Here you’ll find the blog and newsletters of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales.
Rocio Cifuentes became the Children’s Commissioner in April 2022.
Children in our Care – let’s get the basics right
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve spent time with young people from 19 out of Wales’ 22 local authorities. These young people were of different ages, had a wide range of different interests, personal styles and talents. All had big ambitions for life including being a chef in…
Art, chickens, and children’s rights
Guest blog by Lois Medi – Advisory Panel Member On Tuesday the twelfth of July, the first meeting of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’ young advisory panel was held. It was a brilliant, productive day that gave us even more encouragement to make a difference to the lives of…
Together Stronger for children and young people
Guest post by Hywel Dafydd – Policy and Public Affairs Manager Like the country as a whole, I am still radiating with joy, pride and gratitude for the achievements of the Welsh football team during Euro 2016. Whilst so many of us were fortunate to be able to build…
The United Nations’ verdict on children’s rights in the UK: an agenda for the new Welsh Government
Last Thursday (9.6.16) saw the publication of a report giving the United Nations verdict on the state of children’s rights in the UK. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child published its Concluding Observations following its periodic examination of the UK Government. This was the first…
Building success: young people building their own homes
Last week I visited the Wrexham Warehouse Project. I had a thoroughly enjoyable few hours in this project. George Powell was a foster carer for 20 years alongside his work as a builder with his own family firm. He has since built a young people’s training centre alongside the…
‘My name’s Joel and I’m the Prime Minister’
This is how I was greeted by 11 year old Joel when I arrived at St Joseph’s RC primary school in Penarth recently. Wales has promoted democracy in schools for many years – making school councils compulsory in every state school from December 2005. School councils give life to…
First day
I applied for the post of Children’s Commissioner because I want to make sure that the ‘3 Ps’ of children and young people’s rights are at the top of everyone’s agenda in Wales. These are: Participation: do you have a chance to have a say in issues that affect…
Austerity Bites
As I come to the end of my first month in office I can pause to reflect on what an unusual month it has been. Across the UK the month has been dominated by the General Election – an event that is usually held only once every 5 years…
Safe in our communities
Over the last three weeks my team and I have had the chance to talk to hundreds of children and young people and hear their ideas on what matters to them and what they want me to speak out about on their behalf. Lots of them have told me…
Measuring child poverty
I have published a report with the other three children’s commissioners of the UK to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on the state of children’s rights in the UK. We were last invited to report in 2008 so we have a lot to say….