflects the needs of parents, carers and children, for better use of the family hubs network, and to prioritise loving, stable relationships for children who cannot live at home, particularly those in care, in the youth justice system, or in other institutions.”
Children’s Commissioner for England
Dr Carol Homden CBE
“The report published today by the Archbishops’ Commission on Families & Households is a timely and important contribution to the live and critical debate on how we make life better for our children and young people. We agree with the report’s key findings which are largely aligned with Coram’s own thinking, based on our experience of working with hundreds of thousands of children and young people every year.
Among the report’s key recommendations, we strongly support the emphasis on loving relationships as being central to the wellbeing of children and young people, and the recognition that families come in all shapes and sizes. We welcome the report’s stress on empowerment of children and the need to ensure they have a voice in decisions that affect them - much of our work at Coram is about ensuring that the voices of children and families are indeed heard, with a particular emphasis on standing up for those who are marginalised.
We also support the report’s call for early and effective implementation of the recommendations in the independent review of children’s social care published last year, and endorse the call for a clear cross-government strategy to end child poverty.
We are honoured both to have been invited to give evidence to the Commission, and also to host the report’s launch today at the historic home of Coram, the country's first and longest serving children’s charity.”
Chief Executive, Coram
Kat Osborn
“I am delighted to endorse the Love Matters report, which highlights the importance of meeting basic needs to enable individuals and families to thrive, but also affirms that true flourishing requires a supportive structure of loving relationships, belonging and connectedness. This is a key message that we wholeheartedly support at Safe Families UK.
The report also highlights the critical role that early intervention and prevention can play in supporting vulnerable families, reducing the risk of family crisis, and ultimately preventing long-term negative outcomes like child poverty and homelessness. This too is a message we fully support.
We commend the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for commissioning this report and would like to thank the Commissioners for their thoughtful recommendations. We are grateful for the Church’s ongoing commitment to improving the lives of children and families in the UK.”
Chief Executive, Safe Families
Sir Ephraim Mirvis KBE
“The Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households has explored some of society’s most critical issues with great care and thoughtfulness. Their findings make an important contribution to how we can re-strengthen our deteriorating social fabric, built upon homes and families which are strong, safe, healthy and loving. The Commission is absolutely correct to identify the home as the bedrock on which a thriving society is built, and about the urgent necessity to address the many factors that are undermining it as a nurturing environment. I commend this report and hope it receives a wide audience.”
Chief Rabbi, United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth
Irene Short
“Thank you for so much information on Love Matters, a truly comprehensive investigation and a clear way forward. It strikes me that society is so damaged we shall not only need the work of the Church of England but other clear-headed organisations to even dent the work and support needed in daily life.”
Former Director of Services, Relate