UNCRC Strategic Implementation Board minutes: January 2022 - summary

Attendees and apologies

• Michael Chalmers, Chair, Scottish Government
• Michael Cameron, Scottish Housing Regulator
• Laura Caven, CoSLA
• Jennifer Davidson, Institute for Inspiring Children's Futures
• Ben Farrugia, Social Work Scotland
• Gayle Gorman, Education Scotland
• Juliet Harris, Together
• Louise Hunter, Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland
• Angela Leitch, Public Health Scotland
• Fi McFarlane, The Promise
• Craig Morris, Care Inspectorate
• Dragan Nastic, UNICEF
• Carol Potter, NHS Fife
• Clare Simpson, Parenting Across Scotland
• Gina Wilson, Children and Young People's Commissioner's Scotland
• Teja Bapuram, UNCRC Programme Manager
• Colin Convery, Police Scotland
• Jacqui Dunbar, Together Rights Right Now! Strategic Lead
• Ben Gaston attending to observe the meeting on behalf of SGLD
• Ashleigh Pitcairn, Lord President’s Private Office
• Lesley Sheppard, Deputy Director, Children's Rights, Protection and Justice
• Liz Levy, Joint Unit Head Children’s Rights Unit
• Lauren Sorrell, UNCRC Programme Office Team Leader
• Shona Spence, Bill Legacy Team Leader in Children’s Right Unit. Attending for the first time.
• Natalie Nixon, (minute taker), UNCRC Programme Officer         
• Andrew Preston UNCRC Programme Assistant
• Poppy Prior attending to observe the meeting on behalf of SGLD
• Eilidh Walker from Children’s Rights Unit (observing for professional development)

Items and actions

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 and 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

The Children’s Rights Team in the Scottish Government gave an update on the work that was underway:

• the SIB were told that children and young people from Rights Right Now (RRN) would like to attend future meetings
• the main item discussed was the UNCRC Bill returning to the Scottish Parliament. The Supreme Court judgment in October delayed the Bill becoming law. The Deputy First Minister John Swinney has said the scottish government’s preference would be address the things that the Supreme Court was concerned about by bringing the Bill back to parliament with some changes during something called ‘reconsideration stage’, children and young people will be consulted on the changes that we propose to make to the Bill, and the reasons, in due course
• there was a discussion about how quickly organisations would be ready to do what was required of them under the Bill once it has become law. The expectation is that this should happen no later than six months after the law is passed
• there were conversations about how to get people and organisations ready for the new Bill by providing, for example, training and guidance. Rights Right Now! (RRN) and the main consortium will support this work
• the SIB heard an update on the latest RRN session. They were asked to think about how we create spaces were children, young people could influence decisions during the SIB meetings and within the programme of work mentioned above
• the last topic of conversation was from an organisation carrying out research called ‘the theory of change’. They are listening to lots of different people to help set out what things need to happen over the coming years to make children’s rights real in Scotland. Children and Young People are involved in this process