‘Speech Your Mind’ awards ceremony – a real win for children’s voices
As Children’s Commissioner I have made it my mission to make sure that young people’s voices are heard, listened to and acted upon by decision makers. Young people under 16 may not have a vote but, I strongly believe, they must have a voice in the public debate particularly about issues that impact their lives. […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on new abuse footage at Whitefield School
The experiences of these children are absolutely- appalling – my heart goes out to them and their families. No child should ever be physically restrained under such conditions and with such a lack of compassion, especially those who are so vulnerable. Since the allegations of abuse at Whitefield School first came to light I have […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on Child Safeguarding Review Panel report on victims of sexual abuse
This report is a devastating indictment of how starkly we are failing children by ignoring their experiences and voices. It sadly reflects what I have found in my own work – not just the horrors children have endured, but also the shocking failures by adults and professionals to identify and respond in the right way. […]
How the School Survey will help shape the future of education
As a former teacher, headteacher and Trust leader, I know the defining role schools play in the lives of children and young people. As Children’s Commissioner, I’ve seen the fantastic job teachers are doing – something that children themselves often tell me about. Schools are not just simply places where children learn, but also where […]
Confederation of Schools Trust Annual Conference: Reflections from youth Ambassadors
Earlier this month the Confederation of Schools Trust held its first annual conference bringing together school trust leaders from across England to learn from each other, and to hear from government, policy makers and other influential figures. The theme of this year’s conference was building – with a focus on building capacity, resilience, evidence and […]
Press Notice: New research reveals ‘stark failures’ of social care system, as the Children’s Commissioner calls for urgent reform and stronger safeguards
Today’s report, “Children with complex needs who are deprived of liberty” is available here. Top lines: Children in England can be deprived of their liberty in secure settings, specifically custodial settings (for youth justice reasons), secure children’s homes (for welfare reasons) and mental health units (for assessment and treatment). A deprivation of liberty can also […]
Children with complex needs who are deprived of liberty: Interviews with children to understand their experiences of being deprived of their liberty
Thousands of children in the United Kingdom are currently deprived of their liberty. They are confined in young offender institutions, mental health wards, or secure children’s homes, but a growing proportion are being deprived of their liberty outside a secure setting, through the use of High Court deprivation of liberty orders. These orders, which are […]
Children’s voices on mathematics
As Children’s Commissioner one of my main ambitions is that every child has access to a brilliant education: one that helps them to achieve their goals, no matter how ambitious. To make this possible they need access to a broad range of subjects, with a particular focus on the core subjects of English, maths and […]
Children’s views on mathematics
As Children’s Commissioner one of my main ambitions is that every child has access to a brilliant education: one that helps them to achieve their goals, no matter how ambitious. To make this possible they need access to a broad range of subjects, with a particular focus on the core subjects of English, maths and […]
Whistleblowing
The Children’s Commissioner is named in the Prescribed Persons Order 2014 as someone to whom whistle-blowers can raise concerns relating to the rights, welfare and interests of children. Whistle-blowing arrangements offer a framework of protection against victimisation or dismissal for workers who blow the whistle on criminal behaviour or other wrongdoing. Here you can find […]
The Big Conversation: Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom Chief Executive
As Children’s Commissioner, I have spoken to hundreds of thousands of children about the online world and the impact this has on their daily lives. This ranges from what they like to do online, to how long they spend online and the kind of content they come across. It was clear from The Big Ambition […]
The Children’s Commissioner shares activities for Maths Week England 2024
“I can’t think any area of life where maths skills aren’t needed’”– Young person, roundtable. Maths Week England is a week-long FREE national festival of all things maths! With over 800.000 students already registered, Maths Week England provides a platform for everyone to immerse themselves in the magic of maths and raise the profile of […]
Archived Content
Children will keep dying on our streets until there is a joined up public health response to gangs
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is today (Saturday) publishing a report assessing how effectively existing infrastructure within local authorities is being used to deliver a public health approach to preventing gang involvement and youth violence. The Children’s Commissioner concludes that two years on from her last report into this issue and a year after […]
Detention of unaccompanied children arriving in Kent during 2020
This briefing looks at the immediate conditions unaccompanied asylum-seeking children faced after travelling to the UK, usually via boat, during 2020. Specifically, it focuses on the children who arrived at the Kent Intake Unit, where children’s identities are checked and their initial asylum claims are processed before they can be accommodated by local authorities. After […]
Our joint call on the government to include a statutory duty on local authorities to fund community-based services in the Domestic Abuse Bill
The Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, the Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, are jointly calling on the government to include a statutory duty on local authorities to fund community-based services in the Domestic Abuse Bill. In a joint statement, the Commissioners say: “It is vital that the government […]
Feedback
Children’s Commissioner’s podcast: Lockdown, school and football
In the second episode of the Children’s Commissioner’s podcast, Anne Longfield visits a school in South London where she talks to students about how the first coronavirus lockdown affected them, both at home and at school and what impact it had on their education and relationships. She also hears about a programme called Football Beyond […]
The state of children’s mental health services 2019/20
This is my fourth annual report on the state of children’s mental health services in England, and my last as Children’s Commissioner. I started this series of briefings because of the torrent of stories I was hearing from children about needing mental health services that weren’t there for them. I wanted to examine the data […]
Damage to children’s mental health caused by Covid crisis could last for years without a large-scale increase for children’s mental health services
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is today (Thursday) publishing her fourth annual report on the state of children’s mental health services in England. The analysis examines the progress that has been made over the past five years as well as looking at the impact the Covid crisis has had on children’s mental health. The […]
Roadmap to reopening schools
Policy briefing Ever since last August, the Children’s Commissioner has said “Schools must be the last to close and the first to reopen.” This is now a well-used phrase as parents, teachers, scientists, politicians and the media all recognise the massive impact that the lockdowns are having on children’s education, and even more importantly, on […]
Our joint letter with Solace urging the PM to set-out a roadmap to reopen schools
The Children’s Commissioner and Solace have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to set-out a roadmap for the reopening of schools to all pupils. *** Dear Prime Minister, We are writing to urge you to set-out a roadmap for the reopening of schools to all pupils. We welcome your personal […]
Too many at-risk children are still invisible to social care
Since March 2020 when schools closed at the start of the first national lockdown, more families have fallen into poverty and all the major risk factors to children – domestic violence, poor parental mental health, and alcohol/substance abuse – have heightened. At the same time there has been a significant fall (by 10% compared to […]
