UNCRC Implementation Embedding in Public Services: terms of reference

Purpose

The purpose of the working group will be 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. 

The Group will focus on providing 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:

• the production of Guidance in relation to Part 2 (Duties on public authorities), section 10b (Guidance on this part) and section 15 (reporting duties of listed public authorities) of the UNCRC Bill, subject to consideration of the SC judgement 
• development of a process to review and strengthen public bodies approach to children’s rights reporting (Part 1, Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014)
• the development of a child’s rights Skills and Knowledge Framework
• the development of a National Improvement Programme (NIP) - Innovation Fund, approach to self-evaluation, sharing practice and learning 

The Group has developed out of the Short Term Working Group - Guidance, which was convened to assist the Children’s Rights Unit in developing introductory guidance to children’s rights and the UNCRC. It was recognised that Group members provided significant insights and support to the ECRPS team beyond the development of guidance, and so it was proposed that the Group’s remit be widened to include support for the work of the ECRPS strand as a whole.

Membership 

The membership of the Group will be flexible but will include representation from leaders in the children’s rights sector, public authorities, and the wider third sector. 

Members have agreed on bringing in the views of children and young people they work with, especially when making decisions in the Group.

A list of those who have been invited to the first Group meeting can be found below.

Timeline and meetings

The Reference 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.

It is proposed meetings occur on a monthly basis, on a Monday, 10-12 pm. The group will also be able to call exceptional meetings as required and to note permission to share confidential material on request of SG.

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 products within the ECRPS strand and ensuring appropriate engagement with key stakeholders. The group will provide regular reports and updates to the Strategic Implementation Board (SIB), as well as identify and manage any risks that emerge, escalating them to the SIB if necessary. 

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
• minutes and actions will be taken for each meeting and circulated approximately one week after each meeting
• minutes will be kept high level and aim to capture actions and the group’s decisions, and 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 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

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

List of members

• Deborah Davidson, ADES
• Laura Caven, COSLA
• Julie Williams/Joanne Glennie/Nancy Fancott, CCPS (Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland)
• Darren Little, Dumfries and Galloway Council (Children’s Services Planning Strategic Lead)
• Morag Driscoll, Law Society of Scotland    
• Dr Debby Wason, Public Health Scotland
• Colin Convery, Police Scotland
• Suzanne Brown, SCRON
• Kavita Chetty/Cathy Assante, Scottish Human Rights Commission
• Kenny Meechan, Glasgow City Council / SOLAR
• Nicola Hogg/Alistair Stobbie/Sarah Rodger, SOLAR
• Alison Sutherland, Social Work Scotland 
• Juliet Harris/Maria Doyle, Together
• Lucinda Rivers/Dragan Nastic, Unicef