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
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
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 regulation
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
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 […]