A report accused the coalition government of systematically breaching international law designed to protect children's rights. The coalition had only made progress on 18 of 118 United Nations recommendations in the previous 12 months, while presiding over a deterioration in respect of 15 recommendations.
Source: State of Children?s Rights in England 2011: Review of government action on United Nations? recommendations for strengthening children?s rights in the UK, Children's Rights Alliance for England
Links: Report | CRAE press release | OCC press release
Date: 2011-Dec
The four United Kingdom Children's Commissioners called for an urgent reassessment of the impact of the coalition government's programme of public spending cuts on the needs of vulnerable children. It outlined serious concerns at the high levels of persistent child poverty, and highlighted the need for children to be given priority in national and local budgets so that vital children's services were protected.
Source: UK Children s Commissioners Midterm Report to the UK State Party on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Office of the Children's Commissioner (and the Commissioners for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales)
Links: Report | Evidence report | OCC press release | CCW press release | NICCY press release | SCCYP press release | Labour Party press release | Welsh Government press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Nov
A report for the equal rights watchdog examined the development of indicators designed to monitor and evaluate progress towards equality and human rights for children and young people.
Source: Holly Holder, Tiffany Tsang, and Polly Vizard, Developing the Children s Measurement Framework: Selecting the indicators, Research Report 76, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
A paper examined the distinction between child poverty and family poverty in Europe. Two key distinguishing factors were: putting the child at the centre of all policy measures to combat child poverty; and acknowledging the child as a social actor outside the family. The best way to tackle child poverty and social exclusion was a rights-based approach that focused on access to adequate resources, access to quality services and opportunities, and children's participation.
Source: Child Poverty – Family Poverty: Are They One and the Same? A rights-based approach to fighting child poverty, Eurochild
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Oct
The Scottish Government began consultation on proposals for a Rights of Children and Young People Bill – designed to establish in law the responsibilities of the Scottish Ministers to have due regard to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when exercising any of their functions.
Source: Consultation on Rights of Children and Young People Bill, Scottish Government
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2011-Sep
A new book examined the circumstances in which the courts could and should give effect to the socio-economic rights of children.
Source: Aoife Nolan, Children's Socio-Economic Rights, Democracy and the Courts, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Sep
A new book examined children's participation in social care services. It considered the variety of definitions of participation, and highlighted creative initiatives for children's involvement that had proved successful.
Source: Margaret Bell, Promoting Children's Rights in Social Work and Social Care: A guide to participatory practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Aug
The children's rights watchdog for England published its annual report for 2010-11.
Source: Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2010-2011, HC 1101, Office of the Children's Commissioner, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jul
A study for the children's watchdog for England found that there was a 'postcode lottery' system for children attempting to access advocacy services, and that there was no national strategy to ensure that children's entitlements were consistently met.
Source: Lynn Brady, Where Is My Advocate? A scoping report on advocacy services for children and young people in England, Office of the Children's Commissioner
Links: Report | OCC press release
Date: 2011-Jul
A report examined the implications of a 'children's rights approach' to the family and to juvenile justice. It said that such an approach was the surest way of meeting children's needs and transforming their social and political status.
Source: Carolyne Willow, Doing Right by Children: Making a reality of children s rights in the family and juvenile justice, Children's Rights Alliance for England
Links: Report | CRAE press release
Date: 2011-Jun
A new book examined contemporary debates in relation to the human rights of children. It considered a range of interpretations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and some of the debates generated by the challenges of implementation.
Source: Antonella Invernizzi and Jane Williams (eds.), The Human Rights of Children: From visions to implementation, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-May
A study looked at the extent to which the general measures of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child had been realized in the United Kingdom. Both the UK government and the devolved administrations had taken significant steps to implement the Convention: but there was still 'a long way to go' before these standards were fully met. A linked report summarized a study of the position in 5 European countries (Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden, and the UK).
Source: Louise King et al., Governance Fit for Children: To what extent have the general measures of implementation of the CRC been realised in the UK, Save the Children | Sandy Ruxton, Governance Fit for Children: To what extent have the general measures of implementation of the UNCRC been realised in five European countries, Save the Children
Links: UK report | European report
Date: 2011-May
An article examined whether children's rights education had the power to improve educational outcomes for socially disadvantaged children in particular. Fully implemented children's human rights education, among its other benefits, was found to be one possible means of narrowing the gap between socially disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers.
Source: Katherine Covell, Brian Howe, and Jillian Polegato, 'Children's human rights education as a counter to social disadvantage: a case study from England', Educational Research, Volume 53 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
An article examined the tensions faced by social workers in managing their advocacy role in relation to children and young people, in the light of the emergence of of independent advocacy services. If the principles of social justice were to be upheld, practitioners needed to actively consider ways to reclaim a culture of advocacy.
Source: Jane Boylan and Jane Dalrymple, 'Advocacy, social justice and children's rights', Practice: Social Work in Action, Volume 23 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
The European Union published an action plan for improving children's rights over the period 2011-2014.
Source: An EU Agenda for the Rights of the Child, European Union
Links: Action plan | European Union press release | Eurochild press release | CRIN press release
Date: 2011-Feb
A report summarized case law in the child rights field delivered by the European Court of Human Rights.
Source: Compilation of Relevant Case-Law (Summaries) in the Child Rights Field Delivered by the European Court of Human Rights, European Network of Ombudspersons for Children
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
A survey examined the role and mandate of children's ombudspersons in Europe in safeguarding and promoting children's rights.
Source: Rachel Hodgkin and Peter Newell, The Role and Mandate of Children's Ombudspersons in Europe: Safeguarding and promoting children's rights and ensuring children's views are taken seriously, European Network of Ombudspersons for Children
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
A new textbook examined the laws, guidelines, and debates relating to the ethics of research with children and young people.
Source: Priscilla Alderson and Virginia Morrow, The Ethics of Research with Children and Young People: A practical handbook, SAGE Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined how well the police service in Northern Ireland met its human rights obligations when it worked with children and young people.
Source: Human Rights Thematic Review: Children & Young People, Northern Ireland Policing Board
Links: Report | Summary | NIPB press release
Date: 2011-Jan