Children's Commissioner for Wales

What Children's Commissioner for Wales does

The Children's Commissioner for Wales is an independent statutory office established by the Care Standards Act 2000 and operating under the Children's Commissioner for Wales Act 2001. Its mandate is to promote and protect the rights of children and young people in Wales under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which Wales incorporated into domestic law in 2011. The office serves three primary constituencies: children and young people in Wales (up to age 18, or up to 25 if care-experienced and in education), parents and carers, and professionals who work with children. Services are delivered free of charge and are bilingual in English and Welsh.

The organisation's core service offering is the Children's Rights Advice and Assistance Team, a free, confidential helpline providing advice on education, social services, health, and complaints. This is complemented by three ambassador schemes — Super Ambassadors (under 11), Student Ambassadors (12-18), and Community Ambassadors — that engage children directly in promoting rights awareness across all 22 local authorities in Wales. The office produces publications including the Ambitions for Wales survey (reaching nearly 9,000 participants in 2022) and Monthly Matters resource packs, plus educational materials such as the Rights Posters, UNCRC Symbols Pack, and The Right Way Framework. A standalone digital tool, My Planner, supports care-experienced young people transitioning out of care. There is no proprietary technology platform; the digital assets are content- and service-delivery websites.

The Children's Commissioner for Wales does not operate as a commercial enterprise. It is funded by the Welsh Government as a statutory body under a fixed mandate. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. There are no customers in the commercial sense, no pricing model, and no fees charged for any service. Distribution occurs directly through an advice line (01792 765600, freephone 0808 801 1000), website, postal correspondence, and field outreach to schools, youth groups, residential homes, and hospitals. The current Commissioner, Rocio Cifuentes, was appointed in April 2022 for a seven-year term, and the office is approaching its 25th anniversary with a Three Year Strategy for 2026-2029 titled 'Making Children's Rights Real'.

Name

Children's Commissioner for Wales

Legal name

Children's Commissioner for Wales

Website

https://childcomwales.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Children's Commissioner for Wales is an independent statutory office that promotes and protects children's rights under the UNCRC across Wales. It serves children and young people, parents and carers, and professionals through free advice, ambassador schemes, publications, and policy advocacy, funded by the Welsh Government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Rights Advocacy Services

NAICS

Public Administration (92), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Safeguarding, Student Welfare & Child Protection Compliance Audits (EDADAGAI)

Keywords

• Children's rights advocacy
• Statutory advocacy services
• Rights advisory helpline
• Children's policy research
• Public sector ombudsman

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Talbot

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The Children's Commissioner for Wales is funded by the Welsh Government. This is statutory funding to support the organization's mandate to promote and protect children's rights in Wales under the UNCRC and Welsh law.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Children's Commissioner for Wales is an independent statutory office that promotes and protects the rights of children and young people in Wales under the UNCRC. It delivers a free, confidential advice and assistance service for children, parents, carers, and professionals; runs ambassador engagement schemes in schools and communities; produces research, publications, and educational resources; and holds Welsh public bodies accountable through statutory review and recommendation powers.

