MPs Back Calls for Greater Sun Safety Education to Protect Future Generations
On 19 May 2026, SKCIN was delighted to host another successful and well-attended parliamentary event at the House of Commons, bringing together Members of Parliament to explore the vital role of prevention and early education in reducing future skin cancer risk.
The event, ‘Protecting Children’s Health’, provided MPs with the opportunity to learn more about skin cancer prevention, understand the impact of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on skin health, and discover how they can support the delivery of sun safety education within their constituencies.
Attendees were invited to:
- Learn how to protect and check their skin
- View their personal sun damage using SKCIN’s specialist UV imaging technology
- Pledge their support for children’s health through SKCIN’s evidence-based Sun Safe Schools programme
For more than a decade, SKCIN has championed the importance of sun safety education within Westminster, advocating for a national preventative approach to reducing future skin cancer incidence. More than 15 years ago, SKCIN presented reports to MPs highlighting the urgent need for early educational intervention, helping to lay the foundations for what would become the national Sun Safe Schools programme.
Established in 2012, Sun Safe Schools was developed to provide a practical, sustainable and effective solution for improving children’s health through early education. The programme equips schools with evidence-based resources that help children, teachers and families understand the risks associated with UV exposure and adopt lifelong sun-safe behaviours.
Today, the programme stands as a proven national prevention initiative, helping schools across the UK embed sun safety within everyday learning and school life.
The programme aligns closely with the Government’s emerging 10-Year Health Plan, which places a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention to support healthier behaviours from childhood and reduce the future burden of preventable disease.
This approach is further supported by the recent UV Safety Report published by the APPG for Beauty, Hair and Wellbeing, which identified education as a critical component in reducing future skin cancer risk and highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive sun safety education for children and young people.
SKCIN was pleased to welcome Carolyn Harris MP, Chair of the APPG for Beauty, Hair and Wellbeing, to the event and discuss the important role that education can play in protecting future generations.
Throughout the event, MPs were encouraged to explore how they could engage primary schools within their constituencies and were provided with a practical action toolkit designed to support local implementation and encourage greater participation in the programme.
As SKCIN marks its 20th year of skin cancer prevention, we remain committed to securing cross-party support for this vital, evidence-based approach to prevention and ensuring that every child has access to the knowledge and skills needed to protect their skin and reduce their future risk of skin cancer.
Because prevention starts with education, and healthy habits learned in childhood can last a lifetime.
