Gareth Edwards

Children's Commissioner for England

Dame Rachel de Souza is a nationally recognised educator and advocate for improving the life chances of disadvantaged children. She was appointed Children's Commissioner in 2021. As Children's Commissioner her role is to listen to children, to hear about their lives and deliver for them. In 2021, The Big Ask was launched, a survey of children in England. With over a half-a-million responses this was the largest-ever survey of children. Children up and down the country told the Commissioner about their experiences of the pandemic, their lives today, their dreams for the future and their ideas for how we can help children in this country achieve their ambitions. Through the survey, the office heard about the experiences of children of all ages, including babies and toddlers; children from all local authorities, and children from hard-to-reach groups, including children in care. The Big Ask showed that this is not a snowflake generation – it is a heroic generation, veterans of the pandemic, determined to get back to school, to enjoy life, to do well and to make a difference for others. The Commissioner will spend the six years in office helping children to achieve these dreams and protecting children's rights. The Children's Commissioner's office is formed to deliver for children. The office's work is laid out by the key priorities children told us they care about: Family, Community, School, Health, Jobs and skills, Children's social care and Better world. The Help at Hand service is for children in care, leaving care, living away from home or working with children's services to offer free support, advice, and information. Alongside this, In My Opinion (IMO) is a voice for teenagers in care and for care leavers to share their experiences and stories. As well as a team of staff, the Commissioner is supported by an advisory group, an audit and risk committee and children's groups, stakeholders, and specialists.