School attendance since September
In March 2020 schools across England closed for nearly all pupils. Those allowed to attend rarely did, and even a partial re-opening of schools in July saw a peak school attendance of just 17.5%. By the time schools re-opened in September, 575 million days of school had been missed by children in England. The impact […]
Response to Government’s Online Harms announcement
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to the Government’s Online Harms proposals, said: “I am pleased that the Government has finally confirmed that it plans to introduce a new duty of care. The signs are that this regulation will have teeth, including strong sanctions for companies found to be in breach of their duties, […]
Children’s Commissioner podcast: Doncaster family hub
In this episode, Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield visits a family hub in Doncaster.
Our response to the recent judgement on the need for consultation with the Children’s Commissioner about changes affecting children
The following is a letter sent from Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, to Susan Acland-Hood, the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education, in response to the recent judgement on the need for consultation with the Children’s Commissioner and other organisations representing children about changes affecting children. I was pleased to see the […]
Plans by tech giants for more encrypted messaging risks greater child exploitation and abuse
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has published a report, “Access Denied: How end to end encryption threatens children’s safety online”, looking at children’s use of private messaging services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The study suggests that millions of children in England are using messaging platforms that they are not old enough to be […]
Access denied: How end-to-end encryption threatens children’s safety online
This briefing aims to understand which apps and sites children and teens are using to communicate, and to find out more about what they are sharing on these platforms. In March 2020 we polled 2,003 children aged 8-17 on their use of messaging platforms, in an effort to understand the risks that these services may […]
Children’s thoughts on exams next year
What children think about exams taking place next year and the impact that this has had on them
If children led the care review, what would they change?
A year ago, in its Conservative election manifesto, the government made a commitment to review the social care system for children. For children having to grow up within this system, and for the adults around them, this news has brought a glimmer of hope. It was finally some acknowledgement of what children have been shouting […]
Exams are on, but we still need to recognise the time children have lost from school
No matter how little they relish taking exams, teenagers will welcome the clarity in today’s announcement that exams are going to happen next summer. Children have told me that’s the first thing they want – to know for sure what’s going to happen. It should also put a stop to the ferocious testing and assessment […]
Should Santa have to quarantine? What children think about Christmas
We asked children through focus groups what they thought about Christmas this year, and many raised concerns and questions.
What did the Spending Review do for children?
Wednesday’s Spending Review, setting out departmental spending for the 2021-22 financial year, revealed the Government’s key priorities as it continues to grapple with the economic consequences of COVID-19. It coincided with the publication of new economic and fiscal forecasts which predict a drawn-out economic crisis. Unemployment will peak at 7.5% in the middle of next […]
Hundreds of vulnerable ‘invisible children’ in England are being locked away without any legal protection
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is today publishing a report shining a light on some of the most vulnerable children in the country – those children who are living ‘behind closed doors’, including those locked up in secure hospitals, prisons or children’s homes. The report, “Who are they, where are they?” shows that in […]
Archived Content
Thousands of children growing up in shipping containers, office blocks and B&Bs
The terrible reality of how some children are living in converted shipping containers and office blocks, and B&Bs, in cramped conditions
Insights into the lives of children and young people
This blog looks at 3 recent studies that provide interesting insights about the lives and views of children.
Leon Feinstein appointed Professor at the Rees Centre
Professor Leon Feinstein has been appointed to the post of Professor of Education and Children’s Social Care at the Rees Centre.
The Government should finally make ‘left behind’ children its priority
Boris Johnson has this week established three new cabinet committees on Brexit, and one on the whole of the domestic policy agenda. This is a clear indication of the dominance of this one issue for our new Prime Minister. During the leadership election I gave a speech to launch our 3rd Childhood Vulnerability Report where […]
Stability Index 2019
The Stability Index is an annual measure of the stability of the lives of children in care. It was first launched by the Children’s Commissioner in 2017 to shine a light on the issue of stability, provide data that allows stability to be monitored over time, and ultimately drive improvements in stability for children in […]
Explosion in number of older children going into care over last five years is hitting stability of the system
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has published the Children’s Commissioner’s 2019 Stability Index, an annual measure of the stability of the lives of children in care in England. The Index was launched in 2017 and shines a light on the number of times children in care move home placement, school or social worker. […]
Children’s Voices: Children’s experiences of instability in the care system
‘Children’s Voices: Children’s experiences of instability in the care system’ is published alongside the Children’s Commissioner’s third annual Stability Index, which measures stability in the care system by looking at how often children in care move home, school or social worker over a year. In addition to this data analysis, the Children’s Commissioner’s Office also […]
Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield responds to Home Affairs Select Committee report on serious violence
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Serious Violence, said: “This hard-hitting report exposes the dangers facing the many thousands of vulnerable children who are at risk of grooming by ruthless criminal gangs. Many of the mistakes that led to failings in child sexual exploitation are now […]
Annual report 2018-19
My work experience fortnight at the Children’s Commissioner’s Office
Before I begin I just like to introduce myself. I’m Jade. I wasn’t sure what skills or talents I could offer, because to my knowledge I don’t have any, but it turns out that being under the age of 18 was a huge advantage, unlike in literally every other setting, so my input was useful. […]
