The rather odd title disguises the children’s commission for England. This was the last such office to be established in the UK (and in western countries) and is also the weakest as the children’s commissioner is answerable not to parliament but to the Secretary of State for Schools, Children and Families (although the office states it is independent). He is also restricted in how he can operate (for example, unlike in Scotland, he cannot take up individual cases). The office seeks to both promote the interests of the country’s 11 million children and young people and involve them in its own decision making.
Children’s commissioner: Sir Al Aynesley-Green
Chief executive: Robin Williams
Address: 1 London Bridge, London SE1 3B9
Telephone: 0844 800 9113
Website: www.11million.org.uk
Other UK equivalents: There are children’s commissioners in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland