. Children and young people should be reassured that their advocates will act for them without conflicts of interest. This should be promoted in the literature made available to children and young people and by those responsible for the delivery of the advocacy service. WHAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE? 4.7 The advocacy service or children’s rights service must not be line managed by any senior manager directly responsible for the service provided. Local authorities should ensure that they have systems in place to ensure that both the management and delivery of services is quite separate. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST FOR ADVOCACY SERVICES 4.8 When advocacy services are provided by independent voluntary organisations who also provide other services to the local authority either directly relating to complaints handling or the provision of other services, the local authority should ensure that conflicts of interest are avoided in the provision of these services. For example, advocacy providers which also offer direct services or independent services in the consideration of complaints should have systems in place to ensure that both the management and delivery of those services is quite separate. Commissioning officers should identify all potential conflicts of interest prior to agreeing contracts for external advocacy providers and use this information to identify the most appropriate provider. 22 TABLE 2: INDEPENDENT ADVOCACY SERVICES – CASE STUDIES Tower Hamlets Since the start of the Quality Protects programme, Tower Hamlets has used special grant funding to fund an independent children’s rights service for looked after children and care leavers. The service is provided via a service level agreement by the NSPCC. Individual advocacy is provided by the children’s rights officer who may 