Children’s
social care
I want all children in care to be supported to reach their aspirations in the same way as any other children – a loving, stable home, a brilliant education, and grown-ups who love them into adulthood.
Over the last 5 years, I have used my data and entry powers to protect and promote children’s rights. I exposed the use of illegal homes which led to changes to inspection regime. Children in care’s right to sibling contact was increased because of my research. I gave a platform for the voices of young asylum seekers as the government planned the Illegal Migration Act. My work on Deprivation of Liberty Orders found that, too often, children with the most complex needs are being placed in inappropriate settings, deprived of their liberty for too long and without the proper care in place. Illuminating this issue has led to the Government committing to expanding the availability of Section 25 accommodation for children to ensure that they can receive targeted care in a place which is safe for them.
Everyone should have a safe place to live. They want somebody to love them and treat them well like their family.
Girl, 10, living with family other than parents/kinship carers
The Big Ambition.
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
Children living in illegal children’s homes
11 January 2026
Last year, for the first time, I shone a light on children placed in illegal homes – isolated, left without appropriate care, and often at increased risk of harm. These so-called ‘homes’ include caravans, holiday rentals, or AirBnBs, usually under the ownership of private companies with no formal inspection or scrutiny. That first report showed […]
Report
Help at Hand annual report 2024-2025
29 December 2025
“I love to learn and be around other children every day. I miss my old friends, which makes me feel sad. I have been looking forward to making new ones, so I don’t feel lonely.” These are the words of an 11-year-old boy, ‘Jack’, who contacted my advice and support service, Help at Hand. Jack, […]
Report
The criminalisation of children in care
17 November 2025
It is often said that the best judgement of a civilised society comes by looking at how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. If that is the case – and as Children’s Commissioner it is a guiding principle – then this report offers a stark warning to society. Time and time again, we see cases […]
Report
The Children’s Plan: Vision for Care
20 October 2025
As Children’s Commissioner, I have a special responsibility to children living in care or away from home. That is not just a responsibility defined by legislation, but one that I feel personally. It was a big part of my motivation for taking on this role nearly five years ago, after a 30-year career as a […]
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
My highlights
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
As Children’s Commissioner, I have a statutory duty to promote and protect the rights of all children, with particular responsibility for children living away from home, which extends to those arriving in the UK seeking asylum.
I have shone a light on the traumatic experiences of young asylum seekers, set out concerns to the Home Secretary on measures that could cause harm – including requesting data under my statutory powers about all children aged 17 of younger seeking asylum in the UK who have been housed in hotels at least for one night
