Press Notice: New research reveals ‘stark failures’ of social care system, as the Children’s Commissioner calls for urgent reform and stronger safeguards
Today’s report, “Children with complex needs who are deprived of liberty” is available here. Top lines: Children in England can be deprived of their liberty in secure settings, specifically custodial settings (for youth justice reasons), secure children’s homes (for welfare reasons) and mental health units (for assessment and treatment). A deprivation of liberty can also […]
Children with complex needs who are deprived of liberty: Interviews with children to understand their experiences of being deprived of their liberty
Thousands of children in the United Kingdom are currently deprived of their liberty. They are confined in young offender institutions, mental health wards, or secure children’s homes, but a growing proportion are being deprived of their liberty outside a secure setting, through the use of High Court deprivation of liberty orders. These orders, which are […]
Children’s voices on mathematics
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 […]
Children’s views on mathematics
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 […]
Whistleblowing
The Children’s Commissioner is named in the Prescribed Persons Order 2014 as someone to whom whistle-blowers can raise concerns relating to the rights, welfare and interests of children. Whistle-blowing arrangements offer a framework of protection against victimisation or dismissal for workers who blow the whistle on criminal behaviour or other wrongdoing. Here you can find […]
The Big Conversation: Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom Chief Executive
As Children’s Commissioner, I have spoken to hundreds of thousands of children about the online world and the impact this has on their daily lives. This ranges from what they like to do online, to how long they spend online and the kind of content they come across. It was clear from The Big Ambition […]
The Children’s Commissioner shares activities for Maths Week England 2024
“I can’t think any area of life where maths skills aren’t needed’”– Young person, roundtable. Maths Week England is a week-long FREE national festival of all things maths! With over 800.000 students already registered, Maths Week England provides a platform for everyone to immerse themselves in the magic of maths and raise the profile of […]
What are children in need plans for?
In 2022 the Department for Education started to publish the number of children on ‘child in need’ plans. The latest number, published last week, is approximately 105,000. It has not yet published any more detailed statistics about these children, the largest group supported by children’s social care in England, so there is a gap in […]
The Big Conversation Podcast – Episode 2 – Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive, Ofcom
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children’s Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children. The podcast draws on the themes in The Big Ambition and will focus on the most important issues that are impacting young people’s lives, with solutions developed with […]
Why safety and care must come before force in youth justice
When I speak to children about what it’s like to be a child in England, a theme that often comes up is their desire to feel safe and confident in their homes, schools and local areas. As Children’s Commissioner I have heard from hundreds of thousands of children about their worries, their ambitions and their […]
What is this plan for? The purpose and content of children in need plans
A new report from the Children’s Commissioner has raised concerns about the quality and consistency of support for some of England’s most vulnerable children, with decisions about their care often driven by local capacity and resource rather than the needs of families. Families whose children are deemed as ‘in need’ under Section 17 of the […]
What is this plan for? The purpose and content of children in need plans
There is a group of just over 400,000 children living in England who are defined as ’children in need’, because they have been identified as needing meaningful intervention from the state to support their development, prevent problems in their home lives from escalating or to help if they are disabled. Around a quarter of these […]
Archived Content
Improving the living situation of children living in secure accommodation
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commisioner for England, has written to Vicky Ford MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, Lucy Frazer QC MP, Minister of State, Ministry of Justice and Nadine Dorries MP, Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health regarding concerns about children in living in secure accommodation, particularly those […]
Children in custody during lockdown
Since the start of the Covid pandemic, the Children’s Commissioner’s Office has investigated and highlighted concerns about the treatment of children in secure settings. Our briefing in May used data collected from the Youth Custody Service (YCS) alongside a series of interviews with children to shine a light on conditions for children in custody during […]
Help at Hand annual report 2020
Our 2020 annual report for Help at Hand, our advice line for children in care.
Response to the DfE’s announcement on unregulated accommodation for children in care
Anne Longfield, responding to the DfE’s announcement on unregulated accommodation for children in care, said: “The Government’s ban on unregulated provision for under-16s in care is very welcome, but needs to go further and include all under-18s. There are too many teenage children in care living in completely unsuitable and sometimes dangerous accommodation, including hostels […]
Five things you need to know about SEN in schools
How children’s needs are met (or go unmet) in schools, and the implications of these for the SEND Review and other reforms
Building back better
When I became Children’s Commissioner for England six years ago, I set out an ambitious vision for a nation where childhood is understood and celebrated and where the voice of all children is listened to at the heart of Government. I had in mind a particular group of children who, in my experience of working […]
Building back better – Anne Longfield’s final speech as Children’s Commissioner
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has delivered her final speech in post with a challenge to the Prime Minister to show he is serious about children by putting them at the heart of his post-Covid plans. Her speech warned that the Prime Minister’s promise to ‘level up’ will be ‘just a slogan unless […]
Speech
Characteristics of children entering care for the first time as teenagers
Last year, research from my office showed that even before the pandemic, there were 120,000 highly vulnerable children in England who were falling through the gaps in education and social care. This group of children – equivalent to 1 in 25 13-17 year olds – all had significant additional needs and vulnerabilities but were not […]
Spend over £25,000: 2020 – 2021
We publish details of all spending over £25,000 on a quarterly basis. 1 April 2020 – 30 June 2020 Nil 1 July 2020 – 30 September 2020 Transaction date Merchant name Transaction amount Entity Details 14/08/2020 National Audit Office £33,600.00 OCC External Audit Services 1 October 2020 – 31 December 2020 Nil 1 January 2021 […]
Still not safe
The public health response to youth violence
