§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the establishment of a Children's Commissioner for Wales. [139934]
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§ Mr. Paul MurphyThe office of the Children's Commissioner for Wales is being established under the Care Standards Act, which received Royal Assent on 20 July. The role of the Commissioner reflects Sir Ronald Waterhouse's first recommendation in his report "Lost in Care".
The Commissioner's functions will extend to all social care services for children regulated by the Act: children's homes, residential family centres, local authority fostering and adoption services, fostering agencies, voluntary adoption agencies, domiciliary care, private and voluntary hospitals and clinics, the welfare aspects of daycare and childminding services for all children under the age of eight, and the welfare of children living away from home in boarding schools.
The Commissioner's functions include the review and monitoring of arrangements by the service providers above for dealing with complaints, whistle-blowing and advocacy; the provision of advice and information; the examination, where the Commissioner considers appropriate, of the cases of particular children to be defined in regulations who are receiving or have been in receipt of such services; the provision of assistance, including financial assistance, and representation, in respect of proceedings or disputes or in relation to the operation of procedures and arrangements monitored by the Commissioner; and making reports, including an annual report on the exercise of his/her functions to the National Assembly for Wales.