Children’s commissioner to be appointed in Northern Ireland

The post of commissioner for children and young people for
Northern Ireland is to be advertised this month, with an
announcement expected by mid-June.

The post will be a four-year appointment, renewable for a
further period of four years, and the NSPCC expect it to have “more
teeth” than its Welsh counterpart.

The order establishing the post of commissioner for children and
young people for Northern Ireland successfully completed its
Westminster stages on 27 February, and is now on the statute books
as a piece of UK legislation.

Colin Reid, an NSPCC policy adviser for Northern Ireland, said
the appointment of a commissioner in both Wales and Northern
Ireland “leaves England in a very difficult position”. The
Westminster government has so far refused to consider a children’s
commissioner for England, even though the Scottish parliament is
also planning to set one up.