UNCRC Implementation Embedding in Public Services: terms of reference

Purpose

The purpose of the working group is to support the Embedding Children’s Rights in Public Services Team (ECRPS) within the Children’s Rights Unit with their work to assist public authorities and those involved with public service delivery to implement the UNCRC Act and take a children’s human rights approach.

The Group will provide intelligence and insights to the ECRPS Team on public authorities’ experiences of implementation, including identifying where there are gaps in capabilities that may need to be addressed through additional support and/or resources. (‘Public authorities’ in these Terms or Reference refers to the definition provided in section 3.2.1 of the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 - part 2: statutory guidance.)

The Group will provide advice and support for the ECRPS Team as it progresses with the UNCRC Implementation Programme and will consider how to best support wider cultural change and understanding of children’s rights within the delivery of public services. This will include, but may not be limited to:

• ensuring public authorities are aware of their duties under the UNCRC Act and that relevant resources and best practice are shared where appropriate
• informing the UNCRC National Improvement Programme (NIP)

• identifying priorities for public authority capability building
• advising on how learning from Innovation Fund projects is shared
• sharing relevant resources, practice and learning
• identifying public authorities who can share best practice and inform wider cultural change

• informing the implementation and reviewing the impact of key UNCRC resources, such as the Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework and Training Plan
• supporting the development of key resources, particularly those which address any gaps identified by the group

Meetings will encourage discussion and constructive feedback, foster collaboration, and support shared learning to ensure that transferable approaches are embedded where possible and impact is maximised across organisations and sectors.

It may be appropriate in future to create short-term working groups to inform the development of particular resources that the Group have identified as priorities.

Membership 

The membership of the Group (Annex 1) will be flexible but will include leaders from a range of public authorities, including organisations undertaking functions of a public nature. Therefore, membership will include representatives from private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sectors.

Members will share the views of children and young people they work with, especially when making decisions in the Group.

Meetings

The Group will have a broad remit to assist the ECRPS Team with its work to implement the UNCRC. Accordingly, the frequency of meetings will fluctuate depending on the status of projects related to UNCRC implementation. Meetings currently occur on a quarterly basis, on a Monday, 10-12 pm. The Group will also be able to call exceptional meetings as required.

There will be no requirement for all members to join every meeting and attendance can be judged by members on relevance and interest. There will likely be communication with members of the Group and the Children’s Rights Unit between meetings to share progress and information.

Governance 

The Group will sit at the operational level of the UNCRC Implementation Programme, co-producing and assisting with the delivery of programme resources within the ECRPS strand and ensuring appropriate engagement with key stakeholders. There may be opportunities to inform the wider work of the Children’s Rights Unit. ​​​​​​​

Support

Secretariat support for the Group will be provided by the Children’s Rights Unit. The lead contact is Luiza Leite (Luiza.Leite@gov.scot). 

The secretariat will:

• circulate an agenda and other relevant papers in advance of each meeting
• take minutes and actions for each meeting and circulate after each meeting
• minutes will be kept high level and aim to capture actions and the Group’s decisions - they will be circulated to members for clearance prior to publishing

The minutes, terms of reference and membership list will be made available for the public to view on the group’s page: UNCRC Implementation: Guidance Reference Group.

Materials shared with the group which are not published are confidential and not for wider circulation.

Annex 1

We will ensure there is a broad range of members reflecting the breadth of public authorities.

Members

• Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)
• Children’s Hearings Scotland
• Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS)
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
• Dumfries and Galloway Council / Children’s Services Planning Strategic Lead
• Law Society of Scotland    
• NHS Education for Scotland (NES) 
• Police Scotland 
• Public Health Scotland
• Scottish Children's Rights Officers Network (SCRON)
• Scottish Local Authority Lawyers and Administrators (SOLAR)
• Social Work Scotland 
• The Improvement Service
• Together Scotland