Patricia Lewsley facts for kids

Patricia Lewsley-Mooney (born on March 3, 1957) is a former politician from Northern Ireland. She is best known for her work protecting the rights of children and young people.

From 2007 to 2014, she served as the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. Before that, she was a politician in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).

Early Life and Career

Patricia Lewsley was born in Belfast. After studying at the University of Ulster, she worked as a cook and an advice worker, helping people with their problems. She is married and has five children and six grandchildren.

Political Journey

Lewsley's career in politics was focused on helping others. She was a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), a political party in Northern Ireland.

Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly

In 1998, Lewsley was elected as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for the Lagan Valley area. An MLA is like a representative who helps make laws for their region. She was re-elected in 2003.

As an MLA, she led several groups that worked on important issues. These groups focused on:

• Children and Young People
• People with Disabilities
• People with Diabetes
• Fighting Poverty
• Helping Ethnic minorities

One of her most important goals was to improve child protection laws in Northern Ireland. She wanted to make sure children were safe by creating official committees to protect them.

Working in Local Government

In 2001, Lewsley was also elected to the Lisburn City Council. This meant she worked on issues in her local community. She helped start a service called Shopmobility in Belfast, which helps people with mobility problems get around town. She also pushed for the hiring of a Disability and Equal Opportunity Officer to make sure everyone was treated fairly.

Champion for Children's Rights

In 2006, Lewsley left the Assembly to take on a new role. In January 2007, she became the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People.

As Commissioner, her job was to make sure the government and other organizations listened to children and protected their rights. She held this important position for eight years, until 2015.

In 2015, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This is a special honor given to people who have made a big impact. She received it for her amazing work helping children in Northern Ireland.

External links

• Northern Ireland Assembly – Biographies – Patricia Lewsley
• http://www.niccy.org