Charity chief is new commissioner for children in the North

The man who has been spearheading the fight to protect children from Internet abuse was today appointed the first Commissioner for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland.

Nigel Williams, who is currently chief executive of the charity Childnet International, will take up his £75,000-a-year (€108,000) post at the beginning of October.

The “Children’s Champion” was selected by youngsters themselves from 39 applicants from the UK and Ireland, the United States, Serbia and New Zealand - the first time young people have been involved in a public appointment in Northern Ireland.

Announcing the appointment at a primary school in east Belfast, Northern Ireland Minister Angela Smith said: “This is an historic day for the children and young people of Northern Ireland.

“They now have a champion to speak for them, someone to ensure that their rights are safeguarded and respected.”

She said the Commissioner had the widest powers of any Commissioner for Children in the world.

“We can take pride in the fact that Northern Ireland can now be held up as a model for best practice and a world-leader in this important area,” she added.

Mr Williams said he was honoured to have been selected. “I am under no illusion about the extent of the task I have taken on,” he said.

“It will be a challenging role, with the potential to have a positive impact on the lives of children and young people throughout Northern Ireland.” he added.

He said while he intended to bring his specialist experience to bear on the tasks ahead, his priority was to listen to children and young people themselves to learn more about what needed to be done.

“As Commissioner for Children and Young People, I am determined to be a strong, influential and independent voice for children, to represent their interests, protect their rights and challenge all those working with and for children to do better,” he pledged.

The office of the Commissioner will be set up over the next nine months and its staff will include experts in children’s legal rights, in research, marketing and education.

The announcement of the appointment was attended by nine members of the Children and Young People’s Unit’s Young People’s Advisory Forum who took part in the rigorous selection process.

One of them, Michael Leathem, 16, from Belfast said: “This is the first time young people have been involved in a public appointment in Northern Ireland and it wasn’t just a token gesture – we had a real say in the decision-making process.

“We hope that other organisations will follow suit and involve young people more in all aspects of decision making.”

Fellow panel member Amelia Deehan, 15, from Magherafelt, said they were delighted with their selection. “He really impressed us with his enthusiasm and in particular his knowledge and ideas on the many issues that affect young people.

“We wish him well in his important work.”

Mr Williams, who is married with four children, comes originally from Limavady, Co Derry, but has been London-based since the early 1980s.

He has held positions in a number of charity and children’s organisations and was appointed by Britain's Home Secretary in 2001 to the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet.

From 1994-98 he was a Liberal Democrat member of Southwark Council in south London – but is resigning from the party to emphasise his independence in his new role.

The SDLP welcomed the appointment of Mr Williams, party leader Mark Durkan saying it was an “important day” for all children and young people in the North.

The fact that there was now a Commissioner was entirely down to there having been a devolved government where local politicians were aware of local needs, he said.

The party spokesperson on children’s issues, Patricia Lewsley, said she hoped the office would play an important role in promoting an inclusive and rights-based approach for the third of the population in Northern Ireland under the age of 18.

“In particular we hope to see a greater awareness of, and adherence to, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by government and statutory bodies.”