Exec Chair & founder CENTRE FOR YOUNG LIVES
@cfyounglives
. Former Children’s Commissioner England. Author YOUNG LIVES, BIG AMBITIONS. Supports
@BiteBack2030
.
I’m proud & excited to launch the Centre for Young Lives - a new, dynamic, innovative, independent think tank & delivery unit dedicated excl to improving lives of children, young people & families. Join with us to make this country a great place to grow up
Whoever thinks it is ok to send out bits of vegetables and fruit like this AND scraps of other food in what seems to be money bags is very wrong. Imagine thinking that the saving to be made on half a carrot was worth it or that it might be hygienic enough to send out fish in bags
Suggestions that schools will stay open during a forthcoming lockdown are very welcome. We've always said that schools should be the last to shut & first to open. It would be a disaster for children's well-being and education if they were to close.
It’s a scandal that in 2019 thousands of children are being forced to grow up in old office blocks and shipping containers. This dangerous temporary accommodation must be outlawed and new social homes built.
As someone who was involved in setting up Sure Start in the early 2000s & ran one of the biggest networks of Centres, I’m a grt supporter of family hubs. Extra funding for new hubs is v welcome, but we are still a v long way behind where we were 10 yrs ago
The fact schools are able to stay open is testament to the fantastic work schools and teachers have taken to make schools Covid secure. Our survey of children showed children were delighted to be back at school, felt safe, and understood all the rules.
I understand that the meeting took place & other discussions are ongoing. Also that vouchers are back on this week & schools can be rembersed for supermarket vouchers in the meantime. But can we just pause and think again about the photos like this we have seen in the last 24 hrs
The Department for Education was due to meet with food firm
@Chartwells_UK
today following accusations of pitiful food parcels for vulnerable pupils
#FreeSchoolMeals
Fantastic to go to Windsor Castle today to receive this from Prince Charles. This is for all those people who do such brilliant things to help kids. Thank you for all you do ♥️
The coronavirus crisis has delivered a toxic cocktail for children - Isolation, loneliness & anxiety, 6 months loss of learning & for some, exposure to violence & abuse. They need to be at the forefront of our country's recovery not the back of the queue.
A new report from the Educational Endowment Foundation says that personal engagement is more likely to improve disruptive pupils’ behaviour than zero-tolerance polices. Kids say it’s knowing someone ‘bothers’ about them. It’s what we should all expect.
When I talk to teenagers in prison they can tell me exactly at what points things got worse for them and what/who could have helped. Many times it’s at primary school. Sometimes before. The social & economic costs of ignoring kids who need help just get bigger as time goes on.
This has been a year like no other for all of us but for children it has often felt unfathomable & for some v v tough. Thank you to everyone who has been there for them. The brilliant teachers & school staff, social workers, youth workers, kind neighbours & many more. Thank you.
There is no doubt closing schools will have a negative impact on children.The govt must learn from mistakes made in the last long lockdown. I want to see a clear plan from Ministers that keeps vulnerable children in school & provides tech for remote learning for all who need it.
National service would cost £2.5bn pa. Imagine what we could do with £12bn per parliament to spend on young people - lift children out of poverty, fix the broken care system, improve support for MH, invest in education, rebuild youth services. It's a long list & not a gimmick.
I've written jointly with UK Children's Commissioners
@UniversitiesUK
asking them to be flexible & honour their offers to students. Their decisions now will have life-long consequences for young people. We urge them to respond with generosity of spirit.
We have closed, mothballed and hollowed out children's centres sitting in many of our schools and disadvantaged communities all over the country. We need to get them open and back providing the support that our children & families so desperately need.
At a fantastic
@OCMATtrust
school in Kent today. Behind this door is a brilliantly equipped Sure Start Centre that was closed & mothballed. It is sitting there unused. It should never have closed & needs to re-open. A generation of young people & families let down.
