Lost in Transition, too many children falling through the cracks after leaving state education
When I became Children’s Commissioner, one of the first things I did was to conduct a nationwide inquiry into the educational experiences of children leaving state education. These children had fallen off the radar during the pandemic. Local authorities confided that they did not know where they had gone or how to support them to […]
The Big Ambition for Youth Work Roundtable, Ambassadors share their thoughts
Last week I co-hosted The Big Ambition for Youth Work Roundtable with my recently appointed Ambassadors, Aaliya, Emmanuel and Penelope. The roundtable brought together experts and leaders from across the youth sector to discuss the theme: “How could the next government make children’s lives better through youth work and positive activities?”. The roundtable stimulated so […]
Children value outside spaces to play in their local communities
The United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises ‘the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.’ Children tell me all the time about the importance of play […]
Apprenticeships are for everyone, a personal experience and advice from one of our Ambassadors
Rylie applied to become a Children’s Commissioner Ambassador because she wants to improve the education system so that it empowers future leaders and inspires and prepares young minds for success in the world of work. Join Rylie – a Children’s Commissioner Ambassador and Apprentice Build Manager at Willmott Dixon – on a journey into the […]
Supporting children’s mental health this Children’s Mental Health week
Dr Julia Clements, Principal Educational Psychologist, Place2Be This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, organised by leading charity Place2Be. The week, which was founded in 2015, aims to equip, empower and give a voice to children across the UK. Each year, Place2Be create resources and share advice to help schools and families to have important […]
Self-care: A care leavers journey
This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, this year’s theme is ‘My Voice Matters’. My Voice Matters is about empowering children and young people by providing them with the tools they need to express themselves. Today I am sharing a blog post written by a care leaver in my team. Benita wanted to share how […]
Why listening to children really matters when it comes to mental health, from one of our Ambassadors
Thanks to Maya who is one of the Children’s Commissioner’s Ambassadors. Maya applied to become of Dame Rachel’s Ambassadors because she wanted to raise awareness about young people’s mental and physical health. Read more about Maya’s experience here: “I am passionate about mental health in young people. I have struggled with anxiety in the past […]
Making sure children’s voices matter this Children’s Mental Health week
At the heart of all my work as Children’s Commissioner are the voices of children. Every day my team and I hear directly from children about their experiences of home life, school, their friendships, as well as the challenges they face. I regularly visit children and young people in schools, colleges, Young Offenders Institutions, care […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s view on artificial intelligence (AI)
In recent years there has been a huge increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, both in terms of the number of products available on the market and their use by consumers. It is clear there are advantages to the use of AI, but there is still so much that is not yet […]
New statistics on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) for children with special educational needs
As Children’s Commissioner I am very concerned by the latest statistics on the number of tribunals for people appealing against local authority decisions about Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) for children with special educational needs – which has hit an all-time high of 13,700. This is further delaying children from accessing the vital support […]
New figures reveal drop in number of school absences, but attendance must remain top priority
As Children’s Commissioner, I am deeply concerned about the endemic levels of school absence which means that thousands of children are missing out on their right to education. The latest statistics from the Department for Education, show that 20.1% of children were persistently absent in Autumn 2023. While this is a welcome improvement compared to […]
The importance of Independent Visitors for children in care
As Children’s Commissioner it is my mission to make sure that every child living away from home in care can have safe, stable and loving relationships, and for them to have someone to turn to for advice and support. For children in care, who have often experienced complex trauma and instability in their early lives, […]
Archived Content
Pass the parcel: children posted around the care system
“I feel like a parcel getting moved around all the time, getting opened up and sent back and moved on to somewhere else.” Teenage girl, in care over 100 miles from home There are over 30,000 looked after children living ‘out of area’ in England. This is 41% of all children in care and has […]
Thousands of children in care passed around the system like parcels and living miles away from family and friends
Shining a light on the experiences of children in care who are moved ‘out of area’ – away from their home boroughs where family and friends live.
Receive our vacancies by email
Sign up to receive our latest vacancies by email We will send you an email each Friday if we publish any new vacancies during that week. If we don’t publish any new vacancies, you won’t get an email. Email address Email preferences As well as receiving our latest vacancies, you can also receive our regular […]
Marking 30 years of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child with call on political parties to put the spotlight on children during election campaign
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is calling on the political parties fighting the General Election to put the spotlight on children’s issues, as she joins the Children’s Commissioners for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in publishing an assessment of the UK’s progress on children’s rights. This month marks the 30th anniversary of the UN […]
UK Children’s Commissioners’ UNCRC mid-term review
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a landmark agreement by governments around the world on the rights of children. As Children’s Commissioners it is central to our mission to make sure that those rights are made a reality for all children. The United Nations […]
Response to the Home and Foreign Secretaries regarding British children in Syria
Earlier this year Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, wrote to the Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary regarding the safety and welfare of British children who have become involved in the conflict in Syria. The following is the Children Commissioner for England’s latest response to Dominic Raab, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office […]
Nurture with nature: Why environmental engagement is imperative for children
We know that the health of the environment is one of children’s greatest concerns, as outlined in Issue 1 of our Children’s Insights reports. The word ‘environment’ is likely to stir a very different reaction amongst children than it used to. Many children face the incompatible situation of a lifestyle divorced from nature, and mounting […]
EU children in Britain
This page was published in 2019 and may contain out of date information. Know your rights to stay in Britain If you are an EU citizen living in Britain, Brexit will affect your rights. This means you will need to apply for what the Government calls ‘settled status’ in Britain. What is settled status? Settled […]
Children’s insights
This is the first issue in our regular series of insights into the views and experiences of children in England.
Changes to gambling laws needed as our report into online gaming reveals children’s gambling fears
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has published a report, “Gaming the system’’ which looks at the experiences of children who play games online. The Children’s Commissioner’s Office commissioned the research company Revealing Reality to speak to groups of children who play online games like FIFA, Fortnite and Roblox about what they love and what […]
