The Children Act 2004 was given Royal assent. It contained a broad range of measures aimed at promoting the interests of children and young people. It provided for the establishment of a Children's Commissioner for England, charged with 'promoting awareness of the views and interests of children'.
Source: Children Act 2004, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 2 November 2004 (Third reading), columns 173-281, TSO
Links: Text of Act | Explanatory notes | Hansard
Date: 2004-Nov
A report highlighted the gaps, problems and difficulties in the protection, promotion and implementation of the rights of children in Northern Ireland.
Source: Ursula Kilkelly et al., Children s Rights in Northern Ireland 2004, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (028 9031 1616)
Links: Report (pdf links) | NICCY press release
Date: 2004-Nov
The Northern Ireland Executive began consultation on a draft ten-year strategy to promote the rights of children and young people. It dealt with issues such as protection, education, the environment, bullying, play facilities, and transport. It also sought to increase the participation of children and young people in decisions that will affected their everyday lives, such as road safety initiatives, and schemes to improve the lives of children and young people in rural areas.
Source: Making it r wrld 2 (sic.), Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 8429)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | NIE press release
Date: 2004-Nov
A discussion paper explored ways of promoting the participation of children and young people in policy and service development in Wales.
Source: Children and Young People s Participation: Working towards a definition, Participation Consortium c/o Save the Children (029 2039 6838)
Links: Discussion paper (pdf) | Discussion paper (Welsh) (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
A report attacked the 'active refusal' of the government to embrace human rights and equality for children and young people in England.
Source: State of Children's Rights in England 2004, Children's Rights Alliance for England (020 7278 8222)
Links: CRAE press release | Children Now report | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
The Children's Commissioner for Wales published his annual report for 2003-04, focusing on the development of an advice and assistance service to children and young people. He said that he intended to carry out a comprehensive and detailed study with children and young people on bullying.
Source: Annual Report 03-04, Children's Commissioner for Wales (01792 765600)
Links: Report (pdf) | CCW press release
Date: 2004-Nov
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the powers of the Children's Commissioner in Wales. It refused calls to extend the powers of the Commissioner to include all issues concerning child welfare.
Source: The Powers of the Children's Commissioner for Wales: The Government Response to the Committee's Fifth Report of Session 2003-04, Fourth Special Report (Session 2003-04), HC 1126, House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2004-Oct
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that, with some relatively minor reservations, the Children Bill provided a statutory basis for a genuinely independent, rights-based, strategically-focused commissioner for children and young people in England. But it also said that the continuing availability of the defence of 'reasonable chastisement' was incompatible with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other international agreements.
Source: Children Bill, Nineteenth Report (Session 2003-04), HL 161 and HC 537, Joint Committee on Human Rights (House of Lords and House of Commons), TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Sep
A report by a committee of MPs strongly recommended that the government confer on the Children's Commissioner for Wales powers that covered all aspects of a child's life in Wales.
Source: The Powers of the Children's Commissioner for Wales, Fifth Report (Session 2003-04), HC 538, House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2004-Jul
The government published a Children Bill (following consultation), designed to reform children s services in order to maximise opportunity and minimise risk for children and young people. There would be a new duty on agencies to co-operate among themselves and with other local partners. Local authorities, primary care trusts and other agencies would be encouraged to pool budgets into children's trusts, share information better, and promote joint working between health, education, and social care professionals. There would be an integrated inspection framework to assess how well services worked together to improve outcomes for children; and new powers for the government to intervene in children s social services where an area was falling below minimum standards. The Bill would also create a Children s Commissioner for England, to be a voice for all children and young people, especially those who were most vulnerable: but children's rights campaigners - and the existing Commissioners for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - criticised the Commissioner's limited role.
Source: Children Bill [HL], Department for Education and Skills, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Every Child Matters: Next Steps, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260) | Press release 4 March 2004, Children's Rights Alliance for England (020 7278 8222) | Press releases 5 and 25 March 2004, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (028 9031 1616)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Next Steps (pdf) | DfES press release | CRAE press release (pdf) | NICCY press release (1) | NICCY press release (2) | Childline press release | NCH press release | GSCC press release | ADSS press release | Green Paper (pdf) | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
The government responded to a report by a joint committee of MPs and peers calling for the creation of a children's commissioner for England. It referred to its announcement in September 2003 that such a commissioner would be created.
Source: The Government's Response to the Committee's Ninth Report of Session 2002-03 on the Case for Children's Commissioner for England, Second Report (Session 2003-04), HL 13 and HC 135, Joint Committee on Human Rights (House of Lords and House of Commons), TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2004-Jan