Young Lives, Big Ambitions

A difficult home life. A missed diagnosis. A disrupted education. Falling in with a bad crowd. Exploitation. Every year thousands of children fall through the gaps in our society and too often become victims of a destructive cycle. Former Commissioner for Children in England Anne Longfield CBE has met many children and families living through adversity and social inequality. She has witnessed how we have failed to protect and support children and young people - through inadequate mental health support and support in school, unsafe social care and punitive youth justice. But she has also seen first-hand incredible work pioneered by services and communities to help transform young people's lives for the better. In Young Lives, Big Ambitions Anne Longfield makes a positive case for why we need to do better. She articulates a vision of society that places the needs of children and young people at its heart, and the steps we can take in order to improve life chances for all young people.