MIKE Buckingham meets Peter Clarke, Children's Commissioner for Wales, and questions the value of his role.

'Army brat' Peter Clarke (pictured) understands at first-hand some of the trials and tribulations that children can face.

"My own father was in the Army which meant being dragged about places where the British Army was stationed beginning with Austria, Germany and Aldershot.

"I think that explains a lot," says the the Children's Commissioner for Wales, Peter Clarke, who was appointed last St David's Day with a brief to represent the interests of children and young people in the principality whenever those interests appear to be threatened.

His own career has taken him along a path almost exactly opposed to that of the military. Steeped in the ethos of what have become known as the 'caring' professions he has been director of ChildLine Cymru and director of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship and is a qualified social worker.

He worked at a remand centre in London and with Lambeth Social Services at the time of the Brixton riots, a period co-inciding with the reign of the 'Loony Left' on Lambeth council.

About this time he says rather guardedly "I kept myself out of that and got on with the business of trying to make sure small-scale community projects, especially those aimed at those from minority backgrounds, were given the funding and development support." So how does he see the Children's Commissioner's job?

"The biggest single element of the job is earning my right to call myself the champion of the children of Wales," he replies.

"I am acutely aware you don't just foist yourself on people. You have to earn your respect. I will have 20 staff with an office in Swansea and another in Colwyn Bay with one-third of the staff in North Wales.

"I am an independent champion of the children and whilst my annual report is to the National Assembly and the Assembly has to agree my budget each year it is not reporting in the sense that the Assembly manages my work.

"I was appointed by the Assembly and can be removed under three sets of circumstances which are if I resign, if my health gets too bad or if I am guilty of any serious misbehaviour."

But is the sort of expenditure that a commissioner, 20 staff and two offices will entail justified in a country which contains the poorest parts of not only Britain but Europe? "Most certainly. I believed that before I got the job and I have been re-inforced in that belief."

Children and young people, he believes, should be represented right from the highest levels of public debate down to day-to-day matters of public policy.

In fact he was in Newport to ensure that in the hot potato of the Glebelands debate, where it is planned to build a school against the wishes of many local people, the interests of what would be the pupils are voiced.

"As children and young people are 25 per cent of the population they represent a great creative resource.

"If we learn to listen and involve them more we will actually get better services for them and ultimately get better citizens."

Quite a lot of people feel that the needs and interests of children are already catered for, perhaps to excess. Peter Clarke does not brush the observation aside. That's not his style. In an even, modulated voice that years ago lost all traces of his native Llandudno he calmly presses his point.

"Some people, on the other hand, feel it is too small a resource. That certainly isn't my view and I haven't experienced the criticism but it is not the case that other services are over-resourced.

"It is my belief and fortunately it also the belief of the National Assembly that the more we involve young people in actually having some say in the services provided for them the better those services will be.

"I strongly disagree with the view that there are too many resources or that they are used ineffectively. I don't think either of those things are true." Obviously, Peter Clarke isn't going to agree that the title 'Children's Commissioner' grabs headlines but doesn't stand up to questions about what the job is actually meant to achieve.

Whatever it turns out to be, however, there is little doubt that Peter Clarke will do it will skill, tact and patience.