Mr Clarke admits he is "a little daunted" by the task ahead

The bill which will set the framework for the post and define the commissioner's role, begins its committee stage in Parliament on Tuesday.

But Peter Newell, chair of the Children's Rights Alliance for England, has said the legislation does not go "far enough".

In an article published in a Welsh national newspaper, he said the legislation did not go far enough to tackle the "adult-caused suffering of so many Welsh children".

Mr Newell voiced his concern that the incoming commissioner would be limited by a specific restriction on inquiring into and reporting on decisions of courts and tribunals.

Enthusiastic

This effectively meant that the commissioner would have less powers than a journalist or "man in the street".

Mr Newell - the author of Taking Children Seriously - said he was enthusiastic about the assembly's vision for the post.

But he described the government's response to the administration's initiative as "sympathetic fudge", and branded it a trimmed-down version of the original vision of a far-reaching children's guardian.

He said the resultant post was "less a watchdog, more a muzzled poodle."

Political coup

The role of children's commissioner for Wales is the first of its kind in the UK and was hailed at the time as a political coup for the assembly.

In a statement to the Assembly at the time, First Minister Rhodri Morgan said the appointment was a milestone.