The killings of Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman underline the need for a children's commissioner in England, Labour MP Shaun Woodward has said.

Mr Woodward, who is a trustee of the Childline charity, said such tragedies produced a string of media ideas to prevent such abductions.

The events of the last few weeks, these terrible tragic events, once again highlight this need

Shaun Woodward

What was needed was an independent figure outside politics who had the expertise to assess such proposals, the MP told the ePolitix.com politics website.

The former TV producer is a member of Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights, which is looking at whether such a commissioner is needed.

Mr Woodward said the idea of a commissioner was backed by all children's charities.

Newspaper campaigns

The commissioner needed to be well resourced, properly budgeted and have the power to launch investigations.

"We need one, we need one now," he said. "I really think the events of the last few weeks, these terrible tragic events, once again highlight this need."

The Soham killings have seen renewed calls for tougher laws against paedophiles.

Esther Rantzen has also pushed for a children's commissioner

In the wake of the murder of schoolgirl Sarah Payne, some tabloid newspapers campaigned records of where convicted paedophiles lived to be available to the public.

Mr Woodward said: "The appallingly tragic circumstances which have surrounded the deaths of Holly and Jessica recently have once again demonstrated how the media come forward with lots of proposals of what we should do now.

"But there isn't an independent figure who, as it were, marshals all of that...

"A lot of people in this country feel very strongly that something must be done.

"But we need someone who... can stand back, who has the experience and expertise, and the ability to call on evidence who can actually say 'yes, this is appropriate'."

Non-political role

In other cases, the commissioner might suggest better ways of implementing such ideas, he said.

Mr Woodward argued that an independent commissioner would be "very different from a minister for children".

Too often, children are failed by the very people that are supposed to protect them

NSPCC spokesman

"Children's issues may become part of a political agenda but they need to be independent from politics as well...

"There may be times on children's issues when it's necessary to say things that government wouldn't agree with but they need to be said and policies need to be created to meet those needs."

Separate body?

Wales now has a commissioner for children and the Scottish Parliament has moved to establish one.

Mr Woodward said the government policy was to see how the idea worked in Wales - an approach he branded "nonsense".

"Delaying that is a mistake, and the government should act."

The human rights committee is looking at whether there should be a separate children's commission, as there already is for race, gender and disability discrimination issues.

Alternatively, the children brief could be covered as part of a new over-arching human rights commission.

Children's champion

Esther Rantzen, who worked alongside Mr Woodward on That's Life, has been one of the children's campaigners pressing for a separate new commissioner.

On Thursday, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said a commissioner would be able to hold everybody to account over what they did, or did not, do for children.

An NSPCC spokesman told BBC News Online: "There has never been a greater need for a children's commissioner to be the champion and watchdog for 11m children in England...

"Too often, children are failed by the very people, institutions and systems that are supposed to protect them and to promote their welfare."