Liverpool Earns UNICEF Child Friendly City Status as Youth Parliament Plans Unveiled

Liverpool has received international recognition from UNICEF UK after officially becoming a Child Friendly City.

The prestigious status acknowledges the progress made across Liverpool to embed children’s rights within local services, policies and communities.

It recognises the city’s work to ensure children and young people are listened to, respected and given meaningful opportunities to influence decisions that affect their lives.

The announcement follows further positive news for Liverpool City Council’s Children’s Services, which were recently graded ‘Good’ by Ofsted.

Inspectors praised the council’s “relentless improvements” during the three years since the service was rated ‘Inadequate’.

To build on the UNICEF recognition, Liverpool City Council Leader Cllr Liam Robinson is set to announce the creation of a new Youth Parliament at a full council meeting on Wednesday, July 29.

The Youth Parliament will give children and young people from across Liverpool a stronger voice in the future of the city.

Its members will be tasked with developing a Child Friendly City manifesto, setting out the ideas, priorities and initiatives that young people would like to see introduced.

The initiative aims to place children and young people at the heart of local decision-making and ensure their experiences help shape services and policies across Liverpool.

Achieving Child Friendly City status marks a major milestone for Liverpool and reflects the work taking place across the council, schools, services and community organisations to improve outcomes for young people.

The new Youth Parliament is expected to help maintain that momentum by creating a dedicated platform through which young people can share their views and influence the city’s future.

Key achievements by Liverpool on their way to becoming a Child Friendly City include:  

• A commitment to ensuring children and young people have greater influence over the decisions that affect their lives.  
• Improvements to outdoor environments and opportunities for play through park redevelopments, tree planting activities, Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) outdoor play sessions, and the introduction of smoke-free play areas and sidelines. 
• The introduction of Liverpool’s pioneering free school meals auto-enrolment programme, through which more than 700 children were identified as eligible for free school meals, generating almost £1 million in additional Pupil Premium funding for schools.   
• The delivery of twelve Family Hubs across the city, providing a one-stop-shop of coordinated support for all children and families right in the heart of their communities.  
• 89.9% of Liverpool nurseries and 86.2% of Liverpool Childminders are OFSTED rated good or above, providing a quality foundation to education for our children.    
• 47 schools across Liverpool have rolled out Phase 1 or 2 free breakfast clubs, ensuring all our children have access to a high-quality, nutritious breakfast to support their education.   
• In the year 2025-2026, Liverpool commissioned 85,758 HAF places, providing 9389 children and young people with access to healthy meals, enrichment activities and play across the city.  
• Recently launched free Lifestyles Leisure passes for all children aged 8-17 in Liverpool, promoting good physical health and emotional wellbeing; supported by £5.18m to modernise Lifestyle Leisure centres across the city  
• Investment in youth services has doubled, which means that £1m more is available to support youth workers in the communities that need them most.  
• That over £600,000 has been invested into improving playgrounds with new or upgraded equipment, improving green spaces and securing popular community assets.   
• Children’s rights training has been embedded within Liverpool City Council, providers and partner organisations across the city.  
• In partnership with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the city has supported young people with care experience through free travel passes. Across the Liverpool City Region, more than 1,600 passes have been issued, including over 600 for Liverpool care leavers. The scheme has already supported more than 200,000 bus journeys, helping young people travel with dignity, confidence and independence. 

While celebrating this achievement, Liverpool City Council has stressed that becoming a Child Friendly City is not a badge – it is a commitment to ongoing change.

Cllr Liz Parsons, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Services, said: 

“We are incredibly proud that Liverpool has achieved UNICEF Child Friendly City status. This international recognition reflects the dedication of children and young people, families, schools, community organisations and council teams and partners across the city. 

“Most importantly, this achievement belongs to Liverpool’s children and young people. Their voices are shaping decisions across the city and helping us build services that are designed with them, not for them. 

“Child Friendly City status recognises progress, not perfection. We know there is more to do, but this recognition shows that Liverpool is a city where children’s rights matter and where we are committed to creating the best possible opportunities for every child and young person. 

“This is not a badge – it is a commitment to ongoing change, and we look forward to continuing that journey together.” 

Jenny Glennard, Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services at Liverpool City Council added: 

“From the design of parks and public spaces to shaping policies and services, children and young people in Liverpool are increasingly helping to shape the city around them. 

“UNICEF’s recognition and Ofsted’s findings both demonstrate that Liverpool is moving in the right direction. They show what can be achieved when we listen to children and young people, invest in services and work together across the city to improve outcomes. 

“The next phase of work will continue to strengthen how children’s voices shape the city and its services. 

“The council and its partners will also continue to embed children’s rights across services, ensuring that every child and young person can access safe spaces, opportunities to thrive and a genuine voice in decisions affecting their lives.” 

Frances Bestley, Director of Programmes, UNICEF UK said: 

“Recognition as a Child Friendly City is a fantastic achievement for Liverpool and reflects the city’s commitment to creating a place where children feel safe, supported and able to thrive. 

“It’s particularly encouraging to see real progress being made, from improvements to play areas and green spaces, to more children receiving free school meals and the opening of 12 new Family Hubs.  

“This milestone is not just a celebration of what has been achieved so far – it’s a commitment to keep building on that progress – ensuring every child and young person is listened to, supported and given the opportunity to reach their full potential.”