ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on what an independent children's rights institution (ICRI) is and the different types of ICRIs and examines their objectives, their formal powers, their independence, and the resources they use to reach their objectives. It contrasts seven offices: three commissioners Malta, Wales and the ICRI of the Australian state of Tasmania; three ombudspersons Norway, Belgium and the ombudsperson of the US state of Rhode Island; and the Danish Council of Children's Rights, whose distinct arrangement sharply contrasts with the other six ICRIs. The chapter examines with the exception of Rhode Island, an ICRI endowed with limited powers, the ICRIs tend to have fewer powers to shape the situations in which young people live. The chapter provides from interviews conducted with ICRIs during European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) annual meetings, and from research on the four UK ICRIs, including interviews with those ICRIs, their staff, NGO representatives and government officials.
