About The Big Conversation: The Children's Commissioner's Podcast
The Big Conversation: The Children's Commissioner's Podcast shares the voices and views of England’s children.
In the podcast, you will hear from the Children's Commissioner and her 16 Youth Ambassadors. It’s a chance for them to interview decision makers; to talk truth to power and a chance for you to hear what young people really think about issues that affect them.
The podcast draws on the themes in The Big Ambition and will focus on the most important issues that are impacting young people's lives with solutions developed with children from across England.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
The future of children’s TV and edutainment: BBC commissioning, social media content and youth voices - Melissa Harding, Big Manny
Children's Commissioner Youth Ambassadors interview BBC Commissioning Editor Melissa Harding and Content Creator Big Manny about the future of children's TV and edutainment.
1 May 2026TRANSCRIPT
“Nothing about us without us”, youth voice in educational reform - Georgia Gould, Minister for School Standards
In Episode 14, the Children's Commissioner and Youth Ambassadors, Annabel, Ben, Emma, Finlay and Valerie, speak to Minister Gould, Minister of State (Minister for School Standards). The Ambassadors share their own personal experiences with education, particularly around additional needs including special educational needs, disabilities, young carer responsibilities, mental health struggles and disrupted schooling, and discuss educational reforms needed.
The podcast was recorded before before the publication of the SEND White Paper in March. The SEND reform consultation closes on 18th May and you can share your views here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/.
Tell the Children's Commissioner what it’s like growing up in England, your hopes and ambitions and what would make England the best place to be a child by having your say: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-conversation.
#TheBigConversation
Please note there is varying sound quality throughout this recording.
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22 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT
Growing up online: The good, the bad and the potential ban - Lord Nash, Fabio D'Andrea
Youth Ambassadors interview Lord Nash and Fabio D'Andrea about the advantages and disadvantages of smartphones and social media, focusing on how to keep children safe online.
3 Oct 2025
Educating children through long-term illness - Josh Pelled, CEO, Bright Futures UK
Josh Pelled, CEO of Bright Futures UK, discusses with Youth Ambassadors Annabel and Rosanna how to keep children connected to education during long-term illness, highlighting support system challenges in this interview.
22 Aug 2025TRANSCRIPT
'Children are attacking children' - Martin Griffiths, Trauma Surgeon & Clinical Director Violence Reduction
Youth Ambassadors Aaliya, Penelope, and Emmanuel interview Trauma Surgeon Martin Griffiths about the evolving landscape of youth violence and tailoring services to young people's experiences.
19 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT
Ali Oliver, CEO, Youth Sport Trust
Youth Sport Trust CEO Ali Oliver discusses with Annabel and Chan the transformative power of sports and ways to make it more inclusive for young people in this interview.
21 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 9 - Jon Yates, Executive Director, Youth Endowment Fund
Youth Ambassadors Emmanuel, Penelope, and Aaliya interview Jon Yates, Executive Director of the Youth Endowment Fund, about youth safety, crime, violence, and effective support strategies for young people.
16 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 8 - Facing the Future, Festival of Childhood Panel Discussion
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children.
Episode 8 is slightly different to other episodes in the series as it shares a panel discussion, Facing the Future: shoring up the foundations through the teenage years, that was part of the Children’s Commissioner’s Our Future Our Voice: A festival of childhood at Young V&A. The panel was chaired by Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England and the panellists were Children's Commissioner Youth Ambassadors Emmanuel and Aaliya, Dwayne Fields, a Chief Scout, Phoenix Brown, a TV personality, and Kwajo Tweneboa, a housing campaigner.
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16 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 7 - Building the Foundations, Festival of Childhood Panel Discussion
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children.
Episode 7 is slightly different to other episodes in the series as it shares a panel discussion, Building the Foundations: the early years as a foundation for childhood, that was part of the Children’s Commissioner’s Our Future Our Voice: A festival of childhood at Young V&A. The panel was chaired by Dr Helen Charman, Director of Young V&A and the panellists were Children's Commissioner Youth Ambassadors Rebecca and Maya, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Children’s Laureate, Jamel C. Campbell, early years educator and author, and Rachel Bagshaw, Artistic Director of Unicorn Theatre.
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20 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 6 - Mina Gerhardsen, Norwegian Ombudsperson for Children
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children.
In Episode 6, my Youth Ambassadors Aaliya, Emmanuel and Penelope, speak to Mina Gerhardsen, Norwegian Ombudsperson for Children about child happiness, support in the early years, prioritising children and their rights and engaging them in public dialogue, and the issues facing children across different nations.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
20 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: The Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 5 - Angela Salt, CEO, Girlguiding
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children.
In Episode 5, my Youth Ambassadors, Aaliya and Tamar, speak to Angela Salt, CEO, Girlguiding about the importance of World Thinking Day to Girl Guides across the world, the history behind Girlguiding, the ongoing fight for equality, and how we can ensure young women's voices are heard in matters that affect them.
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30 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: The Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 4 - Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children.
In Episode 4 my Youth Ambassadors, Tamar, Emmanuel and Zara speak to Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester and Anglican Bishop for HM Prisons in England and Wales, about young people's involvement in the 2024 riots, community engagement and supporting young people to understand their value and transform their lives.
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20 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: The Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 3 - Ruth Marvel, Chief Executive, Duke of Edinburgh
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children.
In Episode 3 my Youth Ambassadors, Maya, Ben and Mehul speak to Ruth Marvel, Chief Executive, Duke of Edinburgh about the DoE Awards and how they are widening access to the scheme so that it can support as many young people to develop skills, maintain their mental and physical health and build resilience.
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6 Nov 2024TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: The Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 2 - Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive, Ofcom
In Episode 2 my Youth Ambassadors, Rhea and Maximilian speak to Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive, Ofcom about the work of Ofcom and what can be done to to keep children and young people safe online.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
19 Sept 2024TRANSCRIPT
The Big Conversation: The Children's Commissioner's Podcast - Episode 1 - Youth Ambassadors
In Episode 1 I am joined by three of my Youth Ambassadors, Rylie, Sofia and Maximilian. We discuss their ambitions and some of the big issues facing young people today including education, online safety, the cost of living and mental health & wellbeing.
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Inside a recent episode
The future of children’s TV and edutainment: BBC commissioning, social media content and youth voices - Melissa Harding, Big Manny
Published 4 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] So there's a variety of choice and there's more convenience now. I'd like to add to Fazanya's point about entertainment on social media. As phones became part of our lives and even to some extent part of our identity, as we take them everywhere we go and every three seconds we are likely to touch it to open our social media to check whether we got a new message or just simply upload a photo which we took seconds ago. And it takes away the boredom, the one which forces us to think creatively and imagine new ways I would say that entertainment has become less sociable. Ten years ago, if I wanted to watch TV, the only place that I could go would be the living room and I would sit and watch it with my family because I wouldn't have access to a mobile phone or a laptop, which I've now got as I've grown older. […]
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