ANY QUOTES USED MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO MURNAGHAN, SKY NEWS

DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Now we are getting very used, aren’t we, to reading stories that highlight the vulnerability of children.  Child abuse is rarely out of the news and we are going to be talking to the new Children’s Commissioner in a moment or two, but just let me finish the introduction.  Are we sufficiently aware of the needs of children and do they get the attention they deserve from politicians?  Well one person who wants to make sure they do is the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield and today is actually her first day in the job and she joins me now, very good to see you Anne Longfield.  First of March, you’re starting on a Sunday …

ANNE LONGFIELD: Yes, eleven hours in.   

DM: Well exactly, hitting the ground running.  Talk to me about the remit, presumably there’s a lot of good work gone before and you’ll want some continuity but what are you going to bring to the post?

ANNE LONGFIELD: Sure, well the post, it’s a statutory post with real powers and it was established coming out of the Victoria Climbié inquiry, you remember the terrible death of that child and the real experience there is that children weren’t listened to and what this job is all about is listening to children but also putting their experiences to those people to make a difference, the decision makers.  So for me, yes, a lot of children in this country have great childhoods, they grow up into very rounded adults but there are huge amounts of children who suffer real inequality.  We know one in four children live in poverty, we know that there are many children in that care system who don’t get the kind of support their need and their life chances are blighted forever and also, as you say, the terrible stories of the appalling abuse that we’ve seen coming to light over recent months.

DM: So what will your relationship but for instance with the inquiry into historical child abuse, the inquiry into so many councils up and down the United Kingdom that have let children down?  What’s your role in that?

ANNE LONGFIELD: Well I am independent from government and I am there to put forward children’s views and also to undertake research, to put forward important evidence so I want to work alongside those inquiries to really bring to life what the experience is.  Too often what you don’t hear is how children have found themselves in that situation.  We talk about grooming but what does that mean, how do children get into that situation and when we understand it, how can we stop it? Because a big issue here is preventing children falling into this situation.  

DM: What are your lines of communication?  You said twice there you want to listen to children’s real experiences, thoughts, fears, how do you access that in this day and age?

ANNE LONGFIELD: Well in all the ways that you would expect.  Social media obviously has its role, I’ve got a group of children Amplified that talk to me and I can undertake…

DM: You have a panel do you?  

ANNE LONGFIELD: Yes, absolutely, I can undertake inquiries, I can also ask questions of a whole range of bodies and expect answers so there is a significant kind of resource there and I guess what comes with this role is the potential for status to be able to present those findings to those that can make that difference.  Now for me there are some real important priorities for the first few months.  Yes, children in poverty, we’ve got an election coming up, I would like all those political parties to pledge again for the commitments around ending child poverty.  It may take a ten year timetable now but it’s important, it needs a priority.  With children in care, again some real priorities to get on the agenda.  There are some instant things that are being called for like ending B&B for children in care, getting some real help to help children turn around their experiences, to have positive life experiences and I guess with child sexual exploitation we know that this is something which is real now.  We need to act on that and we need to make sure that again children have their views.  One of the things I have already done is talk to the NSPCC about how they could set up a helpline especially for children in that situation. Now that would make a huge difference immediately and those are the kinds of things I want to put into action.  

DM: People are going to ask though, what about your powers?  A lot of knowledge there, a lot of access to knowledge and disseminating that, that’s all very important but what about when it comes to you and identifying failings, be it in local authority or even in central government, what can you actually do?

ANNE LONGFIELD: Well there are powers and there are powers about access and powers about ability to put forward to the highest places.  I’ve worked in charities all my life and I’m not used to having many powers, nor money if it comes to that, so actually the command and status of the role, the ability to be able to have access to those with decision making powers and that real access to the real life story of children.  I think as a country we need to set our sights higher for children and I think the majority of people actually agree with that and will come with me on that journey.

DM: So where are the failings, where do you identify the failings?  We have talked about some of them but the education system for instance, there is still a lot to go for there isn’t there?   

ANNE LONGFIELD: Well the education system, yes, that’s an area clearly that … we’re well thought of in terms of education but it’s relatively limited, we don’t look at children’s own experience outside the classroom, we are very limited around exams and the way that we judge success so there are a lot of things that children tell us that they would like differently around education.  There’s access to education as well and my office undertook an important report about exclusions from school, illegal exclusions from school so whilst it’s an area clearly there is a huge focus on, there is also a lot that children want to change about that.

DM: Do you feel, given what we read in the media almost on daily, it is on a daily basis, about the environment that children are now inhabiting, particularly when it comes to social media and their access to each other and how they inter-react, do you think that childhood is becoming more difficult?

ANNE LONGFIELD: Well I think it’s more complicated and certainly that’s what children tell us. You are talking about 24 hour communication there that is relentless, you’re talking about access potentially to damaging information, porn and the like, online.  You’re talking about children who say that sexting and sending each other videos and images actually is becoming part of everyday life so I think it is more complicated.  We have got huge more opportunities for children than we ever had but with it comes those complications.  It’s something we’re going to have to find our way through.  

DM: Well certainly hitting the ground with your feet running there.  Anne Longfield, the new Children’s Commissioner for England, very good to see you, thank you very much indeed and best of luck.