The report, to be published on Monday, will put forward ways of improving accountability between the various agencies involved with children.

The inquiry into Victoria's death headed by Lord Laming blamed a lack of co-ordination and cooperation between social services, healthcare workers and the police for the fact that the abuse she suffered continued despite repeated warnings she was at risk.

Wales already has a commissioner, and Scotland and Northern Ireland are about to appoint children's commissioners.

But will a children's commissioner make a difference? Send us your thoughts.

This debate is now closed. The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

If the commissioner is given enough time, money and above all independence and authority to make changes then it cannot be a bad thing. As I sincerely doubt he or she will get any of these I suspect this is simply yet another example of the government appointing nothing more than a future scapegoat.
David Priddy, UK

People say things like "If it saves one child's life, it's worth it" So shall we ban all cars tomorrow then, seen as more children die from road accidents a year? This is nothing more than an excuse to further the Big Brother state.
Sharon, Wales

It will not help a bit. This is just more gesture politics from a government grabbing at anything to appear more human. The death, torture, ill treatment and abuse of children is always something for society to be ashamed of, but this generation is not different to the hundreds before. All ages within society require an equal amount of concern and respect and I would suggest that the way the current NHS handles the old and vulnerable requires more focus than just pin pointing children. This appointment will add nothing to the quality of our society.
Mike Hall, UK

Give the Commissioner's salary to people at grass roots level to help them make a real difference Vik, England

Surely the new Children's Trusts which are being mooted (and which the local authority I work for is a pilot) are meant to put in place better safeguards and more adequate interfacing (jargon sorry) between departments? Why then a Children's Commissioner on top of this? Give the Commissioner's salary to people at grass roots level to help them make a real difference. Less form filling and more social work - and social workers - would solve a lot of the inadequacies in information sharing.
Vik, England

How will adding a general to the social worker army help them? Social workers are under-staffed, under-trained and under too much pressure already. How about some common sense and letting the money be used where its needed i.e. training and hiring more social workers, instead of creating a face to deny underperformance and create silly rules.
Steve G, UK

One case however severe does not make the system inherently bad. How many lives have been made better indeed saved where the three parties have coordinated correctly. This is obviously not spoken about as its not so news worthy. More bureaucratic nonsense from a government that is losing the plot rapidly day by day.
Ms, London

There is a national shortage of social workers. Those in the field are over worked and under paid. How can they protect children in these circumstances? One more overpaid manger won't help!
Jack, England

This does nothing to deal with the real issue here. A complete lack of trained staff in the field, checking homes and schools.
Darren Williams, U.K.

If this idea saves only one child's life it has to be worth it Ed, UK

If this idea saves only one child's life it has to be worth it. I am ashamed at times to say I am British when I read the negative views put forward by certain people in this debate. What happened to Victoria Climbie was an inhumane disgrace. Let us hope a children's commissioner will be able to keep a watchful eye on our third rate Police "service" and Social Services.
Ed, UK

This really is a sad case. My own eight year old child has been placed in danger by a judge today even though a social worker advised that in his view my child should not return to mum, unfortunately the social workers recommendation was not accepted by the court as the document was faxed to my solicitor and nor direct to the court, although the court tried to contact the social worker involved in the making of the report he was not available and could not be contacted! Due to my former wife having a resident order for the child the judge felt that she had no option but to return the child to mum, so much for a changing system, it's more spin.
Fredrick William White, Telford, United Kingdom

As a social worker of 20 years, I am skeptical. Until we have a national social services system which is not based on local authorities, until we have required and indemnified reporting of child abuse, until we streamline social services management and put our money on the front line, until we and until we stop working to targets that do not reflect real performance, kids will keep right on dying. There are children at risk now who cannot come into care because of targets, funding and a bloated system.
Sansan, UK

No. A commission to keep kids "alive" is not going to help many of them. Many children are not dying of torture, but are not receiving the right amount of care they need. Many parents should not have been parents in the first place. As much as it may sound like a "eugenics" theory, I believe the solution lies in encouraging people not to have babies if they can't take the responsibility!
Zehra, Cypriot living in UK

