Who We Are

Our Chair

Anne Longfield CBE is Chair of the Commission on Young Lives.

Anne has spent the last three decades working to improve the life chances of children, particularly the most vulnerable. From March 2015 to February 2021, she was Children’s Commissioner for England.

She previously led a national children’s charity and has also worked on the delivery of the Sure Start programme in the Cabinet Office.

Anne is a passionate champion for children, influencing and shaping the national debate and policy agenda for children and their families. She spent many years campaigning for better childcare, often at a time when many saw the issue as obscure or niche.

As Children’s Commissioner, Anne spent six years championing the rights and interests of children with those in power who make decisions about children’s lives, acting as children’s ‘eyes and ears’ in the corridors of power in Whitehall and Westminster.

Anne was Special Advisor to the Lords Public Services Committee during their inquiry into public services and vulnerable children, and the Independent Chair of the NHS Children and Young People Learning Disability and Autism Board. 

Anne is chair of the newly-formed What Works in SEND, a non-executive director of the Bradford Children and Family Trust, and board member of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.

The Commission’s Expert Panel

The Commission’s initial year-long independent report setting out proposals for a national plan to protect vulnerable teenagers and support them to succeed was published in November 2022.

Our national panel of experts and leaders informed the work of the Commission, combining personal and professional insight and understanding of the issues and the impact on the lives of young people and communities with extensive experience of ‘getting things done’ – in communities, in services and in government.

The Commissioners met throughout the year to provide advice, as well as taking part in a series of evidence sessions.