What we learnt from Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller children who responded to The Big Ask
As Children’s Commissioner I am dedicated to championing the voices of all children which is why I was delighted when 2,300 children and young people that self-identified as Gypsy, Roma, or Traveller (GRT) submitted responses to The Big Ask last year – the largest ever survey of children in England. As Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller […]
Putting children’s voices at the heart of mental health discussions
I was delighted to attend a really important conference in Liverpool today, hosted by the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health, and to be joined by the Children’s Commissioners from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The best bit though was to be able to take two young people, Bethan Amblin and Rebekah Butler, with me. They go to Sir […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s meets young people involved in Liverpool’s UNICEF Child-Friendly City Programme
I have had a brilliant morning meeting the young people who have contributed to Liverpool’s UNICEF Child Friendly-City Programme, alongside Steve Reddy, the Director of Children’s Services for Liverpool. It was great to speak to children from over ten schools. They had incredibly thoughtful contributions about the environment and there being no Planet B. I […]
Why teaching RSE well is so important
When I became Children’s Commissioner, I conducted the largest-ever survey of children The Big Ask. I received over half-a-million responses from children telling me what they thought and felt about their daily lives, their hopes for the future, and their worries too. The Big Ask and what children told me in it has shaped the […]
Help at Hand: Helping Children Get Back into Education
The Children’s Commissioner’s Help at Hand service offers advice and assistance to children in care, children working with social services, children living away from home, and care leavers. As part of the Commissioner’s Attendance Audit, the office has conducted research into what more can be done to support children who are struggling to attend school. In addition […]
The Children’s Commissioner visits Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
I was delighted to visit Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool today, to learn about the work of the Chair Dame Jo Williams, CEO Louise Shepherd CBE and her team. From the moment I arrived, I was struck by how dedicated staff are to ensuring that every child receives excellent care. It was terrific to […]
Young carers speak about the importance of having a young carers champion in school
Yesterday my office attended the monthly Attendance Action Alliance. One of the groups we discussed was young carers and how they can be supported to attend school. For Carers Week 2022, I published a blog post setting out a summary of my vision for support for young carers. On 15 June, I published the findings […]
Reflections on the second Family Review roundtable with external policy professionals
Family life, and what can be done to support families, is a key priority for me as Children’s Commissioner. I was delighted to be commissioned by the Minister for Equalities to undertake an Independent Review of contemporary family life. This Review was a recommendation of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which found evidence […]
Help at Hand: Helping children in care with disabilities
The Children’s Commissioner’s Help at Hand service offers advice and assistance to children in care, children working with social services, children living away from home, and care leavers. We recently wrote about how Help at Hand assists children with disabilities who are living with their families. There are also a significant number of disabled children […]
The Big Ask Voices: Green jobs, skills and aspirations
As part of The Big Ask, the largest-ever survey of children in England, which I ran last year, I asked children about their ambitions and their worries for the future. ‘A healthy environment and planet’ was the second most commonly chosen issue, with just under 2 in 5 children saying that this was their biggest […]
The Big Ask: What we learned from children aged 4-5
Today I revealed new findings from the questions we asked 4- and 5-year-olds in The Big Ask. The Big Ask was the survey I launched last year, to hear from children about their lives today, their fears or worries and their hopes and aspirations for the future. Today is the first time I am publishing […]
Family Review: Call to action for parents of young children
Today, I’m happy to announce that I launched my second Call to Action as part the Family Review. The Family Review is a major, Independent Review of modern family life, commissioned by Government to hear directly from children and parents, to understand the composition of families and what can be done to improve family services […]
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