This is a long overdue measure in England S Maxwell, UK

This is a long overdue measure in England. Children, especially vulnerable children need an independent commissioner to ensure that local and national procedures are child centred and not the usual kind of risk assessment nonsense that protects services instead of children
S Maxwell, UK

A well overdue announcement that I agree has been timed well, but that's the Government for you. For people that disagree, most other countries have a children's rights commissioner, even Scotland, Wales and Ireland have one. Why England is only just going to get one is beyond me. Nevertheless, good news
Scott, UK

Another policy facade. A Commissioner is a cheaper option than paying for quality social workers and should help to divest ministers of political responsibility when things go wrong again in future. The proposed new database for all children should help with bringing in back-door Identity Cards for the whole population, though.
Anon, UK

Has a drug Tzar helped reduce the drug culture in this country? No. Has the Health Tzar helped reduce waiting lists or improve care? No. All this will be is another well paid job for one of Tony's mates. Stop paying these people stupid amounts of money and instead invest it in the areas that need it.
Anon

Children's lives are blighted because they are brought up by parents who don't understand parenting Martin Curtis, England

This is one of the few things the Government has done which I support. My only hope is that the Commissioner is able to use the role to address some of the many children's issues we face. Not least the way thousands of children's lives are blighted because they are brought up by parents who don't understand parenting and their responsibilities as parents - and who develop the same lack of understanding in their own children as they grow up. This is the cycle that is causing the rise in anti-social behaviour amongst children and until it can be broken we cannot expect things to get better.
Martin Curtis, England

The real answer is proper resourcing for social services, so that social workers have the time to tackle child protection properly. There has been a crisis in social work for years because of under-funding, as the unions keep pointing out, to no avail.
Ben Drake, York, UK

Pure window dressing. Most children have never had it so good. Long term social wellbeing will be strangled by a rights and legal issues quagmire. Those that are suffering need support through proper resourcing of social and educational structure. This will never happen, of course, no matter what flavour of political spin. To blame these tragedies on underfunded social workers, police and health, is an insult to those that work in the areas most of us try not to think about.
Graham, UK

More touchy feely nonsense that is not going to solve any problems whatsoever Connor Morrow, UK

More touchy feely nonsense that is not going to solve any problems whatsoever. A publicity stunt that will create a highly paid job for yet another unelected official whose only qualification will be cronyism. And the imposition of yet more bureaucracy with the result that child protection officers spend more time on paperwork than on their real job. If it wasn't so serious it would be laughable.
David Brundle, UK

Am I the only one who sees the appointment of a children's commissioner as the ultimate vote-grabbing-baby-kiss-photo-opportunity?
Connor Morrow, UK

Measures for 'joined up working' between health, education and social services are already in place as a result of the Victoria Climbie Inquiry findings. I cannot see that the appointment of a Children's Commissioner will make any difference. As someone who works with vulnerable children within education, I perceive the problem as one of recruitment and retention within social services. When I attend meetings at which all three services (and others) should be present, social services are often represented by staff who are 'covering' for others, have little experience or have not been adequately briefed about the case under consideration. I feel that the money would be more usefully spent in addressing this issue rather than on a high profile (and probably expensive) individual post.
Anon, London, UK

I think it is a disgrace that we do not already have someone to speak for children. Children are very important, they are our future and they should be treated fairly. The government thinks abused children have been treated unfairly and they realise this is clearly wrong, but the government does not give them a voice, so they are being unfair towards children and their rights also.
Kay

Children have rights and these rights need to be protected and a commissioner will be a way of doing this Laura

This is fantastic announcement and one of which that a number have been campaigning for like myself. Children have rights and these rights need to be protected and a commissioner will be a way of doing this. A commissioner will protect and enforce the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child. Also will make a difference on children and young people being consulted on decisions that affect them, cause at the minute their rights are being violated according to Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a child
Laura,

Victoria Climbie's death was not the first in such circumstances. We have had inquiries and government promises before, but nothing much has changed. What is needed is money in the right places - social services.
Nigel Pond, Brit living in the USA

