National Good Food Nation Plan: Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment

Conclusion

7. As a result of the evidence gathered and analysed against all UNCRC requirements, what is the potential overall impact of this proposal on children’s rights?

As discussed above, it is difficult to determine at this stage what the potential impacts of the first national Good Food Nation Plan will be on children’s rights. Food touches on and is interlinked to many different policy areas, and so securing the achievement of the Outcomes will require a joined up and coherent approach when developing policy and carrying out government work. This in turn will contribute either directly or indirectly to a wide range of polices that would likely have a positive impact on children’s rights.

8. If you have identified a positive impact on children’s rights, please describe below how the proposal will protect, respect, and fulfil children’s rights in Scotland.

As discussed above, the setting out of the ambitious Outcomes that ministers want to achieve in relation to food policy will provide the framework for achieving a more joined up and coherent approach to food policy. This means that e.g. policies that relate to children that touch on food will not be developed in isolation but rather will have considered whether there is potential to use a variety of levers to create a policy with wider impact. The intention is that this food systems approach will improve a broad range of policies and, where these relate to children, will help to protect, respect and fulfil a number of children’s rights.

9. If a negative impact has been identified please describe it below. Is there a risk this could potentially amount to an incompatibility?

N/A

10. As a result of the evidence gathered and analysed against all wellbeing indicators, will the proposal contribute to the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland? (Guidance Section 2.3.2, pages 20-22).

Safe: Yes

Healthy: Yes

Achieving: Yes

Nurtured: Yes

Active: Not Applicable

Respected: Not Applicable

Responsible: Not Applicable

Included: Yes

If yes, please provide an explanation below:

The contribution of a more joined up development of food policy will contribute to the wellbeing indicators marked above by e.g. supporting the provision of food that is safe to eat and ensuring that children and young people have access to a healthy diet that will support their development. Being educated about food will support key skills needed for adulthood and embed an enjoyment of food from an early age. The chosen indicators also reflect the importance of food within and outwith family settings, particularly where there may be cultural preferences in relation to food.

11. How will you communicate to children and young people the impact that the proposal will have on their rights?

The Act requires that when publishing the Plan and any related documentation the Scottish Ministers must have regard to the importance of communicating in an inclusive way.

The Act also stipulates that any revised version of the national Good Food Nation Plan should be subject to public consultation, and that when carrying out this consultation we must have regard to the importance of communicating in a way that is effective in engaging children and young people. Therefore, there will be continuing engagement with children and young people where there are future iterations of the Plan. If in the future it becomes possible to determine a direct or indirect impact that the Plan has had on children’s rights then this will be communicated by the most appropriate means which could include e.g. consultation workshops or engagement directed at children and young people.

The consultation analysis was sent to the same educator's network that distributed the Session Plan for the children and young people. The intention was that the children and young people could see how their comments were taken into account. However, owing to safeguarding measures we could not directly contact the children but were reliant on the teachers who took part in the original exercise having capacity to review the consultation analysis and discuss with the children. The Plan will be accompanied when laid in Parliament by a statement which outlines what consultation was undertaken and how it has been taken into account. This statement will include reference to the consultation with children and young people.