Product overview

The Children's Commissioner for Wales operates as a unified service focused on promoting and protecting children's rights under the UNCRC. The core offering centers on the Children's Rights Advice and Assistance Team—a free helpline providing confidential support to children, families, and professionals. Supporting this are three ambassador schemes (Super Ambassadors for primary, Student Ambassadors for secondary, and Community Ambassadors) that engage young people directly. The organization produces publications including the Ambitions for Wales survey and Monthly Matters resources, offers the My Planner digital tool for care-experienced youth, and provides educational resources including the Rights Posters/UNCRC Symbols Pack and The Right Way Framework. All services are tied to the Commissioner's mandate to promote 42 children's rights under the UNCRC and hold Welsh public bodies accountable.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children's Rights Advice and Assistance Team A free, confidential helpline providing advice and assistance to children, young people (up to age 18, or 25 if care-experienced), parents, carers, and professionals on children's rights under the UNCRC. The team helps with issues including educational entitlements, social services, health access, and complaints.
• Super Ambassadors Scheme A school-based ambassador program promoting children's rights, the UNCRC, and the Children's Commissioner's office to primary school children age 11 and under.
• Student Ambassadors Scheme A school-based ambassador program promoting young people's rights, the UNCRC, and the Children's Commissioner's office to secondary school students between ages 12 and 18.
• Community Ambassadors A program where children and young people from special interest groups volunteer as ambassadors for the Commissioner to feed into her work.
• My Planner A digital advice and support tool providing tips and guidance for young people leaving care, accessible at myplanner.childrenscommissioner.wales.
• Monthly Matters Monthly discussion videos and resource packs for schools and youth clubs covering various topics relevant to children and young people, designed for tutor time and assemblies.
• Ambitions for Wales Survey An annual survey of children and young people in Wales (reaching nearly 9,000 participants in 2022) to gather their views and experiences on issues affecting their lives.
• The Right Way Framework A children's rights approach framework for working with children covering education, social care, Additional Learning Needs, and tackling poverty, with associated training resources for professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 36,000 children and young people engaged directly across all local authorities in Wales
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scouts CymrucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to create a Rights Challenge Badge helping young people learn about children's rights and the role of the Children's Commissioner. Joint development of age-appropriate activities and resources for Scouts across Wales.
• Girlguiding CymrucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop a Rights Challenge Badge for Girlguides, helping young people learn about children's rights and the role of the Children's Commissioner. Joint creation of activity resources and badge requirements.
• Older People's Commissioner for WalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of an intergenerational resource encouraging schools and groups of older people to establish Intergenerational groups, promoting connection between generations.
• Children's Commissioner for ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project to produce the UNCRC Symbols Resource communicating children's rights using symbols and simplified text, designed for educators and support workers.
• Equality and Human Rights Commission (Wales Committee)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRocio Cifuentes previously served on the Wales Committee; the Commission is a key stakeholder in equality and human rights work affecting children.
• Welsh Refugee CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRocio Cifuentes previously chaired the Welsh Refugee Coalition, working on refugee children's rights issues including Article 22 of the UNCRC.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Older People's Commissioner for Wales: Sister statutory office in Wales covering older people's rights; existing partner on intergenerational work. Operates the same Welsh Government funding model with comparable statutory review powers.
• Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland: Direct peer and existing collaboration partner (joint UNCRC Symbols Resource). Performs the same statutory children's rights role within Scotland's legal framework.
• Children's Commissioner for England: Statutory UK counterpart with an equivalent independent children's rights mandate. Most directly comparable in role, statutory powers, and operating model, though serving a larger and more diverse population.
• Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY): The fourth UK jurisdiction's statutory children's commissioner with a parallel UNCRC-based mandate, advice line, and policy advocacy function.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF UK: Larger NGO championing children's rights in the UK and globally. Operates at greater scale with broader remit, including advocacy aligned to the UNCRC.
• National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC): Major UK children's welfare charity providing helpline services, safeguarding training, and policy advocacy. Comparable in safeguarding focus and advice-service delivery, though as a charity rather than a statutory office.
• Equality and Human Rights Commission (Wales): Larger UK-wide statutory body with overlapping human-rights remit covering protected characteristics including children. Stakeholder in equality and rights work, but with broader scope.

Emerging players

• Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE): NGO coalition monitoring UK government compliance with the UNCRC. Smaller and more advocacy-focused than a statutory commissioner, but operates in an overlapping space.
• Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights): Scottish civil-society alliance promoting children's rights and UNCRC implementation. Smaller-scale civil-society counterpart to a statutory children's commissioner.

Others

• Welsh Government Children and Families Directorate: Principal funder and policy counterpart. Indirect comparator reflecting the broader Welsh public-sector environment in which the Commissioner operates and exerts influence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/commissionerwales
• Facebookfacebook.com/childcomwales
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/children-s-commissioner-for-wales-comisiynydd-plant-cymru
• Xx.com/childcomwales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Children's Commissioner for Wales