UNCRC Strategic Implementation board minutes: March 2022 - Summary

Attendees and apologies

Members of the Board

• Michael Chalmers, Chair, Scottish Government
• Laura Caven, CoSLA
• Jennifer Davidson, Institute for Inspiring Children's Futures
• Richmond Davies, Public Health Scotland
• Juliet Harris, Together
• Louise Hunter, CCPS
• Dragan Nastic, UNICEF
• Clare Simpson, Parenting Across Scotland

Other attendees

• Carola Eyber, Children’s Rights Unit
• Amy Harron, Joint Unit Head Children’s Rights Unit
• Nicola Hughes, Embedding Children’s Rights in Public Services
• Liz Levy, Joint Unit Head Children’s Rights Unit
• Natalie Nixon (minute taker) UNCRC Programme Officer
• Andrew Preston UNCRC Programme Assistant
• Lesleyann Russell, Children’s Rights Unit
• Kaylie Shaw, Children’s Rights Unit
• Lauren Sorrell, UNCRC Programme Office Team Leader
• Katy Connelly, SGLD Trainee
• Poppy Prior, SGLD
• Emma Bond, Police Scotland
• Gayle Devlin, Social Security Scotland
• Jane Donaldson, Police Scotland
• Jacqui Dunbar, Rights Right Now!
• Laura Lundy, Queens University Belfast
• Jim McMillan, Police Scotland
• Jane Millar, Together
• Aileen Nicol, Care Inspectorate
• Parisa Shirazi, Children in Scotland
• Shona Spence, Bill Legacy Team Leader in Children’s Right Unit
• Key Tisdall, University of Edinburgh, associated with the Observatory of Children’s Human Rights Scotland
• Clare Whyte, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service
• Jacqui Dunbar, Rights Right Now!
• Laura Lundy, Queens University Bristol
• Kay Tisdall, University of Edinburgh, associated with the Observatory of Children’s Human Rights Scotland

Apologies

• Michael Cameron, Scottish Housing Regulator
• Jaci Douglas, CALA Childcare
• Ben Farrugia, Social Work Scotland
• Fiona Mcfarlane, The Promise
• Donna MacLean, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Des Murray, SOLACE
• Aidan McCrory, Care Inspectorate
• Ashleigh Pitcairn, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service
• Carol Potter, NHS Fife
• Ann Bell, Police Scotland
• David Wallace, Social Security Scotland

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 month to support the Government to make the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 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 respected. They discuss whether the work that’s required is on track and help to resolve any problems that are encountered 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?

Update from the Children’s Rights Team

• The Children’s Rights Team in the Scottish Government gave an update on the work they have delivered since the last SIB meeting.

• The SIB were told that the 2001 Cabinet Takeover report and commitments from the 2001 takeover will be published in the next month. The Cabinet Takeover is an opportunity for Scotland’s children and young people to have their rights realised as the Scottish Government listen to speeches from children and young people and act on the calls made by Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) and Children’s Parliament (MCPs).

• The SIB were told that the month of March marked a year since the UNCRC Bill was passed by Parliament and that conversations will continue to make sure it proceeds quickly through Parliament.

Participation Model Presentation

• The SIB were introduced to Professor Laura Lundy, who shared her ‘model of participation’ which helps to make it easier for children and young people to engage with policy makers.

• Professor Lundy stated that there are four main aspects to this model:

  • Space: Safe, comfortable spaces including all children and young people are needed for meaningful participation.

  • Voice: Participation must be voluntary; there must be understanding of the issues to allow for informed views; all children and young people have the right to be heard.

  • Audience: Active listening; informing children of who is asking questions and why; those asking need to show they are listening and what they are going to do with this information.

  • Influence: Being realistic with children about what they can do.

• Professor Lundy told the SIB that this work has been ongoing since 2012. There has been great funding, training, and children involved at all levels, but there is room for improvement.

Children and Young People Contributions

• Oscar and Ramine, two young people who are members of Rights Right Now! (RRN!), joined the SIB meeting and shared their views on the work that the SIB do and offered some ideas for next steps of the main children’s consortium.

• Oscar and Ramine discussed why they got involved in this work—they wanted to make a difference and thought it was important that everybody knew about children’s rights. They said that children of all ages from across Scotland took part in these meetings, which often involved discussions about issues they cared about. People from the Scottish Government also came to speak with them at these meetings.

• When asked if they had a message to those working with or for children, both said it would be good to involve teachers—either by bringing them along to the SIB meetings or by including children’s rights in the curriculum.

• When asked what they would like to see change in the Scottish Government, they said that they would like to see more people be aware of children’s rights and also to see children be more involved in decisions that affect them, as these issues will impact them for a long time.

Innovation Fund Feedback

• The SIB received feedback from Police Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council on the ‘Innovation Fund,’ which is being set up to support organisations trying new ways of promoting children’s rights.

• The feedback received was mainly positive, but there was discussion on how to reach the children who are furthest away from their rights.

Future Meetings

• The SIB heard that there would not be a meeting in April.

• The next meeting of the SIB will be on 26 May.