Children were so often at the back of the queue in the pandemic & had to watch on as pubs & shops opened & they were unable to return to school.Children's learning & mental health has suffered as a result. Airbrushing them out of the official inquiry would be a shocking oversight
Sweden outlawed smacking in 1979. Scotland will be the 57th country to follow & Wales isn’t far behind. The bill ends the outdated defence of reasonable chastisement & rightly gives children equal protection from assault as adults. England needs to urgently follow suit.
I've been bowled over by people's generous comments & good wishes over the past days & can't thank you enough. My last word
@ChildrensComm
must go to those children though - who taught us about their lives and inspired us to press hard to improve children's life chances.
It was a privilege to give evidence
@covidinquiryuk
this am. Children suffered disproportionately during the pandemic - often overlooked by decision makers. The impact will be felt by some for decades. Govt must learn from these mistakes & put children first in future emergencies
Really honoured and humbled to be recognised in the Birthday Honours 2021 with a CBE for services to children. It continues to be a huge privilege to support children & their families & to work with so many other great people to do so.
Visiting children in YOIs has been a sobering part of this role and visiting Wetherby on Friday was no different. There are always boys making positive changes, many talk about the families they miss and their hopes for the future but mostly they're bored and too often scared.
Good to see a renewed focus with business on the early years
@Earlychildhood
making the case and delivering support. A family friendly employer can make a big difference for families day in day out.
Today, The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood is delighted to announce the publication of a report setting out the business case for prioritising early childhood.
#CaseforEarlyChildhood
Great to see Southwark schools sign up not to exclude pupils. An important move for a council already committed to mental health support for all children who need it with a trailblazing drop in hub & youth support. Showing what can be done everywhere.
I want fines for schools who off roll and more funds for special needs support. There’s also a really important role for Ofsted to be tougher on schools who work the system & give credit to those schools who provide good inclusive education - even when it affects their grades.
This should be a national emergency. "Children are literally being picked up from outside the building, disappearing and not being found. They’re being taken from the street by traffickers,” 79 of these children are currently missing.
Letter to the PM from 100 specialists in psychology, mental health and neuroscience, in The Sunday Times: "As experts working across disciplines, we are united as we urge you to reconsider your decision & to release children and young people from lockdown.
It reflects very poorly on the importance the Government places on children that within £132bn of spending it cannot find a few million pounds to keep children fed. My letter to the Chancellor. Summer School Meals Axe ‘Lacks Compassion’, Child Watchdog.
Today I’m launching a legal claim against
@tiktok_uk
on behalf of millions of children whose data was illegally taken and transferred to unknown third parties for profit. Learn more about our fight to protect children's privacy
@TikTokClaimUK
for updates
Delighted the Duchess of Cambridge is launching a new centre for early childhood to make childhood the social equivalent to climate change. The first yrs shape the rest of your life & sadly, too many children are so far behind by 5 they might never recover. We can change that.
Today I’m proud to be launching The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood — let’s embrace this golden opportunity to create a happier, more mentally healthy and more nurturing society.
Excellent to see support for important
@UsforThemUK
letter to Baroness Hallett calling for children to be at the heart
@covidinquiryuk
. Backing this alongside senior
@Conservatives
@UKLabour
MPs & children's sector. Having suffered so greatly children mustn't be airbrushed out.
Change in action to bring education back for all children. English schools to phase out ‘cruel’ behaviour rules as Labour plans major education changes.
#inclusion
@JonnyUttley
Talented, brilliant role models, socially responsible & committed to their helping others - and still under 25. Remarkable young people in every way. What a contribution they have already made to our country and so much more to come. Thank you. We're with you ❤️⚽️🏴
Unbelievably, my 6 years as Children's Commissioner are nearly up. If you'd like to hear what I've learnt and why I think children should be at the heart of the rebuild after Covid, you can sign up to my final speech here - takes place Wed 17th at 10.30am.
It is hard not to be angry about the current chaos. There are millions of vulnerable children. They may be hungry, living in hostels, struggling with mental health problems, trapped in county lines, witnessing violence at home. They need help not a govt pulling itself apart.
