In the autumn, 11 Million will examine new Bills announced in the Queen's speech to ensure children and young people's voices and interests are at the heart of policy development.

The recent creation of the cabinet post with direct responsibilities forthe wellbeing of children and young people demonstrates a commitmentfrom Government to place children at the heart of our society. 11Million believes there is a need for policy makers to consider carefullyhow their decisions will affect children's lives, as their views areoften absent from Government decisions. Child impact assessments willserve to raise awareness of children's interests and are an importantmechanism to ensure their rights, views and concerns are taken intoaccount.

We will gather the direct experiences of children and young people as wecarry out our assessments and involve them as much as possible so thatthey develop a greater understanding about how legislation is developed.The children's commissioners in Northern Ireland and Scotland alreadycarry out child impact assessments and both report successful outcomesfrom their work.

If we, as a society, are serious about making children and youngpeople's rights a reality, then their views and interests must be trulyrepresented at the highest levels of Government and factored into policydevelopment at the earliest possible stage. Ultimately, government musttake responsibility for these assessments themselves and work towardsimproving the quality of the legislation in terms of its impact on thelives of children and young people.

Only by listening to children growing up in poverty, young people whofeel disenfranchised from education or those caught up in the youthjustice system can we understand what's needed to make positive changesto their futures.

Later this year, the UK Government's performance in meeting children'srights as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child willbe examined by the United Nations. A commitment to carrying out childimpact assessments and following up on their results is a good indicatorof how children and young people are viewed and valued in this country.