Committee on Children and Young People

The Committee on Children and Young People is a current joint standing committee, established 11 April 2000, re-established 22 June 2011.

The primary responsibility of the Committee on Children and Young People is to monitor and review the work of the Commission for Children and Young People and report its findings and recommendations to Parliament. In particular, the Committee is required to examine and report on annual and other reports of the Commission for Children and Young People. However, the Committee has a broader responsibility to examine trends and changes in services and issues affecting children and young people, and to make recommendations as to the need for changes to the functions and procedures of the Commission for Children and Young People.

The terms of reference for the Committee are set out in Part 6 of the Commission for Children and Young People Act 1998, sections 27-30 and Schedule 1.

Extract from the Commission for Children and Young People Act 1998:
s.28 (1) The Parliamentary Joint Committee has the following functions under this Act:
(a) to monitor and review the exercise by the Commission of its functions;
(b) to report to both Houses of Parliament, with such comments as it thinks fit, on any matter appertaining to the Commission or connected with the exercise of its functions to which, in the opinion of the Joint Committee, the attention of Parliament should be directed;
(c) to examine each annual or other report of the Commission and report to both Houses of Parliament on any matter appearing in, or arising out of, any such report;
(d) to examine trends and changes in services and issues affecting children, and report to both Houses of Parliament any changes that the Joint Committee thinks desirable to the functions and procedures of the Commission;
(e) to inquire into any question in connection with the Committee's functions which is referred to it by both Houses of Parliament, and report to both Houses on that question.

It is important to note that the Committee on Children and Young People cannot investigate a matter relating to particular conduct (s.28 (2)).

Ms Megan Mitchell is the Commissioner for Children and Young People.

The Commission is located at:
Level 2, 407 Elizabeth Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010.
Telephone: (02) 9286 7276
Fax: (02) 9286 7267

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