Last week in the House of Commons, I stood up in the chamber to ask a question shaped directly by parent carers who are doing everything they can for their children in unimaginably difficult circumstances.

When a child becomes seriously ill, families are often left to navigate complex services alone while confronting the reality of a devastating diagnosis. That is why I asked the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to consider a dedicated national support pathway for parent carers—one that ensures proper access to counselling, emotional support and respite from the moment a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening or life-limiting illness.

This is a cause shaped by parents and families who have lived through the most frightening moments of their lives. Too often, they are forced to do so within a system that was never designed with them in mind.

Every parent carer—now and in the future—depends on what we do today.

That is why, alongside Harry’s Pals, I am establishing a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) focused on parent carers. APPGs bring MPs and Lords from across Parliament together to shine a light on issues that fall through the cracks, gather evidence, listen to lived experience, and push for meaningful change.

Harry’s Pals was founded by Hayley, Harry’s mum, after her own family experienced first-hand the devastating impact of their son Harry’s diagnosis. Instead of being met with a clear and compassionate support system, Hayley faced confusion, isolation and a lack of emotional and statutory support. From that experience, Harry’s Pals was born—now providing vital peer support, guidance and understanding to parents who suddenly find themselves carrying an unbearable emotional load.

I speak and act on behalf of parents like Hayley, whose strength and determination are truly inspiring.

I am really pleased that the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Ashley Dalton MP, has agreed to meet with Hayley and me to discuss how support for families can be improved. That meeting is an important step forward—the beginning of a serious effort to change how parent carers are supported from the moment of diagnosis.

This APPG will give parent carers a voice at the heart of Westminster. It will ensure that lived experience shapes policy, and that families like those supported by Harry’s Pals are no longer overlooked. This work matters deeply to me. I am determined to see practical, compassionate change—so that every family facing the unimaginable receives the emotional and practical support they need and deserve.

The APPG, together with my upcoming meeting with the Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care, Ashley Dalton MP, is an important and positive step forward, and I am determined to make sure real change reaches every family who needs it.