Following the publication of the Government’s response to the Covid‑19 Inquiry Module 2 report, we are deeply disappointed at the decision not to accept the Inquiry’s recommendation to place Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIAs) on a statutory footing in England.
As a core participant to Module 2, alongside Save the Children UK, we have consistently highlighted the severe and lasting harm experienced by children during the pandemic—harm that was compounded because children’s rights and needs were overlooked in key decision‑making moments. The Chair’s recommendation to legislate for statutory CRIAs was a vital acknowledgment of these failures and a clear roadmap for preventing them in the future.
Louise King, Co‑Lead at Just for Kids Law, including the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, said:
“The Covid‑19 Inquiry has so far powerfully recognised the profound and avoidable harm caused to children during the pandemic. The Inquiry's Module 2 report concluded that decision‑makers did not adequately understand or assess the impact of their actions on children, and that communication with children throughout the crisis was inadequate.
We are therefore extremely disappointed that the Government has chosen not to accept the recommendation to introduce statutory Child Rights Impact Assessments, particularly as this is the one recommendation focused specifically on children. This is a missed opportunity to ensure crucial lessons from the pandemic are acted on and embed a culture of child‑centred decision‑making across government.
CRIAs are not a burden or bureaucratic exercise—they are a vital tool that ensures that a child rights lens is applied to decision-making at an early stage and are widely supported across the children’s sector and beyond. By systematically assessing how policies may help or harm children, CRIAs enable government to identify, avoid or mitigate adverse impacts.
Ultimately, we want to see the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child fully and directly incorporated into UK law. Implementing statutory CRIAs would be a straightforward and crucial first step towards that goal.”
You can read more about children in the Covid Inquiry Module 2 report in our briefing.