Sara Sharif: Children’s Commissioner responds to sentencing
No sentence will bring Sara back, nor will it take away from the unimaginable suffering she was forced to endure in her short life. Sara was tortured and killed by the very people who were supposed to love and protect her – and now, at the judge’s request, the full, horrifying details of the sustained […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
The urgency with which this legislation is being introduced to Parliament demonstrates the importance of these issues. It lays a foundation for change in many children’s lives – many of whom have been neglected or hidden by services working in silo. As Children’s Commissioner I have called on successive governments to introduce a unique identifying […]
Press Notice: Hundreds of millions spent by councils placing vulnerable children in illegal children’s homes
The Children’s Commissioner is calling for immediate action to stop hundreds of children from being housed illegally in settings including caravans and holiday rentals, at exorbitant cost to local authorities. Stark new data gathered under the Children’s Commissioner’s statutory powers will shed light on the alarming rise in illegal children’s homes. It reveals that on […]
Illegal Children’s Homes
Every night across England hundreds of children are going to sleep in illegal homes where they are often isolated and left without appropriate care. Most of these are run by private organisations which have the least amount of oversight and scrutiny, leaving children at an increased risk of harm. There is no process for checking […]
Deaths of children in need
This report contains new findings on the deaths of children in need. ‘Child in need’ is an umbrella term including looked after children, children on a child protection plan, and children on a child in need plan. This report examines the characteristics of children and young people who die having had social care involvement, and […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on the murder of Sara Sharif
Sara Sharif was killed by the people in her life that should have loved her the most – and they must now face the consequences of that terrible act. Her death is a heartbreaking reminder of the profound weaknesses in our child protection system that, as a country, we have failed time and time again […]
Hierarchy of needs for care experienced young people
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 […]
‘Speech Your Mind’ awards ceremony – a real win for children’s voices
As Children’s Commissioner I have made it my mission to make sure that young people’s voices are heard, listened to and acted upon by decision makers. Young people under 16 may not have a vote but, I strongly believe, they must have a voice in the public debate particularly about issues that impact their lives. […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on new abuse footage at Whitefield School
The experiences of these children are absolutely- appalling – my heart goes out to them and their families. No child should ever be physically restrained under such conditions and with such a lack of compassion, especially those who are so vulnerable. Since the allegations of abuse at Whitefield School first came to light I have […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on Child Safeguarding Review Panel report on victims of sexual abuse
This report is a devastating indictment of how starkly we are failing children by ignoring their experiences and voices. It sadly reflects what I have found in my own work – not just the horrors children have endured, but also the shocking failures by adults and professionals to identify and respond in the right way. […]
How the School Survey will help shape the future of education
As a former teacher, headteacher and Trust leader, I know the defining role schools play in the lives of children and young people. As Children’s Commissioner, I’ve seen the fantastic job teachers are doing – something that children themselves often tell me about. Schools are not just simply places where children learn, but also where […]
Confederation of Schools Trust Annual Conference: Reflections from youth Ambassadors
Earlier this month the Confederation of Schools Trust held its first annual conference bringing together school trust leaders from across England to learn from each other, and to hear from government, policy makers and other influential figures. The theme of this year’s conference was building – with a focus on building capacity, resilience, evidence and […]
Archived Content
Children will keep dying on our streets until there is a joined up public health response to gangs
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is today (Saturday) publishing a report assessing how effectively existing infrastructure within local authorities is being used to deliver a public health approach to preventing gang involvement and youth violence. The Children’s Commissioner concludes that two years on from her last report into this issue and a year after […]
Detention of unaccompanied children arriving in Kent during 2020
This briefing looks at the immediate conditions unaccompanied asylum-seeking children faced after travelling to the UK, usually via boat, during 2020. Specifically, it focuses on the children who arrived at the Kent Intake Unit, where children’s identities are checked and their initial asylum claims are processed before they can be accommodated by local authorities. After […]
Our joint call on the government to include a statutory duty on local authorities to fund community-based services in the Domestic Abuse Bill
The Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, the Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, are jointly calling on the government to include a statutory duty on local authorities to fund community-based services in the Domestic Abuse Bill. In a joint statement, the Commissioners say: “It is vital that the government […]
Feedback
Children’s Commissioner’s podcast: Lockdown, school and football
In the second episode of the Children’s Commissioner’s podcast, Anne Longfield visits a school in South London where she talks to students about how the first coronavirus lockdown affected them, both at home and at school and what impact it had on their education and relationships. She also hears about a programme called Football Beyond […]
The state of children’s mental health services 2019/20
This is my fourth annual report on the state of children’s mental health services in England, and my last as Children’s Commissioner. I started this series of briefings because of the torrent of stories I was hearing from children about needing mental health services that weren’t there for them. I wanted to examine the data […]
Damage to children’s mental health caused by Covid crisis could last for years without a large-scale increase for children’s mental health services
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is today (Thursday) publishing her fourth annual report on the state of children’s mental health services in England. The analysis examines the progress that has been made over the past five years as well as looking at the impact the Covid crisis has had on children’s mental health. The […]
Roadmap to reopening schools
Policy briefing Ever since last August, the Children’s Commissioner has said “Schools must be the last to close and the first to reopen.” This is now a well-used phrase as parents, teachers, scientists, politicians and the media all recognise the massive impact that the lockdowns are having on children’s education, and even more importantly, on […]
Our joint letter with Solace urging the PM to set-out a roadmap to reopen schools
The Children’s Commissioner and Solace have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to set-out a roadmap for the reopening of schools to all pupils. *** Dear Prime Minister, We are writing to urge you to set-out a roadmap for the reopening of schools to all pupils. We welcome your personal […]
Too many at-risk children are still invisible to social care
Since March 2020 when schools closed at the start of the first national lockdown, more families have fallen into poverty and all the major risk factors to children – domestic violence, poor parental mental health, and alcohol/substance abuse – have heightened. At the same time there has been a significant fall (by 10% compared to […]
