IMPORTANT: If you are calling in an emergency, or a child, young person or anyone else is in immediate danger, you should call 999
About our Advice service
Our Children’s Rights Advice and Assistance Team offer a free and confidential helpline which is there to advise and assist children and young people or those who care for them if they feel that a child has been treated unfairly.
Contact details
It is FREE to contact us.
Phone: 01792 765600
Freephone: 0808 801 1000
The advice team are available Monday to Friday from 10am – 4pm
Who we can help
We can provide help or advice related to a child or young person up to the age of 18, or 21 if they are care-experienced, or up to 25 if they are care-experienced and are still in education.
Some of the issues we can help with
While we try to help you with any issues affecting children and young people, areas we often help with include:
- Educational entitlements
- Social services
- Health access
- Complaints
What we can’t help with
- Intervene with any legal proceedings, including court cases and decisions made by CAFCASS Cymru
- Intervene with police matters
- Offer an emergency service
- Offer a counselling service ourselves
- Become involved with other non-devolved matters
Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is the term used when a worker passes on information concerning wrongdoing. The wrongdoing will typically (although not necessarily) be something they have witnessed at work.
If you are concerned about suspected wrongdoing, danger or risk in your workplace (or your previous workplace) which affect the rights and interest of the children in Wales, you can make a disclosure to us. You do not have to tell your employer before contacting us.
To be covered by whistleblowing law, the disclosure must be a ‘qualifying disclosure’. This is any disclosure of information which, in the reasonable belief of the worker making the disclosure, is made in the public interest.
The Prescribed Persons Order 2014 sets out a list of over 60 organisations and individuals that a worker may approach outside their workplace to report suspected or known wrongdoing. The Children’s Commissioner for Wales is one of those organisations listed.
Read our full whistleblowing guide
Confidentiality
We make sure we keep the information you share with us confidential, unless we think what we are being told suggests that a child or young person is at risk of harm– we then share the information with other organisations that can help protect the child.
Our legal powers
If you want to learn more about our legal powers, you can find the information here.
Some key legislation
- Soical Services and Well-Being Act and Codes of Practice
- Rights Measure (2011) and Family Measure (2010)
- Additional Learning Needs Code
- Learner Travel
Complain about us
If you want to make a complaint about us, go to our complaints page.