Maybe if the groups/departments already involved in children's rights actually spoke to one another, they could do their own jobs more successfully. My experiences with most so called professionals involved in other aspects of child care is they don't listen, don't interact with people within their field and a lot just waste energy 'covering their backs. Many employees appear to be overqualified and under trained. A new commissioner will not change that. Unveiling big ideas won't be enough.
Jac, UK

I think this will be great for children to have their own person to speak out for them!
Christopher James, England

Absolutely not. It's a publicity stunt, like most of Labour's policies, and will create another highly paid 'tsar' figure who'll make headlines but achieve nothing. Another job for one of Tony's mates?
James Potts, UK

A commissioner to "improve accountability" is exactly what is NOT needed here David Howe, UK

A commissioner to "improve accountability" is exactly what is NOT needed here. Part of the problem is that so many of our childcare workers spend so much of their time trying to cover their backsides and protect their jobs because the slightest thing means instant dismissal that they aren't able to concentrate on protecting children fully enough. If improved accountability really means that the authorities will be watching every single person's move even closer than before and producing standardised approaches to situations then it is surely destined to compound the current problems. What the agencies need is the freedom to allow their staff to operate without the fear of disciplinary hearings in the back of their minds so they can concentrate on each case as a unique scenario rather than referring to a set of rules defining how they should behave.
David Howe, UK

I do not think having a children's commissioner will make any difference. People in the childcare industry in this country are so busy trying not to offend anyone, and to be seen to be totally accepting of everyone is individual beliefs that they miss seeing what is really going on.
Laura Hussey, UK

It may only be a short step but, instead of criticising and pointing out possible problems, shouldn't we welcoming and supporting any step towards better care and safety for our children?
Richard Hawley, UK

It would be a huge waste of money and effort to pay someone who did no good at all Angela, UK

A children's commissioner COULD make a difference so long as the person appointed wasn't just another politician, but someone who had a background in social work as well, someone who cares more about the children and less about money. Ask the majority of politicians and I bet they wouldn't be able to tell you a thing about children living below the poverty line, children who are full time carers for disabled relatives or abused children. It would be a huge waste of money and effort to pay someone who did no good at all.
Angela, UK

It seems like a good idea, but I fear it will end up as yet another layer of bureaucracy and never be truly independent from government interference and spin.
Emma Keep, UK

I'm so glad that a commissioner will finally be set up by the government. It will make a difference by ensuring a truly child-centred approach to all aspects of children's lives - not a professional or parental focus which all too often doesn't take account of the child's wishes, views or feelings.
The commissioner will be most affective if he or she is really receptive to the people that he or she will be serving - the 11.4million children in England.
Steven Allen, UK

Without the necessary resources this is only a gesture Kathy Sadler, UK

A commissioner can provide clear leadership and strategy, and can go back to government with a list of what is needed, but funding and unequivocal political support are essential for the commissioner to deliver real improvements on the ground.
Without the necessary resources this is only a gesture.
Kathy Sadler, UK

I do not believe that the social services need a change at the top. Especially not a headline-grabbing highly-paid "abuse-czar". I'd say a radical overhaul of the entire structure to pave way for better procedures to protect children and also to better protect the family unit from erroneous intervention.
TB, UK

I hope it helps. I fear the position will be used as another distancing scapegoat following the next tragic case of child victimisation? Why on earth is some elected minister not accountable or responsible for this area as part of their portfolio?
Simon, UK

Victoria's death was a tragedy that should not have happened. But the solution is not to add more layers to an already rotting onion.
Jason, UK

Miss Climbie's own social workers did not help, how can a commissioner make a difference to all children across the UK?
David Hilton, Hudds, UK

I am not sure if we need a commissioner, but we do need to make sure that all the different services work together in an organised way
Alan , United Kingdom

Only if the commissioners terms of reference are to tackle the problem at grass roots level - and are given the funds to do so. All too often these gestures end in more mountains of bureaucracy, process revues and therein a misdirection of funds already overstretched.
IanC, UK

The commissioner for children will only help if he or she is backed up with the appropriate number and quality of staff. Social workers are overworked, the police are juggling a million and one priorities and teachers spend more time on paperwork than they do teaching. How will one more manager help when the whole structure of child support agencies is so undermined?
Megan, UK