Back into school: New insights into school absence – evidence from three multi-academy trusts
This report shows how important the first few days of a new term are for ensuring good attendance.
Celebrating Children’s Art Week
This week is Children’s Art Week – a national programme to promote children’s participation and engagement in visual arts. In their responses to the Children’s Commissioner’s survey The Big Ask – the largest-ever survey of children in England, receiving over half a million responses – children spoke about how much they enjoy art, and wish […]
The Children’s Commissioner speaks at The Nuffield Foundation’s Early Childhood conference
Today I spoke on a panel at the Nuffield Foundation’s conference on the comprehensive Changing Face of Early Childhood series. The conference focused on the publication of the final report of the series ‘Bringing up the next generation: from research to practice’, which calls for an ambitious early childhood strategy. I greatly welcome the report’s […]
The Children’s Commissioner visits Norwich for the Family Review
Families come in all different shapes and sizes – and they provide children with happiness, love, and fun. That’s what I was told by the children and young people I met yesterday, as they helped me make a film for the Family Review. This is the independent review the Government has asked me to carry […]
Care leavers from NYAS visit the Children’s Commissioner’s office
Children’s social care is a core pillar of the Children’s Commissioner’s work. In The Big Ask, the largest ever survey of children in England that the Children’s Commissioner ran last year, care-experienced children and young people shared that they have the same hopes and aspirations as their peers. They explained that they want the care […]
Family Review: Listening to parents of children under 5
Two weeks ago, I launched a second Call to Action as part of my Family Review. This is an Independent Review of modern family life and is a comprehensive research-led project. It aims to hear directly from children and parents, to understand in their own words the composition of families, and to understand what […]
A Head Start: The Children’s Commissioner’s ambitions for children’s mental health
Today, I am publishing a report ‘A Head Start: Early support for children’s mental health’, which sets out my vision for children’s mental health. It is founded on the views and voices of children and young people, and is our formal submission to the Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan Consultation on improving children’s care. Based […]
A Head Start: Early support for children’s mental health
This report outlines the Children’s Commissioner’s six new ambitions to ensure children and young people can receive early support for their mental health.
The Women’s Euros as a chance to champion girls in sport
In The Big Ask, the largest-ever survey of children that I conducted last year girls spoke passionately about their love of sport. An 8-year-old girl told me she wanted to “be good at a sport and have that as my job”. Interestingly, girls were particularly vocal about football. Children as young as 6 years old […]
Reflections on the third Family Review roundtable with the Westminster Family Hubs team
Family life, and what can be done to support families, is a key priority for the Children’s Commissioner, who was delighted to be commissioned by the Minister for Equalities to undertake an Independent Review of contemporary family life. The Family Review will seek to understand children and families’ perspectives on modern family life, and will […]
Giving evidence to the Education Select Committee
Today, I appeared in front of the Education Select Committee for my Accountability Hearing. This Committee is a group of MPs from different political parties who elected Robert Halfon MP to be their Chair. The Committee focuses on issues to do with children and young people, and the Committee also hold me to account in […]
Listening to refugee and asylum-seeker children
As Children’s Commissioner for England, I have a statutory duty to ensure that the views of all children are listened to, and to pay specific regard to those with a social worker, those who are vulnerable and those living away from home, with their views reflected to policy makers, parliamentarians and those who make decisions […]
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
