Business Plan 2024-2025
The Children’s Commissioner is now halfway through her term. The coming year will be a critical one for children’s rights, with a General Election and a new government – whichever party or parties form it. They will have a new mandate to set an ambitious vision for what childhood can be, and for putting children’s […]
Delivering the Children’s Commissioner’s Strategy: 2021-2024
The purpose of this paper is to provide a self-assessment on the progress the Children’s Commissioner’s Office has made against its three-year strategic (2021 -2024) plan. This has been divided into two sections:
The Big Ambition – The Story of a Million Children
The Big Ambition survey is a new large-scale consultation from the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza. After the Children’s Commissioner’s The Big Ask in 2021, it is the second largest survey of its kind, with engagement from nearly 367,000 voices. In three years, this office has gathered close to a million responses […]
The Big Ambition: Ambitions, Findings and Solutions
As Children’s Commissioner it is my job to promote and protect the rights of children, and to make sure their voices are heard. That’s why in September 2023, I launched The Big Ambition to hear directly from children, young people, and parents across the country. I wanted to hear about what they wanted for the […]
One million voices: The Big Ambition calls for children’s solutions to be at the heart of election manifestos
Just one in five children in England believe their views are important to the adults who run the country, while only 10% of teenagers believe they have the power to influence the issues they care about. Findings in a landmark survey of children’s voices, The Big Ambition, published today by the Children’s Commissioner for England, […]
Children’s Commissioner’s response to Ofcom’s Guidance for service providers publishing pornographic content
This is a written response by the Children’s Commissioner to Ofcom’s consultation, Guidance for service providers publishing pornographic content, on the draft guidance for service providers publishing pornographic content under the Online Safety Act 2023. The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has a statutory independent role to protect and promote the rights of […]
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children: record numbers arriving once again in Kent
My unique responsibility as Children’s Commissioner, enshrined in law, is to protect children and give them a voice – and I have a particular duty of care towards those children who aren’t able to live with their birth families. That includes those arriving on these shores completely alone, having left their families to escape war, […]
Children’s Commissioner welcomes closure of Cookham Wood
In response to the decision by the Youth Custody Service (YCS) and the Ministry of Justice today to close down HMYOI Cookham Wood. Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza said: I welcome today’s decision by the Youth Custody Service (YCS) and the Ministry of Justice today to close down HMYOI Cookham Wood. I […]
Reaction to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, from young Ambassadors
Today the Prime Minister has renewed his commitment to creating a smoke free generation by banning the next generation from being able to buy cigarettes. Introduced today, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will prevent anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 – in effect anyone who is 14 or younger now – from legally […]
Over a quarter of a million children still waiting for mental health support
Shocking new statistics show that more than a quarter of a million (270,300) children and young people are still waiting for mental health support after being referred to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) in 2022-23, the Children’s Commissioner for England has revealed today. New figures sourced from NHS England using the Children’s […]
Children’s mental health services 2022-23
Since I came into post in 2021, I have spoken to over a million children and young people across the country. The vast majority of children are happy, and feel supported by their family, school and wider community. However, there is a growing group of children who are struggling with their mental health. This generation […]
Tips on how to help a young carer, from a young carer
As Children’s Commissioner it is my mission to make England the best country for children to grow up. This means the ambitions of every child must be matched with the support they need around them to help them succeed. I am determined that we achieve this vision for all children especially young carers as we […]
Archived Content
Anne Longfield responds to the Government’s announcement on knife crime
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to the Government’s announcement on knife crime, said: “It is right that knife crime is seen as a public health issue, and that there is a duty put on those whose job it is to keep children safe to do so. “While this is a step forward, […]
Former Home Secretary and member of Children’s Commissioner advisory board Jacqui Smith responds to our vulnerability report
In April we celebrated the first year of the Sandwell Children’s Trust. In 2017, OFSTED found that services for the most vulnerable children and families in Sandwell were inadequate so the Trust was set up to drive improvement. I’m enormously proud of the progress we’re making. OFSTED have praised the grip and leadership of our […]
Childhood vulnerability in England 2019
The Children’s Commissioner’s 2019 childhood vulnerability report examines the latest scale of, and trends over time in, rates of childhood vulnerability. As with last year, we have estimated the total number of children in England currently receiving statutory support or intervention (those who are ‘in the system’). Based on the latest available data, we believe […]
Multi-billion pound tax cut promises from Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt should instead go on mending broken childhoods
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has launched her third annual Vulnerability Report.
Children in families at risk – Local area maps
These maps present our projected proportions of children living in households where an adult has any of the so called ‘toxic trio’ factors present, or where multiple factors exist in the same household.
About the data
The data shows the overall levels of vulnerability and need among children and young people in England, published in our annual Vulnerability Report. We’ve spoken with children and young people, as well as organisations who work with children, to help us choose which groups to include and how to describe them. This has led to […]
IMO
IMO is a voice for teenagers in care and for care leavers. It is somewhere you can share stories, experiences and achievements, get and give advice, and find loads of great free stuff!
Digital 5 a day
Easy to follow, practical steps for children and parents to achieve a healthy and balanced digital diet
The paralysis currently affecting much of Whitehall and Westminster is letting down Children in Need
Anne Longfield responds to the government’s Children in Need review
Universal Credit – “Children are going hungry. It’s not a myth, it’s a fact.”
As Universal Credit rolls out across the country, we have been checking in regularly with a foodbank in an area which is transitioning to UC to see if there has been any noticeable impact on the number of families with children using their services. In our final instalment of this series, Linda, who runs a food bank in a […]
