The National Service Framework for Older People has created a role for older people's champions in localities and some local councillors have taken on this role. Like older people, young people are among the heaviest users of services and facilities and are similarly under- or mis-represented. And while there have been calls for a Children's commissioner in Parliament to act as a national champion for young people's rights, where are their local champions?
Adolescence is a period of transition, with its membership in a constant state of flux and change. Older age, on the other hand, is a life stage from which one cannot move on: there is only one exit point. Its membership is easy to identify, in many ways easy to target, and it now enjoys a reasonable press. Older people, by the very reason of their life experience, are more familiar with the intricacies of local services and systems, with the democratic process and with the opportunity to vote.
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