Heat networks target 2035 consultation: child rights and wellbeing screening

4. Which groups of children and young people will be affected?

Under the UNCRC, ‘children’ can refer to: individual children, groups of children, or children in general. Some groups of children will relate to the groups with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010: disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. ‘Groups’ can also refer to children by age band or setting, or those who are eligible for special protection or assistance: e.g. preschool children, children in hospital, children in rural areas, looked after children, young people who offend, victims of abuse or exploitation, child migrants, or children living in poverty.

As outlined above, the CRWIA conducted for the HBS found that certain groups of children and young people were more likely to be affected by the transition to low and zero carbon heating. The groups found to be impacted by the HBS as a whole were:

• Children with enhanced heating needs such as those with a disability or illness or babies and very young children.
• Children in families of the six child poverty priority family types most at risk of poverty.
• Children in families in or at risk of fuel poverty.
• Children living in care.