David Lane - Editor What do we want? – A Children’s Commissioner And when do we want the Commissioner? Now! It is many years since the first Children’s Ombudsman was established in Norway, and everyone said what a good idea it was. Since then, they have been appointed in New Zealand and a lot of other places, including Wales. And they all still think it is a good idea, as do most professionals in the childcare scene in the United Kingdom. Report after report has recommended the establishment of a Children’s Commissioner, the latest being the Laming Report. What are the arguments? A Children’s Commissioner would act as : • a champion of children’s rights, monitoring the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Britain has signed up • a voice for children and young people in government circles, able to check and contribute to new legislation, to consult with politicians and senior civil servants • a quality assurance monitor to oversee the standards of services for children and young people and to investigate complaints. Without this champion, children and young people still often come off second best. After all, (despite the best efforts of the Votes at 16 campaign) they still carry no weight in the ballot box, they do not earn a lot, they do not have the financial clout to fund and influence political parties, they do not have a loud voice in the establishment, and large numbers of them are still being brought up in the poorest sections of society. They may be more vocal than they used to be, but they still need someone who knows their way round the labyrinth of Whitehall to act as their Theseus and take on the politico-bureaucratic bull. The obvious question is : why hasn’t the Government acted before, when the need is so clear? They now have a Commissioner in Wales, and legislation is in hand for Scotland and Northern Ireland, but in England the post held by Roger Morgan at the National Commission for Social Care was all that was created. Roger is an excellent professional and no doubt is doing a good job, but a Children’s Commissioner needs more teeth and bite than his role has been given. It is hard to understand the inaction of the Government without implying serious criticism. Do Ministers think they can do without the criticism which would probably be generated, for example? Or do they want to avoid having their failings highlighted? Or do they want to escape having to pay up to put things right? Or, worst of all, do they simply not rate children’s rights very highly? Maybe they genuinely believe that they themselves are so well-motivated and are doing such a good job that no-one else is needed to guard children’s rights. We would be interested to hear Ministers respond and defend their inaction. We would be much more interested to learn that Ministers have decided to establish a Commissioner. The Need for a Children’s Commissioner Caring for Children Policy It is CfC policy that : • every sovereign state* should appoint a Children’s Commissioner • Children’s Commissioners should be consulted about new legislation which may impact on children and young people • Children’s Commissioners should have adequate powers to investigate matters pertaining to children and young people • Children’s Commissioners should investigate any complaint received from a child or young person where they appear to have suffered discrimination because of their age • Children’s Commissioners should have statutory right of access to all relevant records to enable their investigations. * In some countries, state may need to be taken to include parts of sovereign states which are responsible for their services for children, such as Provinces in Canada or the countries of the United Kingdom. If you are concerned about the way things are going and wish to help to shape future thinking, why not join CfC? Then you can have your say. Click here for an application form.