Children's services in England face national emergency over postcode lottery inequality

Services for children in England are in a state of emergency due to extreme and unfair inequality driven by a postcode lottery, according to a landmark report by Children's Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza.

Findings

The report analysed one hundred metrics including health, social care, education, safety, and play, finding that deprivation alone could not explain the differences in children's experiences. Some poorer areas scored highly while well-off ones lagged behind. The data showed stark contrasts, such as mental health assessments taking six days in Leicester compared to 118 days in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. GCSE pass rates in English and maths reached 70 percent in Richmond upon Thames but dropped to 31 percent in Knowsley. Safety reports varied widely, with 6.7 percent of children feeling unsafe in Bedford against 24.9 percent in Croydon. Dental checkups also fluctuated, as 86 percent of children in Redcar and Cleveland saw a dentist last year compared to 39 percent in Hackney. Nationally, over one million children were referred to mental health services in 2024-25, 55 percent of children missed a good standard in English and maths GCSEs, one million youth aged 16 to 24 were not in employment, education, or training, and 12 percent of children felt unsafe locally. Spending on youth services dropped to zero in four local council areas.

Recommendations

Dame Rachel called for a minimum standard for children's services and an emergency fund for improvements. She urged giving larger local authorities and mayors a bigger role in education, health, youth services, and policing, including requiring strategic authorities to appoint a deputy mayor for children.

Context

Reports by children's commissioners regularly highlight regional disparities in public service delivery across England. These findings often drive policy debates around local government funding and the distribution of resources between affluent and deprived regions.