Youth Voices Hub
Find out more about my work and what children have told me about topics that matter most to them.
Dame Rachel de Souza Children’s Commissioner for England
As Children’s Commissioner, my job is to hear from children about what is going on in their lives, and to tell people in power what they should do to make children’s lives better. I have heard from a million children, and I want to ensure all children’s voices are heard and taken into account on decisions that impact them.
Find out more about my work
Children and pornography
Unregistered Alternative Provision
Children and young people’s experiences of attending Alternative Provision and concerns around the quality and safety of these education settings.
My Plan for the year, 2025-26
In my plan for the year, I share the projects and themes that my office will be working on.
Our Future Our Voice: A Festival of Childhood
How to get involved and make a difference
The Big Conversation Survey
Click here to have your say and tell me about your experiences and what you think needs to change.
Youth Voices Forum
If you’re aged 13+ you can join my Youth Voices Forum by clicking here, for more opportunities to have your say on important issues.
School Council
You can get involved with your school council if it has one – this is a great way to think about what more schools can do to make a difference.
Local Council & MP
You can go online to see if your local council has a Youth Council, or you can write to your MP about an issue you really care about.
Youth Ambassadors
Meet my Youth Ambassadors and read about their big ambitions for children in England.
Listen to The Big Conversation Podcast
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children’s Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children.
The podcast draws on the themes in The Big Ambition and will focus on the most important issues that are impacting young people’s lives with solutions developed with children from across England.
What you’ve told me
Child Poverty
[I worry about] what if we won’t have enough to eat this month….We do try as much as possible to save up what we have
Girl, 14
Pornography
“It’s just so common, it’s so normalised and everyone’s just so desensitised to it, but a lot of people just accept it as kind of a normal which is wrong.”
Girl, 16
Schools supporting children
“Support (especially mental health and SEND support) should be far more easy to access for children. Children shouldn’t have to be on the verge of breakdowns before they get noticed for exam access arrangements, breaks etc.”
Boy, 15, attending an unregistered AP
Child, 16, The Big Ambition
Unregistered Alternative Provision
“I’ve been coming here since Year 9, coming up three years now. I haven’t been to mainstream school
Boy, 15, attending an unregistered AP
since the end of Year 8 […] it’s good to be in this environment to get used to it for college. […] It’s smaller and much easier to concentrate.”
How can you get help?
If you are feeling worried about any of these issues you can call Childline for support or go to their website.
If you are living in care, are living away from home, have a social worker or are a care leaver you can contact the Children’s Commissioner’s Help at Hand team.