Dr Maggie Atkinson has been named as the Governments preferred candidate for post of Children’s Commissioner for England.

Dr Atkinson, currently director of children's services for Gateshead, is due to replace Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green who has held the post since its establishment in March 2005.

CRAE has given a cautious welcome to the appointment. We hope that she will be a strong voice for children and young people, and to the cause of safeguarding and promoting their basic human rights. The key litmus test is the impact she has on the lives of children in England and her influence on ensuring Government upholds their children’s rights commitments.

The post of Children’s Commissioner was established by the Children Act 2004, following a decade long campaign led by CRAE. As a direct result of our campaign, there were 11 major changes made to the Children's Commissioner's powers and independence, as the Act was progressing through Parliament.

Any Children’s Commissioner is only able to function within its narrow statutory remit. The legislation establishing the Commissioner does not comply with United Nations standards for an independent human rights body. The England Commissioners independence is seriously compromised (for example, he must consult the Government before establishing an inquiry) and unlike counterparts in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Children’s Commissioner for England is legally prohibited from dealing with individual cases. CRAE has consistently called for a rights-based Commissioner whose role is to promote and protect children’s human rights.

Maggie Atkinson is currently Group Director for Children and Learning at Gateshead Council. She has an education background as a teacher, advisor and then inspector. In 2008 she was the first sole president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and is currently chair of the National Expert Group on the Children’s Workforce and national chair for the Centre of Excellence in Outcomes (C4EO). She has a welcome record of speaking out about the dominant negative media representation of children and for calling on services to work with families as a whole.

She will face a scrutiny by the Children’s, Schools and Families Select Committee on Monday 12 October 2009 at 3.45pm in the Wilson Room of Portcullis House. The Committee will issue a report which will be considered by the Secretary of State. If confirmed in post, she will take up the post in early 2010.