Lockdown experiences: Members from Cambs Youth Panel who are helping to get more children digitally connected
We spoke to eight young people from the Cambs Youth Panel about their experiences of being in lockdown. The group has been raising money to set up a distribution scheme for Raspberry Pi boxes so more children are connected digitally and are able to progress in their education. Arun, 14, said: “Many children can’t access […]

Annual report 2014-15
This Annual Report covers the Children’s Commissioner’s year to the end of March 2015. For all but one month of that time, my predecessor Maggie Atkinson was Children’s Commissioner for England and I would like to record my thanks to her and the team who supported her for much of the work detailed herein. Bringing […]
Annual report 2015-16
All children should have the right to the best start in life with the love, security and opportunities they need to grow and flourish. Most of the 11.5 million children growing up in England have just those overwhelmingly positive opportunities. For them, England is a great place to grow up. However, there is no room […]
Annual report 2016-17
When I was appointed Children’s Commissioner in 2015, I published “Ambitious for Children” which set out my priorities for my term in office – building the aspirations of children, particularly those who have a difficult start in life, and shining a light on the hidden issues affecting the vulnerable in order to change their lives […]
Annual report 2017-18
Half way through my term as Children’s Commissioner, I am as ambitious and aspirational for children as I ever was. This role is a constant reminder that a childhood that is happy and full of love is the best springboard to adult life that any of us could have; that children are resourceful, and achieve […]
DfE framework agreement
This Framework Agreement sets out the respective responsibilities of the Department for Education and the Children’s Commissioner to support work of both organisations by: ensuring that effective corporate governance arrangements are in place; supported by the design of adequate and effective internal controls that demonstrate value for money; and are in fulfilment of the statutory […]
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 […]
Memorandum of understanding between British and Irish Network of Ombudsman and Children’s Commissioners
This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) sets out the UK Commissioners’ and Republic of Ireland Ombudsman’s intentions as to how they wish their offices to work together for the benefit of children and young people throughout their jurisdictions.
Register of interests
Advisory board View the advisory board member’s register of interest Audit and risk committee View the audit and risk committee member’s register of interest Senior Leadership Team Dame Rachel de Souza (Children’s Commissioner for England) Member of the John Lewis Care Experienced Advisory Board, appointed October 2022 Trustee of the School-Led Development Trust, appointed June […]
Publications scheme
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities. The Act requires every public authority to have a publication scheme to make certain types of information routinely available.
#ThisIsFostering: care leavers share how they #definecare virtually during lockdown
Backed by the Children’s Commissioner for England, IMO (“in my opinion”) is a peer-led digital platform where children in care and care leavers share first-hand stories, experiences and advice with others in a similar situation. The project exists to challenge perceptions of looked-after children and shine a light on their experiences of the care system. […]

Response to steps taken to relieve councils of certain duties to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
10 June 2020 Update: The Government has now issued a new notice which extends the measures through June. After publication of this response and note, the Government updated its guidance to reflect the fact that the timescales under which LAs and CCGs must comply with binding orders from the First-tier Tribunal have been eased. We […]
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 […]