Two and a half years on from the last Covid lockdown, the aftershock of the pandemic and its impact on children is still being felt. My comment piece
@Telegraph
.
As children prepare for a new school week like no other we say a huge thank you and pay gratitude to teachers everywhere who will be providing essential support & schooling for vulnerable children & children of critical workers. Thank you for all you are doing. It means so much.
With the new lockdown underway, children need the tech & data capacity in place this week. Those children who haven’t got the tech should be offered a priority place in school from Monday. The alternative is that they are not able to learn which is just not acceptable.
In a country as wealthy as ours no child should ever go hungry. Thank you to Marcus Rashford for putting the spotlight on what it means for vulnerable kids & for driving change. I support his calls for action.
Every police force I’ve met say exclusions from school are fuelling knife crime & county lines with the most vulnerable children being at greatest risk. That’s why Govt must implement the recommendations of the exclusions review urgently and in full.
Thinking of teenage lives lost this yr & the devastating impact on families & communities. These youngsters should have the world ahead of them but were lost to crime & violence. I hope 2022 brings change to give every child the hope & chances we would all want for our children.
Pleased
@GavinWilliamson
spoke directly to children at No 10 briefing today recognising how difficult it is without school & missing friends & thanking every child for playing a part in overcoming the disease. It's an anxious time for kids & so imp they are part of the discussion
Too many children are living a ‘battery hen’ existence, spending more time sitting in front of screens and less time outside playing. I want to see more playgrounds across the country, not fewer.
Delighted to be the new ind chair of the NHS Learning Disability & Autism Ch & Young People Board & to chair the Ind Oversight Board of the Taskforce to improve inpatient mental health. It’s vital to improve outcomes for this v important group of children.
Covid dealt a strong hand to those who exploit children. Children dropping off the radar of schools and social services provides a golden opportunity for gangs and criminals. Govt must give schools the support they need so we don’t repeat previous mistakes
Delighted that Government has now decided to feed children this summer. It's the right decision & will provide real support for struggling families. Much more of which is needed but this is good. Thanks to everyone speaking up for vulnerable kids.
Farewell to the most brilliant team who have risen to every challenge - and more- to fight for better life chances for children. Thank you. It's been a privilege and a pleasure. Good luck to you, and Rachel, for all the Office does next. 💛
Thank you from all the CCO team to our outgoing Children’s Commissioner for England
@annelongfield
, whose six year term ends today. Good luck with the next chapter Anne.
As a society we should judge ourselves on how we treat children. Too often we are talking a good game but actually not playing very well. We can & should do better to give all children the best chance. And we should start here and now.
#WorldChildrensDay2020
Congratulations to the 75 local authorities announced today who will receive SR funds to develop Family Hubs. We know many councils will be working hard to build on their children's centres to extend support for older children & their families which is so vital.
@ADCStweets
Parents of lockdown babies often struggled without support so this is welcome from PHE. Directors of Nursing asked to prioritise vulnerable children & families - health visitors, school nurses, nurses supporting SEND & safeguarding officers should not be redeployed over winter.
Deeply disappointing that Lambeth Council should approve segregated play areas for children in this new development. Every one of the various partners involved should think again.
My annual analysis of childhood vulnerability. A shocking 1.5m children living with high risk & no support.The moral & economic imperative must be to treat problems & prevent crisis. We get the society we choose. I want one that helps these children succeed not marginalises them
Government did the right thing earlier this year. These are unprecedented times and require unprecedented action. Govt must be bold & generous again to protect the most vulnerable children.
So, Boris Johnson has flatly rejected
@MarcusRashford
call for free school meal help to be given to poor kids over Christmas and other holidays.
No.10 spokesman: “It’s not for schools to regularly provide food to pupils during the school holidays..."
Good luck to all the teachers and children with returning classes in primary schools this week. There will be a few nerves but the work & planning to make schools a safe, welcoming & nurturing place has been outstanding. Thank you.
