Families living with no recourse to public funds
Certain vulnerable children in England cannot receive free school meals because their eligibility is linked to their parent’s immigration status. Free school meals are provided in all state schools for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. From Year 3 onwards, parents can apply for free school meals if they claim certain state benefits. […]
Responding to the DfE’s announcement on children in care living in unregulated accommodation
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to the Department for Education’s announcement on children in care living in unregulated accommodation, said: “Banning the use of unregulated accommodation for under 16s and new national standards for unregulated accommodation that require registration with Ofsted are long overdue. I have heard horror stories about very vulnerable children […]
Responding to the multi-agency report on children sexually abused within the family
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to the multi-agency report on children sexually abused within the family, said: “In 2015, I published a report warning that the vast majority of children who have been sexually abused at home were not known to the authorities and that a system which waits for children to […]
Tackling harmful content on Facebook – Anne Longfield’s letter to Facebook’s Head of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg
The following open letter to Nick Clegg, Facebook’s Head of Global Affairs, was published in The Daily Telegraph on Jan 30, 2020. Dear Sir Nick, I was very interested to hear the interview you gave the BBC from Davos as Facebook’s Head of Global Affairs. You were discussing concerns I have been raising about your […]
The state of children’s mental health services – Local area maps
2018/19 Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) levels of five key indicators used to assess children’s mental health services
The state of children’s mental health services 2018/19
Children are now more aware of their own mental health, and much more prepared to discuss it. This is very welcome. But children are also aware of how hard it is to get help, for them or for their friends. Accessing services remains the biggest issue for children’s mental health services. The stories I hear […]
Children’s mental health report warns ‘chasm’ remains between what services are available and what children need
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has published her third annual children’s mental health briefing, ‘The state of children’s mental health services’. The report shines a light on the provision of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) for the hundreds of thousands of children who need help, support and treatment. The briefing […]
Responding to the Chief Inspector of Prisons’ report on the separation of children in young offender institutions
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to today’s report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, said: “This report paints a grim picture of the treatment of some of the most vulnerable children in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). My office published a report on segregation in 2018 which raised many of these issues and the […]
Keeping kids safe, Anne Longfield’s article for the Huffington Post
This week’s publication of the inquiry into the catastrophic failures to protect very vulnerable children in Greater Manchester is another reminder of how agencies and authorities whose job it is to protect those at risk have too often let them down. The details are atrocious and the impact of the mistakes that were made will still be […]
County lines gangs – a letter to the Editor of The Times
The Prime Minister’s decision to tackle the gang leaders who are targeting our kids through a cross-government Cabinet committee should be applauded. For far too long, entrenched problems with certain groups of teenagers have been passed around Whitehall and from one service to another on the ground. Teenagers with similar needs can be found in […]
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 […]
