ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº

The nature of childhood and adolescence is evolving rapidly, and in unprecedented ways. Societal, environmental, and technological changes are contributing to this transformation, creating new opportunities, new risks, and posing new policy questions across departments.  

This Foresight project will explore what’s driving this change, and how children and young people may be affected over the next 10-20 years.  

The project will integrate a range of participatory processes with futures techniques to:  

• Identify key drivers of change affecting children, to understand how childhood has evolved and may evolve further – as well as how different drivers interact with each other.  

• Explore potential future scenarios for childhood, assessing associated opportunities and risks.  

• Build positive visions for the future of childhood, guiding the development of effective and impactful policies. 

Improving childhood underpins the successful delivery of the Government’s Plan for Change. The project will help policymakers see the opportunities and challenges in education, health, technology, justice and other areas that impact the lives of children. It will build positive visions of the future to help guide decision-makers towards building the best possible outcomes for future generations.  

This project is currently underway, with final publication on ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº planned for 2026-2027.