Our letter to the Home Secretary regarding the crisis facing migrant families with children in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak
The following is a letter letter from Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, to the Home Secretary and Minister for Future Borders and Immigration regarding the crisis facing migrant families with children in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak. I am writing with regards to the unprecedented crisis facing migrant families with children in […]
Requesting additional safeguards to ensure that children’s rights and best interests are upheld during the coronavirus outbreak
Read an update to this article posted 12 August 2020 The Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield has written to both the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Education and the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Health and Social Care requesting additional safeguards for particular measures to ensure that children’s rights and best interests are always […]
Guidance for teachers, school leaders, carers, parents and students
The latest official advice from the government
Calling on the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice to ensure the rights of children in custody are upheld during the coronavirus outbreak
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has written to Robert Buckland, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, with regards to the Ministry of Justice’s response to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus and the protection of children in youth custody. Find the full letter below; Dear Secretary of State, I am writing with […]
Information and advice for social workers
Information and advice from Social Work England for social workers, students, employers, and course providers.
Anne Longfield’s letters to the Secretary of States for MHCLG, the DfE and DWP regarding the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on children and families.
Anne Longfield’s letters to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on children and families. Letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Letter to the Secretary of […]
Coronavirus, children and you
Today is the start of a school week like no other
Today is the start of a school week like no other. For millions of children across the country who are starting home schooling or who are still going into a very different version of school, it will feel very strange. For those staying at home, it will be their first experience of a home education. […]
Calling on the Chancellor for emergency support for families during the coronavirus outbreak
As the Government announces ongoing measures to tackle coronavirus, the Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield has written to the Chancellor Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP about his plans to help the vulnerable through the crisis, and to ask for improved measures to get that help where it’s most needed. Download and view the letter […]
Supporting children during the coronavirus outbreak
Anybody would be forgiven for being anxious and uncertain about what the coming months may bring. For children, that anxiety is real too. While it is a relief that the virus does not seem to make most children unwell, children are aware of the possible impact on them – like schools having to close or […]
Letters to the Permanent Secretaries for the DfE and MHCLG regarding COVID-19 and children in care
The following are two letters sent from the Children’s Commissioner to the Permanent Secretaries for the Department for Education and Ministry of Housing, Local Government and Communities regarding COVID-19 and children in care. Download and view the letter, sent to both Jeremy Pocklington and Jonathan Slater Find the full text of the letters below; Dear […]
Health inequalities briefing
Last week’s ‘Marmot Report: 10 Years On’ outlined the stark realities of health inequalities in Britain. It also demonstrated how these inequalities originate in childhood and persist through adult life. This paper highlights some of the main inequalities in child health, and the key responses to address this. Including measures we would like to see […]
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 […]
