'Postcode lottery' driving children's inequality in England, commissioner warns

England's children are facing a national emergency characterized by extreme and unfair inequality, according to a new report by Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza. The "Childhood Lottery" report reveals a "postcode lottery" affecting children's experiences across the country, with no single factor, such as poverty, explaining the disparities. De Souza calls for a minimum standard in children's services and an emergency fund to support areas that need improvement.

Despite her initial reluctance to focus solely on funding, the report highlights the extent of the failure. The government's failure has been described as a "moral failure" by Burnham in relation to youth employment and training. In some areas, the differences in children's experiences are stark. For instance, Leicester took six days to refer a child for mental health assessments, while Hampshire and the Isle of Wight waited 118 days.

Richmond upon Thames had a 70% success rate in English and maths GCSEs, while Knowsley had only 31%.

In some cases, high levels of deprivation did not correlate with poor service provision. Haringey in North London, despite being a deprived area, scored highly in the report's assessment. Conversely, Cambridge, one of the least deprived areas, received a lower ranking. The report suggests that strategic authorities, including areas with mayors and larger local councils, should have a deputy mayor for children responsible for evaluating the impact of every policy. Additionally, a children's emergency fund should be established to fund improvements in services.