A new child poverty target
In 1999, as Prime Minister, Tony Blair committed in a speech at Toynbee Hall to a twenty year project “for ours to be the first generation to end child poverty”. His Government’s approach has often been criticised, but it did substantially reduce child poverty. With the prospect now of a more consensual approach to measuring […]
Child poverty
Education
All children have a right to a good education, and school plays such a key part in children’s lives
Prioritising teachers and other key workers in the children’s sector for Covid vaccination
The four UK Children’s Commissioners have written to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation about the prioritisation of teachers and other key workers. Dear Professor Lim As the UK’s Children’s Commissioners, we are writing to urge you to reconsider prioritisation of teachers and other key workers in the children’s sector as […]
Routes to citizenship
Data gathered by the Children’s Commissioner’s Office on children’s routes to British citizenship
Good schools
Exploring the feasibility of creating a new ‘good schools index’ for secondary schools
Independent review of children’s social care
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to the Government’s announcement of an independent review into the children’s social care system, said: “I have been calling for a widescale review of children’s social care for a long time and I am pleased this will now begin. I welcome the appointment of Josh MacAlister. “This is […]
Building back better: Reaching England’s left behind children
Watch live on YouTube Anne Longfield’s tenure as Children’s Commissioner for England ends at the end of February 2021. In her last speech as Children’s Commissioner, she will argue that children should be at the heart of the country’s efforts to rebuild following the Covid crisis. Date: Wednesday, 17 February 2021 Time: 10:30 am – […]
Requesting details on Government plans to minimise learning loss during lockdown and support for reopening of schools
The Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield has today (6th January) sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson, following the start of the new national lockdown, to request further details on the Government’s plans to minimise learning loss during the national lockdown and support schools to reopen as soon as possible. The […]
Advisory board
The Children’s Commissioner’s Advisory Board challenges and advises the office and meets four-six times a year. The Advisory Board, a requirement of the Children and Families Act 2014, is made up of representatives from across children’s and wider sectors. The Advisory Board advises on how the powers of the Children’s Commissioner can be used to […]
Lockdown school closures mean we need to act now to save children’s education and wellbeing
Since the start of the pandemic, I have pushed again and again for schools to be the last to close and the first to open in any lockdown. Yet something that seemed unthinkable only a month ago – a national closure of schools – is now happening as a result of the new, more transmissible […]
Statement on new EU ePrivacy rules and the implications for children
Yesterday, new EU ePrivacy rules came into effect which introduced new limits on the way in which technology companies can use messaging and calling data. The rules undermine the ability of companies to use established, privacy-preserving tools such as PhotoDNA to identify child sexual abuse imagery and grooming on their platforms. These tools work in […]
Statement
Archived Content
New report suggests significant group of children are being denied advocacy despite having a statutory entitlement to it
This year marks the 30th anniversary of two significant breakthroughs in children’s rights legislation: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Children Act 1989. Central to both these documents was the idea that children’s wishes and feelings must be taken into account when making decisions that affect them. Thirty years […]
Advocacy for children
This report follows previous studies commissioned by us and other recent research into advocacy. This work builds on research by the Children’s Commissioner in 2016, which also explored the provision of advocacy across England and found substantial variation across local authorities, with spend per child or young person ranging from £2 to £668 each year. […]
Too many vulnerable young children are missing out on the vital speech and language help they need to get ready for school
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, is today (Tuesday) publishing a new report “We need to talk: Access to speech and language therapy“, which shines a light on spending on speech and language therapy services (SLT) for children across the country to help identify where children who need support are falling through the gaps. […]
Speech
We need to talk: Access to speech and language therapy
This report shines a light on spending on speech and language therapy services (SLT) for children across the country to help identify where children who need support are falling through the gaps. Previous research has shown that children with poor vocabulary skills are twice as likely to be unemployed when they grow up, and over […]
Complaints procedure
We aim to provide the highest standards of work and service and to resolve any concerns about us immediately. However, if we cannot do so and you wish to make a formal complaint, this procedure explains how to do so and how we will investigate and respond to it.
Explore the data
Latest data on the overall levels of vulnerability and need among children and young people in England
The first step in redressing the balance of power between children and the tech giants
This year marks two important anniversaries: it is thirty years since the creation of the World Wide Web, and of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The digital world and children’s rights should not be in opposition – indeed, the internet can be an extraordinary force for good in children’s lives. But […]
Many vulnerable children with learning disabilities are stuck in mental health hospitals for too long in poor conditions
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, is today publishing a new report, ‘Far less than they deserve: Children with learning disabilities or autism living in mental health hospitals’. The report shows how too many children are being admitted to secure hospitals unnecessarily – in some cases are spending months and years of their childhood […]
Far less than they deserve
Children with learning disabilities or autism living in mental health hospitals This report shows how too many children are being admitted to secure hospitals unnecessarily – in some cases are spending months and years of their childhood in institutions when they should be in their community. It warns that the current system of support for […]
The World Wide Web at 30: Re-imagining a web built for children
Between 9 – 10 May, the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, hosted a conference on children’s digital rights at BBC Salford for ENOC – the network of Children’s Commissioners and Ombudsmen from all over Europe. Pupils from two local schools, Chorlton High School and Manchester Communication Academy, joined the conference for a session in […]
