Government urged to set out “clear roadmap” towards full incorporation of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into UK law

In a joint letter, led by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, the organisations have urged the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to make children's rights central to the Government’s vision for a more preventative state. 

The signatories include UNICEF UK, the National Children’s Bureau, the Alliance for Youth Justice, Save the Children UK, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights), and New Horizon Youth Centre.   

The letter argues that fully incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into UK law would help ensure children's rights are considered across Government decision-making, improve outcomes for children and young people, and support the Government's ambition to build a more preventative state. 

As a first step, the coalition has called on the Government to accept the recommendation of the Covid Inquiry's Module 2 report to place Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIAs) on a statutory footing.

The organisations said: “Mandatory CRIAs would ensure a child rights lens is applied to decision-making across government at an early stage, helping to identify, avoid and mitigate policies that risk harming children.

“It would provide an important platform to directly consider children’s views and improve the participation of children and young people in policymaking. The Covid Inquiry found that children were too often overlooked during the pandemic and concluded that stronger mechanisms are needed to ensure children's rights are properly considered, not only during national emergencies, but also in everyday policymaking.”

While welcoming the previous Government's commitment to improving awareness and use of CRIAs, the coalition warned that voluntary assessments have resulted in inconsistent practice across Government.

The Department for Education has been approached for comment.

Lottie Winson