Statement on changes to regulations affecting children’s social care
Statement by the Children’s Commissioner for England On Friday 24th April the ‘Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020’ came into force, and are not due to expire until 25th September. These regulations make significant temporary changes to the protections given in law to some of the most vulnerable children in the country – those […]
Statement
Local vulnerability profiles
Data providing a way for councils to understand which groups of children are likely to be at risk under lockdown, and how many children in their area fall into those groups
Children’s Commissioner for England creates local area profiles of child vulnerability during Covid-19
Analysis of the extent of child vulnerability around the country, much of which is hidden from sight under lockdown.
We’re all in this together?
The essential public health measures that have been taken to stop the spread of Covid-19 have affected everyone in the country, and many families are struggling with additional financial and social pressures. But there are some children, who before this crisis were already vulnerable or living in precarious situations, who are facing particular hardship. These […]
Lockdown experiences: Children in foster care
We are speaking with children to find out their first hand experiences of the coronavirus lockdown. Below, we have spoken to Libby, 17 and Hannah, 15, about how they’re finding living in lockdown while being in foster care. Here is what they have shared with us: Libby, aged 17, is living with her foster carers. […]
Freedom of information policy
The Children’s Commissioner’s Office is committed to complying with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and any related legislation, which is, applicable. This policy applies to all the information we hold – that is all information created, received, and maintained by our staff in the course of their work.
Data protection policy
We gather, hold, analyse and use substantial amounts of personal data in discharging its functions and are a data controller for that personal data. It is required to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (‘DPA’). This document outlines how we seek to ensure compliance with that legislation. […]
Tackling the disadvantage gap during the Covid-19 crisis
This briefing sets out how this can be avoided – how schools can be supported to adapt to the “new normal” and improve access to meaningful educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.
Business plan 2020-21
This is my final year as Children’s Commissioner, a post it has been a pleasure and a privilege to hold. We’ve spent the time relentlessly showing government where children are falling through gaps in the system – it’s undeniable that there is a group of kids who are left out of the nation’s progress. They […]
Corporate governance
Find our annual review and business plans, as well as corporate documents regarding regulation and transparency including our advisory board.
Lockdown experiences: What being in isolation is like for children
We have spoken to Michael, 5 and Indie, 14, while Laura and Nic, both 11, have written about what being in isolation has been like for them. Here is what they have shared with us: Michael aged 5 explains what lockdown means to him. “We have to stay at home because of the virus. It’s […]
Personal data collected for research purposes
Information on how we collect non-identifiable data on children in order to produce up-to-date evidence on the lives, experiences, views and outcomes of children.
Archived Content
Pass the parcel: children posted around the care system
“I feel like a parcel getting moved around all the time, getting opened up and sent back and moved on to somewhere else.” Teenage girl, in care over 100 miles from home There are over 30,000 looked after children living ‘out of area’ in England. This is 41% of all children in care and has […]
Thousands of children in care passed around the system like parcels and living miles away from family and friends
Shining a light on the experiences of children in care who are moved ‘out of area’ – away from their home boroughs where family and friends live.
Receive our vacancies by email
Sign up to receive our latest vacancies by email We will send you an email each Friday if we publish any new vacancies during that week. If we don’t publish any new vacancies, you won’t get an email. Email address Email preferences As well as receiving our latest vacancies, you can also receive our regular […]
Marking 30 years of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child with call on political parties to put the spotlight on children during election campaign
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is calling on the political parties fighting the General Election to put the spotlight on children’s issues, as she joins the Children’s Commissioners for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in publishing an assessment of the UK’s progress on children’s rights. This month marks the 30th anniversary of the UN […]
UK Children’s Commissioners’ UNCRC mid-term review
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a landmark agreement by governments around the world on the rights of children. As Children’s Commissioners it is central to our mission to make sure that those rights are made a reality for all children. The United Nations […]
Response to the Home and Foreign Secretaries regarding British children in Syria
Earlier this year Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, wrote to the Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary regarding the safety and welfare of British children who have become involved in the conflict in Syria. The following is the Children Commissioner for England’s latest response to Dominic Raab, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office […]
Nurture with nature: Why environmental engagement is imperative for children
We know that the health of the environment is one of children’s greatest concerns, as outlined in Issue 1 of our Children’s Insights reports. The word ‘environment’ is likely to stir a very different reaction amongst children than it used to. Many children face the incompatible situation of a lifestyle divorced from nature, and mounting […]
EU children in Britain
This page was published in 2019 and may contain out of date information. Know your rights to stay in Britain If you are an EU citizen living in Britain, Brexit will affect your rights. This means you will need to apply for what the Government calls ‘settled status’ in Britain. What is settled status? Settled […]
Children’s insights
This is the first issue in our regular series of insights into the views and experiences of children in England.
Changes to gambling laws needed as our report into online gaming reveals children’s gambling fears
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has published a report, “Gaming the system’’ which looks at the experiences of children who play games online. The Children’s Commissioner’s Office commissioned the research company Revealing Reality to speak to groups of children who play online games like FIFA, Fortnite and Roblox about what they love and what […]
