The Children’s Commissioner has a statutory duty to promote and protect the rights of all children, with particular responsibility to children who are living away from home or receiving social care services.
A small team of child rights advisers, known as Help at Hand, carries out one of the Children’s Commissioner’s biggest statutory roles: intervening on behalf of children who are in care, leaving care, staying in hospital, or remanded in youth custody to advocate for them. These advisors also support children in need who are living with their families.
Help at Hand is a vital lifeline for these children. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, it received 1,109 new referrals — more than 6% than the previous year.
Each one of these is a child needing support, and each one a reminder of why the service matters. From children in unsafe or unsuitable care placements to those navigating homelessness or immigration systems, the team has offered help where it is most urgently needed, while highlighting the system-wide changes required to prevent such cases in the future.
How does Help at Hand work?
The Children’s Commissioner may, under section 2D of the Children Act 2004, intervene on behalf of these children within the Commissioner’s remit who are in or receiving care to provide advice, assistance, and representation. Children can make contact via phone, email, or the CCo website. The assistance they provide ranges from general information and advice on children’s entitlements, to active intervention and representation for children and young people whose rights are not being upheld. Their work involves contacting a wide range of professionals and agencies, including social workers and team managers, education teams, Directors of Children’s Services, regional NHS chief executives, prison governors and officials across government.
The team aims to resolve issues co-operatively with those responsible for children’s care and wellbeing, and most local authorities and services are helpful in addressing the problems raised. However, where consensus cannot be reached, concerns are escalated and, if necessary, the Children’s Commissioner writes personally to senior managers to request action. The team works hard to get the right result for children and young people, and advisers can resolve, or partially resolve, the majority of cases where they make representations.
Themes from 2024-25
The issues raised by children and young people vary. Key themes relate to children who are in care but out of school, children and care leavers who are being moved out of homes and areas they want to stay in, and concerns about the quality of the homes for children (living in and outside of care) and care leavers.
How Help at Hand supported children last year
Accessibility: To improve access for more children, Help at Hand underwent a full rebrand including a new website and an accessibility-focused video, aimed specifically at supporting disabled children. The office also published its Annual Report on Help at Hand, reviewing its impact and including consultation with children and young people who have used it to ensure their feedback directly informs how to improve advocacy and support for the most vulnerable.
Stronger advocacy for children in care: Following an 18-month pilot, the office has formally written to Ofsted to call for a clear plan for every child in care to access advocacy. Advocacy is a lifeline for children facing instability, placement breakdowns, or being moved without explanation, and the office will continue to push for every child to receive the independent support they are entitled to. The office is also working to strengthen safeguarding systems by gathering new evidence through its School and College Survey on Local Authority Designated Officers (LADOs) – professionals responsible for managing allegations against adults working with children.
Training and collaboration: The office’s Care Leaver Training programme has continued to expand, equipping advocates, social workers, and professionals with the knowledge they need to better support young people leaving care. This training is directly shaped by care leavers’ lived experiences, ensuring that professionals understand what young people need as they navigate the transition to independence. Additionally, the office published a Whistleblowing Report, analysing all safeguarding concerns raised with CCo throughout 2024-25. This report highlights systemic failings, holds decision-makers to account, and strengthens protections for children in care. Help at Hand continued its regular programme of visits to children living away from home, who have a social worker, or are in or leaving care, as well as to unaccompanied migrant children arriving into Kent intake units and reception centres.
