Paris 2024: What children said about sport in The Big Ambition
As a country, we have had our fair share of inspiring sporting moments so far this year: the determination of England’s men as they reached the Euros final, Andy and Jamie Murray’s first – and last – Wimbledon doubles match as partners and the impressive rise of teenage darts player Luke Littler, to name just […]
Visit to HMYOI Werrington
Earlier this month, members of my office visited HMYOI Werrington, a Young Offenders Institution (YOI) in Stoke-on-Trent to talk to the children and young people who live there about their lives. Through July and August, my office is visiting every YOI in England and Wales, as well as a number of Secure Children’s Homes, to […]
King’s Speech 2024: Children’s Commissioner’s response
On Wednesday, King Charles outlined the new government’s law-making plans in a speech to Parliament. Among the 39 bills announced was the Children Wellbeing Bill. The Bill aims to transform the life chances for the millions of children and young people in England by introducing new measures in the education and social care systems, including: […]
Tech companies must listen to children, we ignore their views at our peril
Since becoming Children’s Commissioner, I have spoken to more than one million children. They have shared their hopes for the future with me, as well as their worries. Among the biggest worries is how to protect themselves online. Ofcom’s consultation on the Children’s Code closes this week. This is a key moment in the delivery […]
Children’s Commissioner’s response to HMIP report on conditions at Feltham Young Offenders Institution
Today’s report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) on conditions at Feltham Young Offenders Institution is a horrifying reminder that urgent work to make sure no child grows up in prison needs to start now. The review, carried out by HMIP in March, found that conditions had significantly deteriorated since the last inspection two […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on Manston, Kent
“My advocacy team visited Manston in Kent this week in response to concerns raised regarding the welfare of children and families arriving there. I have shared those concerns with the Home Office and the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. “Conditions in Kent can change quickly, with a change in weather and a spike […]
Every child in care should have a loving, stable home
There are around 400,000 children in England in touch with children’s social care, at the latest count. Like all of the almost 12 million children in England, they deserve to be safe, happy and listened to, supported by consistently high-quality services. The Big Ambition survey reached around 13,700 children with a social worker, around 700 […]
100 Voices for 100 Days: Putting children’s voices at the heart government
“Children and young people should be able to speak their truths and be confident in sharing their beliefs and concerns to decision-makers.” – Zara, Children’s Commissioner young Ambassador Over the last three years, as Children’s Commissioner, I have heard from more than a million children about their hopes, fears, experiences and their ambitions for the […]
First time voters: my Youth Ambassadors reflect on voting in their first general election
As Children’s Commissioner, I hear from children every day about their ambitions, their experiences and the people or things in their lives that make a difference. It is my job to listen to what children say and ensure that their voices are heard and acted upon by those in positions of power: politicians, policy makers, […]
The Big Ambition: Local area maps
The Big Ambition was a large-scale consultation of children in England carried out between September 2023 and January 2024 by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza. It engaged with more than 367,000 children (including adults on behalf of children) over a broad set of questions about their lives and what they think […]
Educated in Britain and graduating in Ukraine: a reflection from my young Ambassador
Today I am sharing a blog post written by my young Ambassador Sofia. Sofia was forced to leave her home because of the war in Ukraine and come to England. At the end of June, she returned to Ukraine for her graduation – I have asked her to share some of her experiences: The UK […]
The Big Ambition for a Better World: Reflections from my Ambassadors
Today’s children are socially aware and politically engaged; they understand the power that politicians have to directly impact their lives. They saw it first-hand during Covid. One of the strongest messages to come out of The Big Ambition was the desire for a fairer and more equitable world. Children want to change the world, they […]
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 […]
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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 […]