UNCRC Strategic Implementation board minutes: November 2023 - Summary

Attendees and apologies

Members of the Board

• Ian Donaldson (Chair), Director for Children and Families
• Dragan Nastic, UNICEF UK
• Juliet Harris, Together Scotland
• Gayle Gorman, Education Scotland – tentative
• CI Steve McKinnon of Police Scotland, deputising ACC Gary Ritchie
• Laura Pasternak, Who Cares? Scotland
• Amy Woodhouse, Parenting Across Scotland
• Eleanor Kerr, NHS
• Superintendent Christine Boyd, Police Scotland (Deputising for ACC David Duncan)
• Jennifer Davidson, Institute for Inspiring Children’s Future’s
• Norma Ruettiman, Care and Learning Alliance
• Laura Caven, COSLA
• Rebekah Cameron-Berry, COSLA
• Katy Kelman, Scot Courts
• Aileen Nicol, Care inspectorate (Deputising for Craig Morris)

Scottish Government officials

• Dean Snape, UNCRC Project Manager
• Carola Eyber, Children’s Rights Reporting and Monitoring Lead
• 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
• Paul Gorman, Empowered Children and Young People Lead
• Shona Spence, UNCRC Bill Lead
• Anna Munro, SGLD
• Dawn Archer, SGLD
• Sarah Booth, SGLD

Apologies

• Andrew Watson, Scottish Government
• Andrew Preston, UNCRC Programme Assistant

• Margo Williamson, SOLACE
• Helen Fogarty, Social Security Scotland
• Ben Farrugia, Social Work Scotland
• Michael Cameron, Scottish Housing Regulator
• Gina Wilson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland (CYCPS)
• Chloe Riddell, The Promise
• Craig Morris, Care Inspectorate

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?

The Chair welcomed members to the meeting.
Members were told about a new person joining the Board and that two deputies were attending on behalf of Board members.

Minutes and actions from the last meeting

Members were reminded that the notes from the last meeting were shared in October 2023.
One change was requested to add more detail about support for public authorities. This change was made and the updated minutes were shared in November. Once final checks are complete, the minutes will be published online.
There were no outstanding actions from previous meetings.

Highlight report

The Programme Highlight Report was discussed. This report explains:

• what work has already been done

• what work is planned for the next two months

• how the programme is progressing overall

Members were asked to raise any questions so they could be passed to the right teams.

Update on the UNCRC Bill

Members were updated on progress with changes to the UNCRC Bill.
A Parliamentary Committee has finished hearing evidence and has shared its recommendations with Ministers. A response will be issued soon.
The date of the vote on the amendments was confirmed as 7 December.
Some further technical changes to the Bill were also explained, including changes to reporting dates and clarification of how amendments to laws are treated.

Starting the new law (commencement)

Members were thanked for providing feedback on plans for when the law should start.
Most parts of the law are expected to begin six months after Royal Assent. Some sections will start earlier to allow guidance to be developed and court rules to be prepared.

Support for public authorities

Members discussed the support that will be provided to help organisations prepare for the new law. This includes:

• guidance on children’s rights

• consultation on statutory guidance

• targeted support for Health Boards

• engagement with local authorities and other public bodies

Children’s Rights Scheme

Members discussed the Children’s Rights Scheme, which explains how Ministers will make sure children’s rights are respected in their work.
The discussion focused on:

• whether reports on the Scheme should happen every year or every three years

• allowing enough time to show meaningful progress on children’s rights

• feedback on the draft Scheme shared with the group

Risks to the UNCRC programme

Members discussed possible risks to delivering children’s rights, including:

• public bodies focusing only on areas where they could face legal challenge

• children and young people finding it hard to understand when they can use the law

Members were invited to suggest other risks and ways to manage them.

The next meeting of the SIB will be held on 28 January 2024.