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.

The scale of the Rotherham child protection scandal has led professionals responsible for safeguarding children in other regions to recognise the extent of child abuse in their area and consider how to respond efficiently. Drawing on lessons learned from key case reviews and independent practice, this book tells the story of Rotherham and shows the consequences of failing to respond to concerns of child sexual exploitation. Using case examples demonstrating both poor and good practice, from Rotherham and elsewhere, the authors are able to present recommendations for improvements at strategic management and frontline practitioner levels.