UNCRC Strategic Implementation board minutes: June 2024 - Summary

Attendees and apologies

Members of the board

• Brian Taylor (Chair), Deputy Director, Children’s Rights, Protection and Justice (Deputising for Andrew Watson)
• Dragan Nastic, UNICEF UK 
• Lucinda Rivers, UNICEF UK 
• Juliet Harris, Together Scotland 
• Amy Woodhouse, Parenting Across Scotland 
• Eleanor Kerr, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Jennifer Davidson, Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures 
• Laura Caven, COSLA 
• Nicola Anderson (LIT), Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service 
• Norma Ruettimann, Care and Learning Alliance 
• Craig Morris, Care Inspectorate 
• Andrew Montgomery, Social Security Scotland (Deputising for Helen Fogarty)

Scottish Government officials 

• Gita Sharkey, Joint Unit Head, Children’s Rights Unit 
• Liz Levy, Joint Unit Head, Children’s Rights Unit 
• Lyndsey Saki, Embedding Children’s Rights in Public Services Programme Lead 
• Rachel Nicholson, Scottish Government Legal Directorate
• Dean Snape, UNCRC Project Manager
• Rachel Cieciwa, Rights Reporting and Monitoring, Children’s Rights Unit

Guests

• June Stefani, South Ayrshire Council
• Nick Fellows, COSLA

Apologies

• Andrew Watson, Director for Children and Families 
• Helen Fogarty, Social Security Scotland 
• ACC Catriona Paton, Police Scotland
• Gina Wilson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland 
• Ben Farrugia, Social Work Scotland 
• Paul Gorman, Empowered Children and Young People Lead 
• Andrew Preston, UNCRC Programme Assistant 
• Michael Cameron, Scottish Housing Regulator 

Items and actions

What is the Strategic Implementation Board?

The Strategic Implementation Board (or SIB, for short) is a group of people that meet every two months. They support the Government to make the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) part of Scots law. They put in place support for organisations, children and young people, and their families to help ensure that children’s rights are made real. They discuss if the work is on track and help to fix any problems in trying to make this happen. There are people on the SIB from Police, Education, Health, Social Work, children’s rights organisations, and the Scottish Government.

What was discussed at this meeting?

Highlight Report
A member of SIB shared the programme's Highlight Report on 21 May 2024. It outlines progress on activities, upcoming priorities, and deliverables for the implementation programme.

Four points were raised:

1. Analysis reports from the recent consultation on statutory guidance will be published after the statutory guidance itself.

2. The work on complaints raised by children and young people is still in progress, with input from various stakeholders.

3. National awareness-raising efforts are focused on reaching children whose rights are at risk.

4. The development of a model for public authorities to develop their approach to children's rights is ongoing. The Embedding Team is finding a balance between supporting authorities without providing legal advice, as compatibility with UNCRC requirements is for the courts to decide.

Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework – Presentation
Two members presented the Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework for public authorities. It was developed in partnership with organisations like JustRight Scotland and Children’s Parliament, and includes feedback from families and professionals across Scotland.

The Framework offers consistency and can be used to develop courses that improve rights practice. It covers five principles: embedding, equality/non-discrimination, empowerment, participation, and accountability.

The Framework is meant for self-directed learning but is also a tool for trainers to identify gaps in training needs. High interest from stakeholders led to engagement with 230 additional workers across Scotland for user testing and feedback.

The next steps include a high-profile launch of the Framework, and ongoing development for guidance for LEAs on how to implement and standardize its use.

Attitude Readiness for Commencement
With the UNCRC Act's duties starting on 16 July 2024, local authorities have expressed concerns about resource constraints. Challenges include training, producing child-friendly reports, and aligning with other agendas like corporate parenting.

Local authorities want to ensure that awareness-raising efforts don’t create unrealistic expectations about service provision.

Health boards are uncertain about the Act's impact on areas outside children's services, particularly regarding legal challenges. They are looking for further support and guidance, especially regarding child-friendly reporting and budgeting.

Public bodies have made progress in preparing for the Act by developing CRWIA templates, training for staff, and appointing champions for children’s rights across different departments. Listed authorities are also beginning to embed a children’s human rights approach into their processes.

Risk Register
• The discussion on the Risk Register will be moved to the next meeting.

The next meeting of the SIB will be held on Tuesday 24 September 2024 from 15:30 to 17:00