This Government has let children fall by the wayside. We cannot allow it happen again
The role of the Children s Commissioner must be strengthened to ensure that they can properly hold ministers to account
17 February 2021 • 6:02pm
In Anne Longfield s last speech in the post of Children’s Commissioner she argued that children should be at the heart of the country’s efforts to “build back better” after Covid. She is right, and we must hope our leaders listen.
Mrs Longfield did a difficult job well – the best we could have hoped for. Her energetic collection and tracking of data on, in particular, vulnerable children has been instrumental in making those children more visible. With increasingly regularity and vehemence in the last six months she has spoken up for children – often taking a stance at odds with her employer. Indeed, her greatest legacy may yet be as a relentless critic of Government policy that has let down children.