Press releases

Maggie Atkinson, Children's Commissioner for England, said:

"I am delighted that the Government has stated today 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."