Birmingham’s Children: A Tale of Two Cities

By Eddie O’Hara

This book reflects the positive work of a small local campaigning charity set up in 2018 called All Birmingham’s Children (ABC) which seeks to address the appalling level of inequality and poverty which blights 32-54% of children living in Birmingham. ABC proposes a range of mostly cost-free recommendations, which if acted upon would fundamentally change the way children are seen, valued and catered for in the second biggest city in the UK. A city which has more children and young people than any other UK city. The trustees comprise of local parents and childcare, educational, law enforcement and health professionals who have lived and worked in the city for years.

This year the founder of ABC was recognised in the Queens New Year’s Honours List (British Empire Medal) for setting up ABC and his long services to children and families. ABC’s work has the support of the British Association of Social Workers, The Social Work Union, Unison and the local branch of National Education Union. ABC was welcomed by the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, various national retailers and has received positive press coverage from as far afield as Japan and Sweden.  

Yet despite all of the above, positive recognition, support and willingness to work in partnership with our city leaders, ABC has been consistently shunned and ignored by 99% of Birmingham’s 111 locally elected leaders (10 members of parliament, 100 city councillors and its regional mayor) and most of the local mainstream media. Why?

This book exposes those uncomfortable truths and seeks to explain what can and needs to be done to address the appalling levels of civic apathy which help sustain a situation where for some children living in Birmingham it is the best of times and yet for others who go to bed hungry each night it is the worst of times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Apr 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781803139173

Eddie O’Hara

Eddie O’Hara is a registered social work consultant and qualified teacher with nearly 40 years’ experience of supporting and protecting children and families across the UK (including working in Ireland, California, Turkey and Russia). He currently manages a family support service and provides specialist safeguarding training to the police, National Crime Agency, regional addictions agencies and his local women’s centre.  

Book preview

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A tour de force view of the landscape and challenges facing children in Birmingham and across the UK. I urge everyone to read this and take action.

Mark A Monaghan

Senior Social Worker

"This book is a shocking indictment of modern-day civic governance and the lack of authentic concern by MPs, councillors and a transient senior management about the hardships suffered by Birmingham’s children and families.

O’Hara’s heartfelt narrative should shame those in authority to take action – this book’s recommendations are not just concerned with morality, they also make great business sense.

Dr Peter Unwin

Principal Social Work Lecturer

"Challenging structural inequality isn’t easy but complacency in the face of it is, particularly from those of us who live in relative comfort.

"This book and ABC’s work is a reminder that many are not afforded this luxury. That poverty and inequality continue to blight the lives of far too many children while others reap the benefits of living in one of the world’s richest countries. That those who sit at the top tables are not just there to further their own careers and preserve the status quo.

It should prick the conscience of all senior leaders in Birmingham and beyond to do more to prevent future generations from being left behind.

Shahid Naqvi

Editor of Professional Social Work magazine

"There is no such thing as other people’s children,¹ a point well made in this book."

Salma Mirza

Children’s Home Senior Residential Support Worker

"In this book, Eddie provides a fascinating historical insight and social observation regarding Birmingham as a city but also develops the history and purposes of All Birmingham’s Children (ABC) extremely well. The work undertaken by ABC has made a significant difference to so many, yet one question that is an underlying theme within the book is ‘Why have childhood poverty and food banks in Birmingham become the new normal?’

"The book highlights that a generation of communities have enjoyed everything the UK post-war social contract and welfare state has had to offer: free education, health provision, housing, social care, unemployment benefit and assistance. Consequently, for so many children living in Birmingham ‘these can be the best of times with great opportunities ahead’. However, as highlighted for 32-54% of children living in Birmingham ‘these are unfortunately the worst of times’.

"The book is further concerned with the questions of how so many children remain in this desperate situation? It offers a well-argued analysis with clear suggestions on how this could be achieved asking Birmingham’s leadership to create a better child-friendly city and community where other organisations will want to follow.

"Carefully assembled, the chapters are well developed, leading into the next, advancing the reader with some thought-provoking statistics, allowing you to gain a deeper insight into the diversity of children’s lives and opportunities.

Each chapter is written by an author who has terrific personal and professional knowledge of the systems that support but that can also hinder Birmingham’s development, which allows for an accurate and honest representation of the city. This develops to offer clear and articulated suggestions on how to promote the best interests of all children living in Birmingham and the wider community.

John McGowan

General Secretary, Social Workers Union

I was aware that this was not going to be a ‘good read’, despite my hope otherwise. To see so much valued hard work, all of which only wanted the lives of children to be better, not perfect or unrealistic, just better, and for this work and commitment to be so fully dismissed and isolated is a truly dreadful indictment of the leaders of Birmingham. They should be utterly ashamed of themselves. Eddie and his joyful wants for the children and families he has supported and worked with should have been embraced. Instead, the Prophet has not been recognised for who and what he represented. What a truly dreadful story this tells.

Sam Jones

Independent Children’s Advocate

& Complaint Investigator

There’s no doubt that the government’s austerity programme has hit Birmingham hard and has made meeting the needs of all its children that much more difficult, but local representatives, working with charities like ABC, can still make a difference. This book is a timely reminder of the unacceptable disparity in life-chances that blights the lives of so many of our children. It is a call to action. We can do better. We must do better.

David Hughes

Branch Officer, Birmingham UNISON (pc)

We don’t seem to have moved very far in terms of child poverty, do we? I remember being horrified by the difference in living standards between richer and poorer parts of our community in the late 1960s and we should have travelled far beyond that point in this century. If we don’t create and support a child-friendly city, how can Birmingham grow and thrive as a place for families to live, to enjoy themselves and to help all our children and future generations to live happy and fulfilling lives and to contribute to their community?

Jackie Warr

Parent, Birmingham resident and a retired Social Worker

"Eddie O’Hara and ABC’s book is a tale of anger.

"Of anger at over 100,000 children in Birmingham living in poverty and more and more families becoming poorer.

"Of anger at a Government that has cut Birmingham City Council’s budget by 60% since 2010, leading to a 73% cut on children’s social services despite increasing need.

"Of anger at a