August 2010
Review of the Children's Commissioner
The Government has commissioned Dr John Dunford OBE, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, to carry out an independent and consultative review of the office, role and functions of the Children's Commissioner for England.
The review will cover three key aspects:
- the powers, remit and functions of the Children's Commissioner
- the relationship with other related functions supported by Government
- value for money.
Like ICVA, the Children's Commissioner is one of the United Nation's National Preventative Mechanisms (NPMs). In response to the review, Maggie Atkinson, Children's Commissioner for England, said:
"I am delighted that the Government has stated that it is committed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and that it believes it is vital that children and young people have a strong, independent advocate to champion their interests and to promote and protect their rights.
"I and staff at the Office of the Children's Commissioner agree with the Government that there is a need for someone to speak out on behalf of children when decisions are made that impact on their lives. We therefore welcome the independent review of the role and functions of the Children's Commissioner for England as it provides the opportunity for us to explore the very best way for doing this.
"The Office of the Children's Commissioner is a public body so it is vitally important that we provide children with the most effective advocacy model, the very best value for money and also, that we are accountable for what we do.
"Over the coming months we will continue to champion children's views and interests through our busy and important work programme and we will be feeding our views on the best model for a strong, independent advocate for children into the independent review."
Both adults and young people can respond to the review... if you would like to read more or to respond to the call for evidence, you can do so on the Department for Education's website.
The deadline is 4 October 2010 and the final report is expected to be published in the autumn.