Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) for the National Care Service Charter of Rights

5. What changes (if any) have been made to the proposal as a result of this assessment?

The evidence gathered told us that some changes should be made to the Charter to enhance engagement and understanding of rights for children and young people. As a result the following changes have been implemented.

Level of detail and child-friendly content

There is a specific section within the Charter titled “Children’s Rights” which provides bespoke information for children and young people including a brief overview of UNCRC rights and links to accessible, child-friendly information about these rights on the Young Scot website. We have also made it clear that children have some additional rights afforded to them and the links provide further information on this. This approach ensures they receive information in formats that are understandable, relevant and meet their information needs, helping to raise awareness of rights and enabling them to engage more confidently with services.

Length of the charter and accessible versions

Children and young people who reviewed the Charter told us that it should be short, simple and accessible. To support this, the Charter is written in Plain English. A summary version of the Charter has been developed which gives an overview of the Charter content, allowing children and young people, as well as others, to choose the level of information they wish to receive. Other alternative versions of the Charter are also available to suit a range of needs including an Easy Read version, translations and British Sign Language (BSL) video with audio.

Inclusive use of children and young people in the design and language of the Charter

To make it explicit that the Charter is for everyone, including children and young people, we have included images of children and young people throughout. We have also ensured that throughout the Charter, we make it clear that the rights within it relate to anybody accessing, or waiting to access care or anyone with an interest in the wellbeing of someone accessing support, including young carers.

Expectations aligned with what children and young people have told us is important to them

During engagement with children and young people, young carers told us that the following rights were important to them;

• the right to have a voice and be listened to
• the right to choose
• the right to freedom
• the right to have a break from caring

Within the ‘Children’s Rights’ section, we have outlined how children and young people should expect to be treated and how their rights should be respected, protected and fulfilled. By setting out these expectations, the Charter recognises the rights of children and young people and reflects what matters most to them. It also explains where they can find further information on what they can do if they think these are not met or if they feel they are being treated unfairly.