Letter to separating parents
Going through a separation or divorce can be an incredibly challenging time, not only for parents but importantly for children too. As Children’s Commissioner, my role is to champion children’s rights and wellbeing, and to make sure their voices are heard, especially by the adults in their lives. That’s why I have written to separating parents as […]
Guest Blog: It’s Welcome to Your Vote Week – Electoral Commission
Throughout my time as Children’s Commissioner, I have heard from a million children and know how socially aware and engaged young people today are – as well as being full of practical ideas to make England the best place to grow up. But as The Big Ambition survey showed – just 22% of children feel listened to by decision makers. Since then, children continue to tell […]
Press Notice: Colleges are stepping in to provide students with support, despite delays in key information about their additional needs, Children’s Commissioner warns
Delayed or incomplete information sharing between schools and local services is leaving colleges without the key insights they need to support young people effectively, limiting their ability to meet young people’s additional needs and prepare them for a life beyond education, the Children’s Commissioner has warned. Yet despite this inconsistent information sharing, a new report […]
Setting young people up for success – College sector report: The Children’s Commissioner’s School and College Census
In 2024, I used my data powers on schools and colleges for the first time, conducting a census to better understand the support that educational establishments offer children. This report is the third in this series. The first, The Children’s Plan, examines what whole system reform could and should look like. The second, The Children’s […]
Supporting children to talk about conflict in the Middle East Â
Over the weekend, many children would have seen the distressing news and horrifying images from the escalating conflict in the Middle East. For some this may feel especially close to home if they have family members in affected areas or connections through wider communities. For others, it is a crisis that creates a feeling of uncertainty and instability […]
Supporting children to talk about conflict in the Middle East Â
Over the weekend, many children would have seen the distressing news and horrifying images from the escalating conflict in the Middle East. For some this may feel especially close to home if they have family members in affected areas or connections through wider communities. For others, it is a crisis that creates a feeling of uncertainty and instability […]
Reflecting on the past year, and looking ahead to Dame Rachel’s final year as Children’s Commissioner
As Dame Rachel de Souza begins her final year as Children’s Commissioner, we’re reflecting on what’s been achieved in the past 12 months and looking ahead to the work that still needs to be done to make England the best place to grow up. In April last year, we hosted the inaugural Festival of Childhood, […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on Individual Support Plans and Education, Health and Care Plans in the Schools White Paper
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Children with additional needs and their families deserve clarity, so I welcome this commitment for a system that wants to prioritise children’s rights – instead of one that has failed them for far too long. “Families will understandably be anxious about what this moment of change will bring, […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on the Schools White Paper
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “This White Paper is an important first step in long-overdue reforms for children with additional needs – families are exhausted from fighting the current system and have been calling for change, so it is welcome the government is listening. “In my report The Children’s Plan I set out […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on draft Schools White Paper
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Education, Health and Care Plans are highly sought-after, but they are not a panacea. Thousands of our most vulnerable children have one, yet every day they are being failed. “No child should lose the support they currently receive, but at best the current system serves children badly. At […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on plans to tighten online safety laws
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “I’ve heard from a million children as Children’s Commissioner, and thousands have told me about the harmful, extreme, totally inappropriate content they see online – often without looking for it. I’ve called for bold action to better protect children online because, despite the best intentions of the Online […]
Press Notice: Appearance-changing products like Ozempic, steroids and Botox advertised to children on social media platforms – Children’s Commissioner calls for tighter regulationÂ
Children are being routinely bombarded with online advertisements for products that claim to change their bodies and appearance – from weight loss injections and diet pills to muscle building supplements and cosmetic procedures – with damaging consequences for their health and self-esteem, the Children’s Commissioner has found. Dame Rachel de Souza’s new report comes as […]
Archived Content
Improving the living situation of children living in secure accommodation
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commisioner for England, has written to Vicky Ford MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, Lucy Frazer QC MP, Minister of State, Ministry of Justice and Nadine Dorries MP, Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health regarding concerns about children in living in secure accommodation, particularly those […]
Children in custody during lockdown
Since the start of the Covid pandemic, the Children’s Commissioner’s Office has investigated and highlighted concerns about the treatment of children in secure settings. Our briefing in May used data collected from the Youth Custody Service (YCS) alongside a series of interviews with children to shine a light on conditions for children in custody during […]
Help at Hand annual report 2020
Our 2020 annual report for Help at Hand, our advice line for children in care.
Response to the DfE’s announcement on unregulated accommodation for children in care
Anne Longfield, responding to the DfE’s announcement on unregulated accommodation for children in care, said: “The Government’s ban on unregulated provision for under-16s in care is very welcome, but needs to go further and include all under-18s. There are too many teenage children in care living in completely unsuitable and sometimes dangerous accommodation, including hostels […]
Five things you need to know about SEN in schools
How children’s needs are met (or go unmet) in schools, and the implications of these for the SEND Review and other reforms
Building back better
When I became Children’s Commissioner for England six years ago, I set out an ambitious vision for a nation where childhood is understood and celebrated and where the voice of all children is listened to at the heart of Government. I had in mind a particular group of children who, in my experience of working […]
Building back better – Anne Longfield’s final speech as Children’s Commissioner
 Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has delivered her final speech in post with a challenge to the Prime Minister to show he is serious about children by putting them at the heart of his post-Covid plans. Her speech warned that the Prime Minister’s promise to ‘level up’ will be ‘just a slogan unless […]
Speech
Characteristics of children entering care for the first time as teenagers
Last year, research from my office showed that even before the pandemic, there were 120,000 highly vulnerable children in England who were falling through the gaps in education and social care. This group of children – equivalent to 1 in 25 13-17 year olds – all had significant additional needs and vulnerabilities but were not […]
Spend over £25,000: 2020 – 2021
We publish details of all spending over £25,000 on a quarterly basis. 1 April 2020 – 30 June 2020 Nil 1 July 2020 – 30 September 2020 Transaction date Merchant name Transaction amount Entity Details 14/08/2020 National Audit Office £33,600.00 OCC External Audit Services 1 October 2020 – 31 December 2020 Nil 1 January 2021 […]
Still not safe
The public health response to youth violence
