Rocío Cifuentes
Rocio Cifuentes is a Welsh social worker and academic, serving as the Children's Commissioner for Wales since 2022. Born to political dissidents in Chile under the dictatorship of Pinochet, Cifuentes spent her childhood years as a refugee in Swansea. After studying at Cambridge and Swansea universities, she worked in social work, charity and academia. In 2022, she was appointed as Children's Commissioner for Wales by Mark Drakeford.
Early life and education
Rocio Cifuentes was born in Chile during the military dictatorship of General Pinochet. Her parents had been student activists attempting to help the poor under a previous left-wing government. Her father later wrote that he was imprisoned and tortured by the regime. In 1977, when Cifuentes was 13 months old, the family fled to the UK fearing for their safety and settled in Swansea. She has said about her childhood that "There was at the time a larger Chilean community in Swansea where I grew up, so it was around me and it certainly shaped my values and who I am."Cifuentes studied Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University and later obtained a Master's degree in Social research from Swansea University.