Liverpool Hope University Honorary Doctorate – speech to graduates
Earlier today the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza received an honorary doctorate from Liverpool Hope University. Speaking to graduates Dame Rachel delivered the following speech: Chancellor, esteemed faculty, graduates, families, friends. Thank you. I am deeply honoured to accept this doctorate. It’s not just that it’s wonderful to receive such an award – though of course it […]
The Big Future: Speaking to children in Southampton
I spend a good deal of my time as Children’s Commissioner pointing out what happens when things do not work as they should. Perhaps because of this, I find myself often commenting at the sharpest end of state failures; what happens when something goes really wrong, when the state behaves in a way that feels callous or wicked – in short, […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on midnight social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “We have to listen to young people. They don’t want a ban, but they do want to be protected from addictive, infinite scrolling; dangerous strangers trying to chat to them and explicit content they wished they hadn’t seen. “I have called for action to protect children up to […]
Guest blog: Why cinemas in hospitals matter – A lifeline for young people
“They are not patients they are themselves again.” Colin Lawrence, CEO of MediCinema shares a guest blog post on how cinemas in hospital make a difference to the experiences of young people. For most young people, a trip to the cinema is a simple pleasure – a chance to laugh with friends and escape into […]
A million young lives on hold: Why mental health support must start earlier
A version of the below blog appeared in Schools Week. “Take young people’s mental health seriously and intervene much earlier.” – Girl, 17, The Big Future Sadly, this is far from an isolated plea for help. Children have been crying out for earlier mental health support for too long, yet their concerns have not been properly […]
Press Notice: Over a million children referred to mental health services, with highest annual referrals as demand rises faster than systems can respond
Demand for children’s mental health services is rising – and rising faster than in previous years – the Children’s Commissioner has warned, as for the first time more than a million children in England had active referrals to mental health services in England last year – leaving increasing numbers of children waiting for months or years for support. In her fifth annual report on children’s mental health services, Dame […]
Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health Services: 2024-25
As I enter my final year as Children’s Commissioner, one thing is clear: before we make decisions that affect young people, we need to listen to young people. Children’s mental health is no exception. I am in no doubt that we are facing a crisis in young people’s mental health. The number of children with a referral […]
The need to protect the rights of every child, regardless of their asylum status
A version of the below blog appeared on LBC News. As Children’s Commissioner, I have a statutory duty to protect and promote the rights of children – no matter how they get here or what their asylum status is This is how I have approached every government proposal throughout my five years, including its interventions […]
Press Notice: Children’s Commissioner demands Home Secretary releases data on children affected by plans to withdraw support from failed asylum-seeking families
The Children’s Commissioner for England is demanding the Home Secretary releases figures for the number of children that will be affected by proposals to withdraw support and forcibly remove children and families with failed asylum claims. Dame Rachel de Souza argues that the plans, which have been under consultation, to push families (including those with children receiving ongoing medical treatment) to leave the UK would cause significant harm to children and should not be implemented as proposed. The Commissioner argues in a highly critical submission to the Home Office (published today) that the […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s response to the Home Office consultation on changes to the provision of support for failed asylum-seeker families
As Children’s Commissioner, I have a statutory duty to protect and promote the rights of children – that includes all children who arrive in this country, no matter how they get here or what their asylum status is. I have always been clear that it is for government to determine the right rules and levels […]
The Big Future: Speaking to children in Suffolk
In Westminster, the debate around social media use came to a head last week, with the proposed limiting of children’s access to social media. In the days after the announcement, as part of my tour for my survey The Big Future, I was in Ipswich, answering a question that children have asked me for almost as long as the screen time debate has gone on: “If […]
Social media ban for under 16s: Reflections from my Youth Ambassadors
This week, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced plans block social media platforms for those under 16 which “allow interactions and allow users to post material”. The ban, which would not cover messaging services like WhatsApp, is expected to take effect in early 2027 and is expected to cover popular platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. I have asked some of my Youth Ambassadors for their reaction to the ban. The Ambassadors […]
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
