Charities expressed concern over the commissioner's independence after the publication of the Children's Bill last Thursday.
But children's minister Margaret Hodge told Children Now that England was a bigger country than the devolved nations and the commissioner would get "bogged down" with individual complaints.
"We wanted the commissioner to focus on the much bigger picture," she said. "They will be able to produce a report on anything - nobody is going to say you can't do a report on children in prison. I think they should roam widely."
She said there was a strong complaints infrastructure already in place but in certain cases the education secretary would be able to direct the commissioner.
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