Children’s Commissioner for Wales

http://www.childcomwales.org.uk/

Keith Towler is the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. Keith’s job is to stand up and speak out for children and young people. He works to make sure that children and young people are kept safe and that they know about and can access their rights.

Keith has to consider children’s rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in all the work that he does. This means that there is a lot of work to do so Keith has a team of people helping him. They work from two offices, one in Swansea and one in Colwyn Bay.

Why do we have a Children’s Commissioner in Wales?
Children's organisations in Wales campaigned for a Commissioner for children for over 10 years. Politicians in the National Assembly for Wales were also keen on the idea. They wanted someone who would speak up for children and young people's rights and help to protect them.

In early 2000, Sir Ronald Waterhouse published his report ‘Lost in Care’ after a long inquiry into child abuse in children's homes in North Wales. He recommended that Wales had a Children's Commissioner to try and stop such things happening again. This speeded up the campaign and legislation was passed by the UK Government in Westminster to create the post and give it the powers needed.

Lots of countries have Commissioners and all of them have slightly different jobs, but they all work to make sure that children and young people are safe from harm and that as many people as possible know about children’s rights.

Here are some of the things that Keith and his staff do for Wales’ children and young people:

Telling everyone, including children and young people, about the Commissioner and about children’s rights
Meeting with children and young people and listening to what they have to say about issues that affect them
Talking to children and young people about the Commissioner’s work, what else they think he should do and how he should do it
Looking at the work of organisations like councils and health trusts to see if they are thinking about children’s rights
Telling people who can make a difference what children and young people think is important and how to improve things
Giving advice and information to children and adults who contact the Commissioner's team.

Advice & Support

The Advice and Support service is for children and young people, and the people who care about them, to have someone to turn to when they run out of all other options when dealing with a problem.

The Investigations and Advice Officers take calls, text messages and read emails and letters from children, young people and adults, who have been trying to solve a problem and feel like they aren’t getting anywhere. Our officers are not counsellors but they work with children, young people and adults who are involved to help them find a solution. If we can't help then we will try to identify an organisation that can.

If you need to talk to someone from the Commissioner’s office, here are the ways you can get in touch.

Children and Young People

Important information

We always make sure we treat ever child and young person with respect. We also make sure we keep the information you share with us private unless we think you or another child or young person is unsafe – we then share the information with other organisations that can help protect you. If we need to share the information with other people that could help then we will tell you what we are doing and why we have decided to do it.

Contact details
Freephone: 0808 801 1000

Free text: 80800 (start your message with COM)

Email: advice@childcomwales.org.uk

Freepost: Children’s Commissioner for Wales
              Freepost RRGL XLYC BHGC
              Swansea
              SA7 9FS

Open Monday to Friday except Bank Holidays from 9am – 5pm

Adults

Important information
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales and his staff implement the All Wales Child Protection Procedures 2008 and the organisation’s confidentiality policy conforms to these procedures.

We will treat every child or young person with respect and protect their privacy unless it is necessary to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard a child or young person’s welfare. Children and young people are informed of this fact whenever they begin to disclose information which may indicate they, or another child, is at risk of significant harm.

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales offers children and young people complete confidentiality where there is judged to be no risk of significant harm (i.e. significant physical harm, sexual harm, emotional harm or neglect, as defined by the All Wales Child Protection Procedures 2008) to the child or young person in direct contact with the office or any other child or young person implicated.

You can get in touch with us at either of our offices:

Children & young people's freephone number:

0808 801 1000

Or text 80 800 start your message with COM

Children's Commissioner for Wales
Oystermouth House
Phoenix Way
Llansamlet
Swansea
SA7 9FS

01792 765600 post@childcomwales.org.uk

Children's Commissioner for Wales
Penrhos Manor
Oak Drive
Colwyn Bay
Conwy
LL29 7YW

01492 523333 post@childcomwales.org.uk

Also follow Keith at www.twitter.com/childcomwales

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