Until the PM makes youth violence a priority teenagers will continue to be at extreme risk. It needs an ambitious plan - thousands of new youth workers to inspire and divert, schools open longer, exclusions cut & help for families as well as police action.
It’s that moment for a complete change in priorities, that not only puts children at the heart of recovery but really understands that if we are going to level up for the whole of society, we have to start with children.
We must not allow kids to be defined by the pandemic – what it’s meant to them and how it knocked them back – or for some of them, knocked them over. They should be defined by the opportunities we now put in place for them.
A growing coalition of child experts are highlighting the need for a national emergency response to the catastrophic impact of the pandemic on children's education and wellbeing. An ambitious national recovery programme for children is needed.
Children may be at a lower health risk from the virus but they have paid a heavy price & the crisis has exposed the fragility of some children's lives. A comprehensive recovery package is needed to tackle the rising tide of childhood vulnerability.
“We are now seeing the pastoral impact of the pandemic in full force: attendance is extremely low. We have learnt that the manifestations of trauma, grief & disillusionment don’t appear straight away. It takes time for the impact.. to come to the surface.”
Today: a Manifesto for Children & my call on all political parties to back six pledges to transform life chances for children. We should be ashamed that there are literally millions of kids in England not having the childhood a decent society would want.
.
@GavinWilliamson
says no young person should have to leave care from either foster care or residential care during the emergency offering important reassure. He asks councils to use new funding to pay for this.
4 yrs on, new research
@TeacherTapp
@savechildrenuk
shows children are still suffering the effects of lockdown. The response to Covid failed our young. We now have a duty to put it right. My comment piece
@Telegraph
⬇️
Just spoken to
@BBCr4today
about the desperate need for a national coordinated plan to stop the conveyor belt of vulnerable teenagers from falling into the hands of gangs & criminals. Here's what
@coyl2022
plans to do about it.
Today we are launching The Commission on Young Lives, a major year-long independent commission to develop a new national system to stop the conveyor belt of vulnerable teens becoming involved in knife crime, serious violence, gangs and the justice system.
Child poverty has become the elephant in the room in Westminster while schools are on the frontline & overwhelmed by what is being asked of them. We need to give our schools the tools & funding they need to poverty proof their schools. Starting with extending FSM & pastoral care
Today we’ve published our second report with our partners
@ChildoftheNort1
setting out an evidence-based plan to use the country’s education infrastructure to reduce the impact of child poverty on millions of children.
Our new analysis shows that just 10% of schools exclude 88% of children. Most schools stretch every sinew to keep children in school but this significant minority need to do more - and sometimes demand more help - to protect the most vulnerable.
Great to see
@YvetteCooperMP
announce the new Home Office led Young Futures unit, working across Government to prevent violent crime among young people. A central recommendation of the Commission on Young Lives, we're delighted to see it get up & running.
The number of children in unregulated care has rocketed over 10 yrs. It's a symptom of a system unable to deliver what is expected and one where kids have to live with unacceptable risks for their own safety. We wouldn't accept it for our own kids so we shouldn't for kids in care
“It always shocks when you hear the stories we’ve heard…”
Children’s Commissioner for England
@annelongfield
says that its unacceptable that “6,000 of the most vulnerable children in this country” are staying in unregulated care homes “this evening”.
#Newsnight
This is the right decision to make. So many young people have had a terrible few days & some A level students may still have lost the future they hoped for. It shouldn’t have happened and young people now need our help and support to progress with certainty & confidence.
There is a lot of concern about PPE for the children's workforce and social workers on the frontline protecting vulnerable kids. Don't forget them
@PHE_uk
.
Couldn't agree more. In his pamphlet, Gordon Brown calls for a national plan for children including a cross-government poverty taskforce to be created. Both vital to the future success of a generation & our economy.
A child receiving FSM in Hackney is also 3 times more likely to go to university than a similar child in Hartlepool. The London Challenge transformed schools in the capital - other parts of the country - especially the North are shouting out for something similar.
