Media centre

Children’s Commissioner for England turns the spotlight on the most vulnerable children missing from education, part of her work to urgently improve school attendance 25th May 2023: Vulnerable children in care are missing from school and at risk of becoming ‘invisible’ to the services there to support them, without any of the vital opportunities education […]

The Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza responds to measures announced by the Home Secretary to take forward recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. “Today the Government has published its response to the recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.  I welcome today’s commitment to a redress […]

Getting children back into school and attending consistently is an absolute priority for me. I want this for 100% of children, which means everyone has to play a role in making it happen and digging deep into the reasons why it is currently not happening. Those reasons are complex – children might have special educational […]

New report by Children’s Commissioner for England identifies links between children’s experiences of pornography and subsequent harmful sexual behaviour or abuse  9th May 2023: Testimonies from young people exploring the links between watching violent pornography and experiencing harmful sexual behaviours are highlighted in a new report published today by the Children’s Commissioner for England.   The […]

As Children’s Commissioner for England, it is my mission to make sure every child is protected from harm and has their rights upheld. I am therefore deeply concerned about the Illegal Migration Bill, as it is opaque on what it means for children and their rights.   Any child arriving in the UK must first and […]

Good morning everyone – thank you for inviting me today. I am delighted to be speaking to you all for the second year in a row. Virtual School Heads are immensely important, and I want to thank all of you for your commitment to making sure children receive the best possible education. As Children’s Commissioner […]

The Department for Education (DfE) has today published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan (hereafter the Plan). The Plan sets out how DfE intends to deliver ‘a single national system that delivers consistently for every child and young person with SEND and in alternative provision’. The review of the SEND system […]

Today (27th February), it has been announced that the legal age of marriage in England and Wales has risen to eighteen. This is to protect vulnerable children from the damaging impact of forced marriage. The Children’s Commissioner has previously called for a change in the law to end child marriage and therefore welcomes today’s announcement. […]

Hello, let me start by saying how delighted I am to be in a room full of people as passionate about outcomes for children and young people as I am! My name is Rachel De Souza and it is my job as the Children’s commissioner to champion the voices of children and young people. Making […]

The Children’s Commissioner’s office strongly refutes criticisms made in a Guardian article today: The Children’s Commissioner has spent the last 30 years working in the most disadvantaged areas improving children’s outcomes. She is wholly focused on continuing to advocate for vulnerable children, especially those in or involved with the care system. She and her office […]

Every child in care, or involved with children’s services, deserves safety, love and security. Today the Government sets out its implementation strategy for the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. This strategy rightly acknowledges that things are currently not good enough for vulnerable children, with too many missing out on the right help. As a […]

Good morning everyone and thank you so much for that introduction and to Waddesdon School and all the schools who performed today, you are amazing. Now there’s a bit of a theme going on today. I was taught by nuns too, Gillian. My nuns were at St Bede’s Comprehensive, Scunthorpe, I’ll never forget them, they’ve […]