The Government has announced today (12 July) that Dr John Dunford, currently General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, will undertake a review of the Office of Children's Commissioner. In the announcement, Education Secretary Michael Gove emphasised both the Government’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its belief that ‘it is vital that children and young people have a strong, independent advocate to champion their interests and views and to promote their rights’. CRAE's national co-ordinator, Carolyne Willow, says:

The review's remit couldn't be better - there's a strong emphasis on children's rights and making an impact; a commitment to wide consultation including with children and young people; and a very welcome focus on international norms. We will help as much as we can in providing evidence to the review. As a first step, we have reconvened the Commissioner campaign steering group which lobbied during the passage of the Children Act 2004 for a genuinely rights-based Children's Commissioner. A lot was achieved during the passage of the legislation though the model pushed through by the previous Government remained fundamentally flawed.

CRAE co-ordinated the 13-year campaign for a Children’s Commissioner for England, which was supported by over 130 organisations including all the major children’s charities, the Royal Colleges, the Association of Directors of Social Services and local government bodies. Click here to read the changes the campaign pushed for and achieved during the passage of the Children Act 2004.