In Wales, Peter Clarke has been responsible for the Clywch Examination, which looked into allegations of sex abuse in a school setting. The report of the inquiry was published in July 2004 and has been welcomed by Government and child protection specialists both in Wales and at UK level.
In addition to monitoring the implementation of the recommendations made in it, Mr Clarke is currently recruiting and training volunteers to support the work of the Advice and Assistance service in Wales and undertaking a comprehensive review of bullying, which is involving the input of children and young people.
In Scotland, Kathleen Marshall has spent her first year travelling across the country, both to raise awareness of her role in general and the rights of children and young people in particular. She is inviting input from groups and individuals about how she should prioritise her work over the remaining four years of her appointment. A consultation on these priorities will be launched shortly.
While Ms Marshall welcomed the Scottish Executive's Bill, Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation, she felt it was too focused on the criminal aspects of the situation, and that more thought needed to be given to protect children by preventing them from being sent abroad. The bill was amended to take account of some of Ms Marshall's recommendations and is now law.
Ms Marshall has also had a series of meetings relating to children detained at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre. She has expressed concern about the ways in which children and families are removed from home or school for the purpose of detention or deportation. Other areas of work include issues around the moving and handling of disabled children and young people, those leaving care and discipline with dignity in schools.
In Northern Ireland, children's commissioner Nigel Williams has had feedback from almost 1,700 individuals and organisations about what he should be doing over the next three years. The results of the SHOUT consultation were published online in May, along with Mr Williams' Corporate Plan 2005-2008. As a result of the consultation he is now addressing risk behaviour among young people, such as sexual activity and abuse of drink or drugs, in addition to other children's priorities such as having your say, knowing your rights and implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Further information on children's commissioners: Wales www.childcom.org.uk Scotland www.sccyp.org.uk Northern Ireland www.niccy.org
