Jobs
and skills
Children tell me that jobs are a top priority. They want to get on and do well. They want to work hard, and talk in terms not just of jobs, but careers – often civic-minded careers.
The Milburn Review sparked a national conversation about children not in education, employment or training.
I am worried about the link between absences and NEETs and have requested data from colleges on attendance. This builds on my work publishing college responses to my census – highlighting how colleges are supporting young people in their post-16 education
A good career provides foundational security, confidence, and independence. It offers pride in what you do and helps build a stable life. A good career also creates vital connections to community and gives a sense of direction and meaning.
Children’s Commissioner’s Youth Ambassador
December 2025
Latest Reports
My Plan for the year, 2026-27
31 March 2026
I’ve designed a version of my Business Plan aimed specifically for children and young people, sharing the projects and themes that my office will be working on. As Children’s Commissioner for England, it is my job to listen to you and take your voices to decision makers. This will be my sixth and final year […]
Report
Business Plan, 2026-27
2026–27 will be my final year as Children’s Commissioner, marking the conclusion of a six-year term that began in March 2021. It is a moment to take stock of how children’s lives have changed during that time, and to focus on the work that still needs to be done to give every child in England […]
Report
School Census: Improving safety and accountability for vulnerable children
24 September 2025
As Children’s Commissioner I have the privilege of speaking to and working with thousands of professionals supporting children in every aspect of their lives. I know first-hand how caring and dedicated the vast majority of them are, and how the relationships they build with children can be transformative. But I have also seen the other […]
Report
The Children’s Plan: The Children’s Commissioner’s School Census
8 September 2025
Read The Children’s Plan: The Children’s Commissioner’s School Census in full. Read the Summary version. For the first time as Children’s Commissioner, I have used my statutory powers to ask all schools, and colleges, a set of questions. A census in response to what children told me they wanted and needed to attend, engage, attain, […]
Report
Growing up in a low-income family: Children’s experiences
8 July 2025
This report should not have to exist. Shining a light on children’s experiences of poverty in 2025, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, should not be necessary. And yet, the findings in this work highlight real hardship; an almost-Dickensian level of poverty facing some children in England today. After four years as […]
Report
Business Plan, 2025-26
3 April 2025
The year ahead – 2025-26 – will be my penultimate year as Children’s Commissioner for England. It will also mark 20 years since the establishment of this office – a milestone that offers an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made and a reminder about the many urgent challenges that remain. More than […]
Report
My Plan for the year, 2025-26
I’ve designed a version of my Business Plan aimed specifically for children and young people, sharing the projects and themes that my office will be working on. As Children’s Commissioner for England, it is my job to listen to you and take your voices to decision makers. In my survey, The Big Ambition, only one […]
Report
Hierarchy of needs for care experienced young people
10 December 2024
The Children’s Commissioner’s Care Experienced Advisory Board have created a hierarchy of needs based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It is a visual guide to help professionals working with care experienced young people understand their needs and support them. The different levels of the pyramid consider the basic requirements that care experienced young people need […]
Report
Children’s voices on mathematics
15 November 2024
As Children’s Commissioner one of my main ambitions is that every child has access to a brilliant education: one that helps them to achieve their goals, no matter how ambitious. To make this possible they need access to a broad range of subjects, with a particular focus on the core subjects of English, maths and […]
Report
My highlights
Care-leavers
As Children’s Commissioner, I have a statutory duty to provide advice, assistance, and representation to care leavers up to the age of 25, to ensure their rights are respected and they receive the services they are entitled to. I’ve made it a priority to listen to care leavers and reflect their experiences to policymakers and public services.
I am passionate about making sure that care leavers have the same opportunities as other young people.  One of the things I have been told is that it is often hard to navigate careers, so I created a practical guide to finding grants, funding, discounts, mentoring and career opportunities. I also released a handbook for higher education professionals supporting care experienced students created in collaboration with the young people on my Care Experienced Advisory Board.
