The Children’s Commissioner for England has unveiled an ambitious plan for the final two years of her tenure, coinciding with the office’s 20th anniversary.
Victoria Climbié’s death in 2000 exposed severe shortcomings in child protection in England, leading to the Laming Inquiry and significant changes to legislation, including the Children Act 2004. However, the tragic case of Sara Sharif, murdered by her father and stepmother in 2023, demonstrates that serious challenges remain in ensuring children’s safety.
As The Victoria Climbié Foundation points out, Sara was not a hidden child – she was known to authorities. Yet, despite this, she still fell through the cracks, echoing past failures in child protection. Her case is a tragic reminder that there remains an urgent need for improved multi-agency working, better information sharing, and stronger accountability within child protection systems.
With the memory of these tragedies casting long shadows, the Commissioner has vowed to intensify efforts to protect children in England. Her mission is to ensure children’s voices are heard and their needs prioritised in policy-making.
Despite two decades of progress, children are still side-lined in key national debates. The Commissioner highlights a lack of consideration for young voices in pivotal discussions, including responses to crises like the pandemic, the rise in small boat crossings, and the 2024 summer riots. Even in the current debate around assisted dying, children’s perspectives have been largely absent, the Commissioner claims.
“The past tells us what happens when we fail to protect children. The future must be different”
Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England
A new Westminster Government is presented as an opportunity to reshape attitudes towards childhood. Over the next two years, the Commissioner intends to amplify young voices in decision-making, ensuring policy shifts show their lived experiences and aspirations.
One of the most significant initiatives is Mapping Childhood, a data project using four years of research to identify the best places to grow up in England. The findings will inform targeted interventions, reinforcing the principle that a child’s postcode should never dictate their future.
Additionally, the Commissioner will advocate for systemic reform, stressing that fragmented support services must be replaced with a unified approach across education, health, social care, and justice. The introduction of a consistent identifier is seen as a key tool to prevent children from falling through gaps – something the Commissioner also advocated for in her submission to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill Committee in February this year.
The Commissioner’s 2024 School Survey, which gathered responses from nearly 90% of schools in England, laid bare the immense pressures schools face in meeting children’s welfare needs.
The Commissioner’s Big Ambition survey revealed that only one in five children feel listened to by politicians. In response, the Commissioner vows to use children’s voices to guide policy through a strengthened Youth Ambassador network, a new Young Voices Forum, and the Festival of Childhood.
A commitment to child-friendly versions of all reports is hoped to improve accessibility with the Commissioner going further by calling on all Westminster departments and public bodies in England to follow suit.
“In 2025, when we say never again, we must mean it” pledged the Commissioner, as she enters this final stage of her tenure serving for England’s children.
Download the full report and the children’s version below:
The Playwork Foundation 