- Charities and organisations who work with children and young people are calling for UK Government Ministers to have a statutory duty to protect children’s rights.
- Coalition argues that England is falling behind other nations in how it considers children’s rights in law and policymaking.
- Ministers are being urged to support amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill put forward by Baroness Lister in Parliament today.
Today, a coalition of charities and organisations working with children and young people in England and across the UK has issued a resounding call to the UK Government to make children’s rights a legal priority.
In a united front, 121 organisations including the Children’s Charities Coalition, UNICEF UK, the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, Just for Kids Law and Save the Children UK, are urging Ministers to adopt a statutory duty through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to uphold and protect the rights of children.
Key rights include access to an adequate standard of living, the right to healthcare, education, safety from violence and abuse, freedom of expression and privacy.
They argue that England is falling behind other nations such as Wales and Scotland in giving meaningful weight to children’s rights and embedding them into law and policymaking.
Longer-term, the coalition is demanding the full incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into UK law to afford children the fullest protection of their rights possible.
The UNCRC is a legally-binding international human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of every child (up to the age of 18), regardless of a child’s background or circumstances.
The organisations believe this landmark move would have the potential to fundamentally transform how children’s rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled across England.
It would also deliver parity across the UK. Currently, children in Wales and Scotland have greater rights protections than children in England, or children impacted by decisions on reserved matters.
Specifically, they have asked Ministers to support two key amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill put forward by Baroness Lister in Parliament today. These would:
1) Require Ministers to consider children’s rights when delivering their functions as they relate to children’s wellbeing, social care or education.
2) Introduce a statutory requirement for Ministers to prepare and publish a child rights impact assessment on any proposed legislation, policy, budgetary decision or other strategic or operational decision relating to children’s wellbeing, social care or education.
Sam Whyte, Associate Head of Policy at the NSPCC, said: “To put children at the heart of our society means delivering the rights and protections they are entitled to. This must be an absolute priority for Government.
“The changes put forward today are simple but powerful. They’d make sure Ministers think about the rights of children every time they make a decision that affects young lives. By publishing impact assessments, they’d have to show clearly how those rights are being considered and how children’s views and best interests have been taken into account.
“England is falling behind. Wales and Scotland have already taken meaningful steps to put children’s rights into law. It’s time England caught up and gave every child the respect and protection they deserve.”
Joanna Rea, Director of Advocacy for The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) said: “Right now, a record 4.5 million children in the UK are growing up in poverty and the government makes choices every day that affect their lives. Yet, unlike decision-makers in Scotland and Wales and other countries, UK Ministers are still not legally bound to consider children’s rights in the decisions they make.
“This Bill is a crucial opportunity to change that. It’s time to stop treating children as an afterthought in policymaking and start putting their rights at the heart of government decisions and action.”
Louise King, Co-Lead at Just for Kids Law, including the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, said: “In recent years, we’ve seen how children’s rights have been overlooked in key Government decisions, from Covid-19 policies to reforms to welfare and asylum, with damaging consequences for children and young people.
“These proposals would help ensure that children’s rights, interests and voices are not overlooked in decision-making - especially those of the most disadvantaged. They are backed by a broad and diverse coalition, from large national charities and professional bodies to grassroots community organisations.
“The depth and breadth of support sends a clear message to the UK Government: now is the time to act to ensure that children’s rights are central to decision-making across Whitehall.”
ENDS.
For further information please contact the NSPCC press office on 020 23772 9722
or email media@nspcc.org.uk