As part of Inclusive Britain – the Government’s response to the 2021 Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities – the Children’s Commissioner was asked to undertake an Independent Review into family life.
The Children’s Commissioner has now published ‘Family and its protective effect’: Part 1 of the Independent Family Review, which paints a unique and comprehensive picture of family life today. It focuses on what families look like in modern Britain, defines for the first time what exactly is protective about them, and looks at the unique experiences of children for whom the state is their parent.
The Review was informed by thousands of children and families across the country and draws on new and detailed analysis of existing data sets, conversations with experts and frontline workers, and a review of relevant literature including submissions from key stakeholders.
The Children’s Commissioner has included some recommendations for policy makers, and a framework for answering them will underpin Part 2 of the Review.
Part 2 of the Family Review will be published in due course, and will look at how oversight, accountability and availability of services can be made more cohesive and family centred. It will also aim to provide solutions for how families can better navigate what is available to them locally.