In my four years as Children’s Commissioner for England, I have heard from more than a million children about their hopes and ambitions, and what they want from the adults making decisions in their lives. Crucially, regardless of their circumstances or backgrounds, children want their voices listened to on how to tackle key issues facing children across England.
That has become by driving force as Children’s Commissioner: to listen to children’s voices and experiences, and to act on what they tell me.
The work of my Help at Hand advocacy service is perhaps the best embodiment of that driving force. Day in and day out, my small team of child’s rights experts intervene in cases where children’s voices are being ignored or undermined, often working through knotty and complex bureaucratic challenges to deliver positive outcomes.
This is my fourth annual report on the impact of Help at Hand. It fulfils my powers under section 2D of the Children Act 2004: to provide advice, assistance, and representation to children who are living away from home or receiving social care services, and to care leavers up to the age of 25. The team of three works with individual children to resolve issues where their rights are not being upheld or they are not receiving a suitable service. Not only does this work improve the individual child’s circumstances by resolving conflicts that had prevented appropriate care being given, it also informs the office’s wider research and policy work so that changes are made that reflect their experiences to benefit all children.
Over the past year the work of the Help at Hand team has played a central role in much of the office’s most striking pieces of research. In particular, this has included Waiting times for assessment and support for autism[i], ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions in October, our advocacy audit ‘The state of children and young people’s advocacy services in England’ in December 2023 [ii] and Children with complex needs who are deprived of liberty[iii] in November, based on interviews with young people under High Court deprivation of liberty orders. The latter piece of work received significant public attention on publication, including through the media, and was supported by the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane.
The number of cases handled by my Help at Hand team continues to grow year on year. Between September 2023 and August 2024, the team received 1,001 referrals. On 26 occasions over the course of the year, I wrote personally to decision makers including Directors of Children’s Services about children where I had real concerns that their rights were being breached. As this report shows, our representations are often successful in making a real difference for children – more than nine in 10 cases where a representation is made resulted in a positive outcome – and ensure that they have access to all of their entitlements, and the quality of care and support they deserve. However, their experiences also highlight serious problems in the children’s social care system, such as the lack of suitable children’s homes and foster carers for our most vulnerable children, severe issues in the SEND education system leaving children out of school, and problems for looked after children accessing advocacy when they most need it, particularly children with disabilities.
The growing number of cases supported by Help at Hand led to a rebrand of the service this year to make it more accessible, in response to a direct ask from children. The team’s online presence now includes an accessible video that explains the service to children with learning disabilities, a fresh new logo, clearer explanations and simpler navigation.
This year’s Help at Hand report outlines key themes of home, education, and voice that have emerged from the team’s work over the past 12 months. It provides examples of where they have been able to make a difference, and of how children’s experiences have influenced the office’s policy work.
In an ideal world, there would be no need for Help at Hand, because all children would receive excellent support and care up to and beyond 18, with support from social care professionals and advocates to resolve any issues that arise. However, until this is the reality, the team will continue to offer advice and support to those who need it. My ambition is for England to be the best place for every child to grow up, and this will continue to be my driving focus into the next year.
[i] Children’s Commissioner’s Office. (2024). Waiting times for assessment and support for autism, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions. Available at: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/resource/waiting-times-for-assessment-and-support-for-autism-adhd-and-other-neurodevelopmental-conditions/
[ii] Children’s Commissioner’s Office. (2024). The state of children and young people’s advocacy services in England. Available at: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/resource/the-state-of-children-and-young-peoples-advocacy-services-in-england/
[iii] Children’s Commissioner’s office (2024). Children with complex needs who are deprived of liberty: Interviews with children to understand their experiences of being deprived of their liberty. Available at: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/resource/children-with-complex-needs-who-are-deprived-of-liberty-interviews-with-children-to-understand-their-experiences-of-being-deprived-of-their-liberty/
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