CYP Now - Analysis: Children's Commissioner - A strong candidate for a weak role

The Government has announced England's first children's commissioner. But while the appointment of Al Aynsley-Green has been welcomed, some speculate that a lack of formal powers means it will be hard to make a real difference. David Singleton reports.

The appointment of Al Aynsley-Green as the first children's commissioner for England has raised eyebrows across children's services. Some had predicted that the job would go to a well-known personality such as the ChildLine president Esther Rantzen. Many had been rooting for a passionate opponent of Government policy, such as the combative Labour backbencher Hilton Dawson. And everyone hoped the Westminster government would follow the example of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by appointing someone not linked closely to the government and could, therefore, act as an independent voice for children and young people.

A man on the inside

Aynsley-Green is far from a government outsider. Rather, he is a senior official at the Department of Health, who has also worked with ministers in the Department for Education and Skills.

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