UNCRC Strategic Implementation Board minutes: May 2022 Summary

Attendees and apologies

Scottish Government

• Michael Chalmers (Chair), Director for Children and Families
• Amy Harron, Children’s Rights Unit Head
• Ben Gaston, SGLD
• Carola Eyber, Capacity Building Manager
• Gita Sharkey, Rights Resolution Programme Lead
• Lauren Sorrell, UNCRC Implementation Programme Manager
• Liz Levy, Children’s Rights Unit Head
• Nicola Hughes, Embedding Children’s Rights in Public Services Programme Lead
• Paul Gorman, Empowered Children and Young People Programme Lead
• Poppy Prior, SGLD
• Shona Spence, UNCRC Bill Lead
• Susan Revie, Capacity Building Manager 
• Victoria Morton, SGLD
• Eilidh Walker (minutes), UNCRC Programme Assistant
• Kaylie Shaw (minutes), Policy Support Officer

Members of the Board

• Juliet Harris, Together Scotland
• Louise Hunter, Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS)
• Aidan McCrory, Care Inspectorate
• Ashleigh Pitcairn on behalf of Kay McCorquodale, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Services
• Dragan Nastic, UNICEF
• Des Murray, SOLACE
• David Wallace, Social Security Scotland
• Gayle Devlin, Social Security Scotland
• Norma Ruettimann on behalf of Jaci Douglas, Care and Learning Alliance (CALA)
• Ben Farrugia, Social Work Scotland
• Ann Bell on behalf of Gary Ritchie, Police Scotland
• Laura Caven, COSLA
• Richmond Davies, Public Health Scotland

Apologies:

• Andrew Preston, UNCRC Programme Assistant
• Carol Potter, NHS Fife
• Clare Simpson, Parenting Across Scotland
• Donald Henderson, Children’s Rights, Protection and Justice Interim Deputy Director
• Donna MacLean, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Fiona McFarlane, The Promise
• Gayle Gorman, Education Scotland
• Gina Wilson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland
• Michael Cameron, Scottish Housing Regulator
• Louise Halpin, Human Rights Bill Team Leader
• Jaci Douglas, Care and Learning Alliance (CALA)
• Jennifer Davidson, Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures

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  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 they have delivered since the last SIB meeting.
• The SIB were told that the 2021 Cabinet Takeover report has now been published. The Cabinet Takeover is an opportunity for Scotland’s children and young people to make speeches to Scottish Government Ministers and ask them to respond to requests for action made by Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament  and Children’s Parliament.
• The SIB were told that the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, gave a statement to Parliament on Tuesday 24 May about how the Scottish Government proposes to respond to the Supreme Court judgement on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill (the Bill). The Bill, when passed, would make it unlawful for public authorities to act in a way that goes against their responsibilities for children’s rights.
• After the statement was given to parliament, the SIB were sent a document that explains how the Scottish Government needs to change the Bill to allow it to become law. The document also asks 4 questions about the impact of the suggested changes to the Bill and any issues they could cause. The SIB have been asked to respond to the questions by Friday the 17th of June.
• The SIB were told about how the Scottish Government will be helping organisation understand how to train their staff to get ready for the new requirements in the Bill, through a project called the Skills and Knowledge Framework.
• The SIB spent some time discussing some new funding that will made available to public authorities to help them try new ways of protecting children’s rights. This funding will be available through something called the ‘Innovation Fund’. The SIB fed back that it was very important that the fund supports the rights of children and young people who are most likely not to have their rights met.
• SIB members were told that Together launched the Rights Right Now! report on Thursday 26th of May. Rights Right Now! was a project that involved children and young people across Scotland and the report looks at what it got up to and what needs to happen next. The child friendly version can be found through this link: Together State of Children's Rights Report - child friendly version
• The Theory of Change report will be released in early June and will be shared with SIB members. This report explains all the things that need to happen to ensure we take a children’s rights respecting approach in Scotland. Public Health Scotland are hoping to create an action plan from the information shared in the report.