Another spectacular stat from the DFE figures on university entry is the success of schools in London. 49% of free school meal pupils in inner London go on to university by the age of 19 - that's higher than non-FSM pupils anywhere outside London.
We have a new Children's Minister! Congratulations
@vickyford
. Children's care review, family hubs, children in need, gangs & SEND - much to be done & the opportunity to make a real difference for vulnerable kids.
Some horrific experiences of teenagers in dire unsuitable accommodation with little or no support. I’ll be asking the Minister to look closely at this and to consider what action he can take to ensure that no children are put at risk in this way.
Great to be in the hall earlier to hear
@YvetteCooper
’s proposals for a Sure Start-style network of youth hubs, a key recommendation in our
@coyl2022
report. Supporting teenagers in this way can save lives.
I’ve been talking to families & professionals to find out what’s behind the massive increase in children being taken out of school to be educated at home & asking what should be done about it. See what I discovered on Dispatches next Monday 10.15 - 11.15pm.
I've asked
@RobertBuckland
to do the same for children in prison. Over 200 kids are on remand - most of which won't end up with a prison sentence, some are v vulnerable to the virus & some are due for release over coming weeks.
Witness after witness said how drastic cuts to early intervention is damaging children's life chances with the biggest fall in spending in areas with the highest levels of child poverty The moral & economic case to restore services has never been clearer
We now have technology that enables us to see who is at risk of being tipped into crisis. My challenge to ministers for the new year is to use this technology to predict which children need help & to respond. In 2019, I am going to show them how.
“Sometimes the people who need to be heard the most are the people who are never asked or included – we have a lot to say.” We asked children what they thought we should focus on. This is what they said...
Experts say that about 80% of challenging behaviour in the classroom can be traced back to the child’s situation or experiences. BBC News - Children with problems or problem children?
PM says they have already started on a child poverty strategy and that a reduction in child poverty will be one of the measures of this government just like it was of the last Labour government - despite inability to move on 2 child limit yet.
All credit to
@Oasis_UK
for pioneering a new generation of youth centres & support to protect children & keep them in school learning.
@coyl2022
wants to see more innovation like this across the country to fight violence & gangs & help children learn. Thanks
@thelucyjohnston
.
Councillors of all parties say that the lack of early help for children & families is their biggest worry. Most (90%) of children’s services cash now goes on crisis care with a 60% drop in spend on centres that see off problems & prevent crisis. Its time to reset the balance.
The huge increase in children who are out of school makes this the right thing to do. Plans for help for parents are also welcome. An end to off rolling and more & better support in school for children with special educational needs remain vital.
Reports of Ofsted’s plans to put a greater focus on personal development and a more rounded approach to learning should give a lot of children and parents a spring in their step this morning.
When the food bank proved invaluable, the school offered to run a clothes washing service. Now the school's librarian has turned hairdresser. The more they asked, the more desperate need they found.
Access to parks is now so important to families with children living in small, cramped flats with no outdoor space. I want every council to remember that & anyone thinking of flouting govt rules to stop & think about the kids that will suffer as a result.
It's shameful in a country as wealthy as ours that some children are now being taken into care not because they are being harmed at home, but because their families don't have the means to look after them. It's like a Dickens novel. I spoke
@thelucyjohnston
at Sunday Express.
🚨 “It’s like something from a Dickens novel”
Spiralling numbers of children being taken into care due to cost of living crisis
Fears of another baby P scandal
@annelongfield
@ADCStweets
@SteveCrocker1
The 60% plus cut in youth funding means that the people who could build relationships & de-escalate, disrupt & divert violence just aren’t there. In Glasgow youth workers were central to reducing violence. A new programme of investment & recruitment is also needed across England
At a time when budgets are squeezed, its more important than ever that government identify the most vulnerable children before they reach crisis & make sure they have the support & protection in place they need. THIS ISN’T HAPPENING AND SHOULD BE.
While the DfE wants all vulnerable children to have access to high-quality support by 2022, it does not know how much money children’s social care needs because it does not fully understand pressures and variation in the sector. Our new report: