Key Points
- The Children’s Commissioner for Wales has set up a new office in Urban HQ, Orchard Street, Swansea City Centre.
- The office will support children and young people who may not understand their rights or how to get help.
- Children, young people, parents and carers can visit or contact by emailing post@childcomwales.org.uk or calling 01792 765600.
- Over 600 children, young people, parents and carers received help from The Commissioner’s Advice and Assistance Service in the last year.
- The Swansea office forms part of a three-year project to increase awareness of the role of the Commissioner and to engage with difficult-to-reach communities.
- Difficult-to-reach communities include children and young people with experience of care, disabled children, minority ethnic communities and children living in poverty.
- Rocio Cifuentes, the Commissioner, said that the opening of the office would bring the organization closer to the children and communities it serves.
- There will be new outreach and engagement posts which will enable the building of relationships across Wales.
- The opening ceremony was performed on Monday evening by Susan A Jones MBE DL, Deputy Lieutenant of West Glamorgan.
Swansea (Wales Times) October 28, 2026 — The Children’s Commissioner for Wales has opened a new city-centre office in uk/local/swansea/">Swansea to help children and young people who do not know their rights or where to turn for support.
The office is located at Urban HQ on Orchard Street and will act as the Commissioner’s hub for work across South West Wales. According to Swansea Bay News, the aim is to make the Commissioner more visible and accessible to children, young people, parents and carers who may not otherwise know how to seek help.
Why has the Commissioner opened a Swansea office?
The new base forms part of a three-year plan by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales to increase awareness of the organisation and build stronger relationships with communities that are often harder to reach. As reported by Kit Peters of Swansea Bay News, the office will focus particularly on care-experienced children, disabled children, children from minority ethnic communities and children growing up in poverty.
The Commissioner’s office said its Advice and Assistance Service helped more than 600 children, young people, parents and carers last year with problems affecting children’s rights and wellbeing. The new Swansea office is intended to make that support easier to find for people in the city and surrounding areas.
What did Rocio Cifuentes say?
Children’s Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes said the organisation could only make a difference if children and young people knew it was there for them. As reported by Swansea Bay News, she said: “We want more children to know who we are, what their rights are, and where they can turn if they need support.”
Ms Cifuentes also said that buildings alone would not achieve the office’s purpose. She told the launch event that new outreach and engagement roles are being created to develop relationships with children, young people and community groups across Wales.
Who opened the new office?
The office was opened on Monday evening by Susan A Jones MBE DL, Deputy Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, at an event attended by local politicians and organisations working with children and young people. Swansea Bay News reported that Ms Jones said the office “will help ensure more children and young people are aware of their rights, the support available to them, and where they can turn when they need help”.
Swansea Council’s cabinet member for children, young people and families, Cllr Alyson Anthony, was among the guests at the opening.
How will the office work across Wales?
The Orchard Street office will be the hub for the Commissioner’s work in South West Wales. The Commissioner’s office has also established a presence in Cardiff Bay, while Mid and North Wales will be reached through outreach work.
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales is independent of the Welsh Government and works to uphold children’s rights by engaging with ministers, public bodies and decision-makers.
What other work has the Commissioner undertaken?
Earlier this year, Ms Cifuentes pressed Hywel Dda University Health Board for a meeting concerning the lack of a full-time nurse at Ysgol Heol Goffa in Llanelli. She also called for reform following a report into the Church in Wales’ handling of former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon Anthony Pierce.
Gwyn Williams, the Plaid Cymru MS for Gŵyr Abertawe, said he was “delighted” by the opening. As reported by Swansea Bay News, he said he looked forward to working with Ms Cifuentes and her team “to promote that work and improve outcomes for children and young people in Swansea and beyond”.
Background of the development
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales is an independent office responsible for promoting and safeguarding the rights and welfare of children and young people in Wales. The new Swansea office reflects a broader effort to make its services more locally visible, particularly for children and families who may not know that independent advice and assistance is available.
The decision to locate the office in Swansea city centre places it within an urban setting intended to improve access. The organisation has said the move is part of a wider three-year strategy, with additional outreach roles planned to connect with children and community organisations beyond the office itself.
Prediction: How could this affect children and families?
For children, young people, parents and carers in Swansea and South West Wales, the office could make it easier to identify where to go when concerns arise about education, care, disability support, discrimination, poverty or wellbeing. The availability of a local contact point may reduce confusion for families who do not know which public body or service to approach.
For local schools, care providers, community groups and public services, the office may create a clearer route for raising children’s-rights concerns and working with the Commissioner’s team. Its impact will depend on how effectively the planned outreach roles reach children who are least likely to seek help on their own, especially those in the priority groups identified by the Commissioner’s office.
