Nursery World - New children's commissioner launches review into post-war style recovery plan for children

A ‘once-in-a-generation’ review of the future of childhood is being launched today by England’s newly-appointed children’s commissioner.

Rachel De Souza, the new children's commissioner for England: '‘I want the Childhood Commission to have the spirit and the ambition of the Beveridge Report – something that leads to long term changes that improve the chances of every single child'

Dame Rachel De Souza, who took up the post on 1 March, replacing Anne Longfield, said that the review will be inspired by the pioneering 1940s Beveridge Report by William Beveridge, which laid the foundations of the post-war social security system and the National Health Service.

The review will be driven by the largest consultation with children ever undertaken in England: The Big Ask and it will re-cast Beveridge’s ‘five giants’ for children today, identifying the barriers which prevent them having the best childhoods; the best preparation for successful futures, and a better life than their parents.

Leading the consultation will be a new ‘Childhood Commission’ whose role will be to put forward solutions to improve children’s lives and develop tough targets to hold Government and others to account.
It will not focus only on the problems that have been highlighted and amplified by the Covid pandemic but will also address the policy shortfalls that have held back the lives of many children for decades.

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