To ask Her Majesty's Government when the term of office for the current Children's Commissioner for England is due to end; and whether they anticipate an extension to that term.
Answered on
1 June 2020
The Children Act 2004 states that the Children’s Commissioner is to be appointed by the Secretary of State for Education. The Children’s Commissioner post is a Significant Public Appointment and therefore follows the process and requirements set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Officials in the Department for Education have already started planning for the recruitment of the next Children’s Commissioner. We will be monitoring closely the current situation with the COVID-19 outbreak to see when would be most appropriate to launch the campaign.
The current Children’s Commissioner’s term in office will conclude at the end of February 2021. The Children’s Commissioner maximum term in office is six years as set out in primary legislation – the Children Act 2004, as amended by the Children and Families Act. An extension to the term of the Children’s Commissioner is not permitted under the current legislation.