Guest blog: Supporting care leavers to thrive at the University of Hertfordshire
Michelle Wakefield is a Student Success Officer and the dedicated contact for care experienced and estranged students at the University of Hertfordshire. She is passionate about creating a sense of belonging and ensuring every student has the support they need to succeed. At the University of Hertfordshire (Herts), we aim to transform bold ambition into […]
Guest blog: Harnessing employability skills – a student success story: the Greenwich Cares Student Ambassadors Initiative
Monika Varga is a Care Leaver Adviser with the Greenwich Cares team at the University of Greenwich. The University of Greenwich has one of the largest groups of care experienced students in the country, welcoming around 100 new starters in 2024/25 and on track to reach similar numbers this year. While on my way to work, I overheard a lively […]
Supporting care experienced young people at school: Reflections from my Youth Ambassadors
Children in care are often forced to navigate additional challenges at school that their peers never imagine – I’ve seen this first-hand both as Children’s Commissioner but also as a teacher and headteacher before. This Care Leavers’ Month sets out how children should be supported for a greater range of additional needs – I have asked some of my care experienced Youth Ambassadors to share their experiences of school. This builds on […]
Press Notice: ‘Over policing’ sees children in care being ten times more likely to receive a caution or conviction for minor offences
Society is systematically failing some of the most vulnerable children in the country, as children in care are treated disproportionately as criminals, new analysis from the Children’s Commissioner shows. Half of children in care (49%) who were ever given a caution or criminal conviction came into contact with the justice system only after they went […]
The criminalisation of children in care
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 […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on proposed amendment to the Assisted Dying Bill, extending the minimum age as drafted in this Bill from 18 to 25
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “This Bill is perhaps the most consequential this Parliament will consider. It has the potential to fundamentally alter our relationship to death, dying and medical care and I am grateful for the acknowledgement by Peers, by inviting me to give evidence, that it will affect children in myriad […]
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – Briefing for Lords Select Committee stage
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has the potential to fundamentally alter our relationship to death, dying and medical care. It is perhaps the most consequential Bill this parliament will consider. I know that making sure it is as good a piece of legislation, with as robust safeguards, as possible weighs heavily on […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on the publication of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review into the death of Sara Sharif
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Today I’m thinking about all those who loved and cared about Sara. This review rightly recognises our collective outrage – and that it must never happen again. “It is a catalogue of missed opportunities, poor communication and ill-informed assumptions, confirming what we always suspected: that the information needed […]
“Guilty until Proven Innocent”: Children’s Commissioner delivers 2025 Longford Lecture
The Longford Lectures, hosted by the Longford Trust since 2002, are held each November reflecting on prison policy and the need for broader social reform. Previous lectures have been given by well-known figures, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Mary McAleese of Ireland, and Cherie Blair. On Tuesday 11th November, the Children’s Commissioner delivered the 2025 […]
Press Notice: Failing services mean custody being used as a ‘waiting room’ for innocent children, Children’s Commissioner warns
Hundreds of children are left in a ‘waiting room’ limbo each year, being unnecessarily locked up in custody while awaiting trial or sentencing – not because they pose the greatest risk, but because the systems designed to support them are failing, the Children’s Commissioner has warned. Research on the use of custodial remand for children […]
“A production line of pointlessness”: Children on custodial remand
Since becoming the Children’s Commissioner, I have travelled across the country meeting children whose lives are shaped by decisions made far away from them and those whose voices are rarely heard. Time and time again, I have witnessed children being held on custodial remand, not because they pose the greatest risk, but because the system […]
Youth work: Reflections from my Ambassadors
Youth Work Week is an annual event celebrating youth work. It showcases the impact it can have on children and how it can help inspire them to achieve their ambitions. Youth work is important for developing life skills, confidence and providing children with a sense of belonging. It encourages participation in their communities and gives […]
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
