More than 70 organisations have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging his government to make children's rights central to its vision for a more preventative state.
The joint letter, led by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (part of Just for Kids Law), congratulates the Prime Minister on his appointment and calls on the new Government to seize the opportunity to renew its commitment to children's rights. The 70+ signatories are wide-ranging, and include UNICEF UK, the National Children’s Bureau, the Alliance for Youth Justice, Save the Children UK, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights), and New Horizon Youth Centre.
The letter argues that fully incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into UK law would help ensure children's rights are considered across Government decision-making, improve outcomes for children and young people, and support the Government's ambition to build a more preventative state.
As an important first step, the coalition is calling on the Government to accept the recommendation of the Covid Inquiry's Module 2 report to place Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIAs) on a statutory footing. Mandatory CRIAs would ensure a child rights lens is applied to decision-making across government at an early stage, helping to identify, avoid and mitigate policies that risk harming children. It would provide an important platform to directly consider children’s views and improve the participation of children and young people in policymaking. The Covid Inquiry found that children were too often overlooked during the pandemic and concluded that stronger mechanisms are needed to ensure children's rights are properly considered, not only during national emergencies, but also in everyday policymaking.
While welcoming the previous Government's commitment to improving awareness and use of CRIAs, the coalition notes that voluntary assessments have resulted in inconsistent practice across Government. The organisations argue that placing CRIAs on a statutory footing is essential if children's rights and voices are to be meaningfully embedded in decision-making.
The coalition is also calling on the Government to set out a clear roadmap towards full incorporation of the UNCRC into UK law as part of its forthcoming 10-year plan for Britain.
The range of organisations supporting the letter demonstrates widespread support for strengthening children's rights and ensuring they are at the heart of Government policy.
The coalition looks forward to engaging with the Prime Minister and ministers to discuss how Government can build a more preventative state by taking a rights-based approach to policymaking and ensuring every child has a good childhood and the opportunity to thrive.