The post has come a step closer following the publication last week of an advertisement for the post of Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland, placed by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. It said the commissioner's main aim 'will be to safeguard and promote the rights and best interests of children and young people' and added, 'The commissioner will be an important, impartial and influential champion independent of Government; a watchdog and a driver for change.'
Duties will include promoting an understanding of the rights and interests of children and young people, reviewing the effectiveness of services available for them and the success of related law and practice. The four-year post carries a salary of 75,000 a year, with the possibility of it being renewed for a further four years. The closing date for applications is 14 April, with interviews in May.
The NSPCC in Northern Ireland, which has campaigned for a children's commissioner, said the post would give children a voice they had not had before. Colin Reid, policy adviser for the NSPCC in Northern Ireland, said that 'a rights approach to a children's commissioner will help redress the balance'. But he stressed that there was an ongoing need for a champion for children inside Government, and said the NSPCC would continue to campaign for this.
In April 2001 Wales became the first country in the British Isles to appoint a children's commissioner. Scotland is expected to have its own commissioner by the start of next year. However, England has no plans for one yet.
The Children's Rights Alliance for England has launched a major campaign to rectify this with the publication of a report, Making the case for a children's rights commissioner for England, which sets out the minimum requirements for the role. The campaign is supported by 120 organisations and the report was drawn up by a national co-ordinating group that included the charities Barnardo's, the Daycare Trust and the NSPCC.
The report says that despite political and parliamentary support for a children's commissioner, particularly over the past decade, Government ministers still suggested that the case has not yet been made. It points out that the commissioner's role should be to 'hold Government to account and galvanise political, public and professional support for ensuring effective mechanisms are in place to deal with children's concerns and complaints.... Its unique value would be in its ability to keep on top of developments, ensuring commitments are carried out and bringing to the attention of parliament and Government at all levels the gaps and loopholes in current provision.'
While the report welcomed the appointment of a Minister for Children and Young People and the setting up of a Children and Young People's Unit, it said there was still a need for an independent watchdog who was 'free of the political reins that restrict even the most child-friendly politician or government'.