What are children happy and concerned about since returning to school?
We asked 1,500 children about their experiences of returning to school
Some sort of normal
All children have a fundamental right to get an education; the six months children spent out of school this year was the biggest disruption to that right since the second World War. Most children in England were unable to go to school for most, if not all, of lockdown, leading to the loss of roughly […]
10 asks for care leavers
When a child is in care, or is a care leaver aged under 25, the local council is their ‘corporate parent’. This means that they should act towards these children and young people as any good parent would to their own child. And just as other parents continue to love, support, care for and be […]
Audit and risk committee
The Children’s Commissioner’s audit and risk committee provides advice, challenge and scrutiny to the office, including: The committee meets four-five times a year and is made up of representatives from across children’s and wider sectors with a range of backgrounds and experiences. One member must be a qualified accountant, and the chair of the committee […]
School return: Covid-19 and school attendance
Examining school attendance rates during and after lockdown
Response to NHS figures on children’s mental health
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to today’s NHS figures showing one in six children in England have a probable mental health problem, said: “This dramatic increase in the number of children struggling with mental health problems, worsened by the Covid crisis, is extremely alarming. It should shock the Government into immediate action to […]
Inpatient mental health wards during Covid-19
Focusing on the experiences of children living in mental health wards and how Covid-19 and lockdown has affected their hospital experience
CHLDRN feedback
We’d love to hear how you’re finding the CHLDRN app, and any suggestions and feedback that you may have to make it better in the future.
Governments have a duty to work together to prevent asylum seeking children from risking their lives
This summer hundreds of children risked their lives embarking on highly dangerous journeys from France to the UK by boat. After Covid-19 struck in March, child refugees abroad saw their already desperate living conditions deteriorate as support and aid fell away. In Calais, evictions and the dismantling of camps left children without shelter and basic […]
Lifting children out of poverty and eliminating child hunger is a moral imperative
Today MPs from across the political divide will support a Ten Minute Rule Bill introduced by the MP Emma Lewell Buck. The School Breakfast Bill seeks to provide schools in disadvantaged areas with the support required to give a free, healthy school breakfast to children. It would build on the existing National School Breakfast Programme […]
Your voice
Every year, we speak to children all over England to gather their views on what is going well for them, what isn’t, what needs to change and how. What children tell us influences our work for the coming year. Read our latest business plan consultation. We currently don’t have an open Voices survey.
Government scientists respond with more answers from children’s coronavirus questions
During a virtual event on the 11th of August, 12 children from across the UK had the opportunity to ask their own Covid-19 related questions covering different topic areas, such as social bubbles, face masks and public transport, which were answered by three government scientists, Professor Brooke Rogers, Professor Charlotte Watts and Professor Russell Viner. […]
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. […]
