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Children: UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

Answer

In a Written Ministerial Statement on 6 December 2010, the Government gave a commitment to ““give due consideration to the UNCRC articles when making new policy and legislation””. We are using the UN Committee's 2008 concluding observations as a reference point for where we can make progress. We are addressing many of the key areas of concern raised by the UN Committee, for example: following a detailed review last year, we have consulted on proposals to strengthen the role of the Children's Commissioner to promote and protect the rights of children in England in line with the UNCRC. The proposals will be implemented through legislative changes as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows; there have been significant reforms to the arrangements for children and families who have been unsuccessful in seeking asylum, prior to deportation—in particular the Government have said they will end the detention of children for immigration purposes and close Yarl's Wood detention centre; we are tackling the links between children's achievement in school and their background through a pupil premium so that resources and support reach the pupils who need them most; the Government are working with interested parties to address the issue of the commercialisation and sexualisation of children. This follows the independent review by Reg Bailey and his report Letting Children be Children which made a series of practical recommendations to businesses, broadcasters and regulators; we are introducing free early education for disadvantaged two year-olds, reforming Sure Start, recruiting 4,200 extra health visitors and have reviewed the early years foundation stage so that the very youngest children get the best start in life; we have accepted Professor Munro's recommendation to provide early help to families and children in order to prevent incidence of abuse and to ensure that children who have been abused receive appropriate support and protection; we are committed to improving outcomes for children in care and to improving the volume and timeliness of adoption; our Green Paper on special educational needs will lead to significant reforms in the education and health support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, including in respect of giving children a stronger voice in planning their support arrangements; the development of a positive for youth statement, to be published later this year, will begin to tackle the committee's concerns about the negative portrayal of young people in the media. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the Government's progress on the UNCRC recommendations but provides a snapshot of some recent achievements. This year marks the halfway point between the UN Committee's concluding observations from 2008 and the Government's next report to the UN Committee due in 2014. It will not be possible to implement all of the UN Committee's recommendations, but we want to make further progress in ways that will bring about the greatest benefits for children. We will listen to views from the children's commissioner and organisations in the civil society in deciding on our next steps.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

13019; 732 c180-1WA

Session

2010-12

Related items

Children: Children's Commissioner
Monday, 6 December 2010
Written statements
House of Lords

Subjects

Children's rights UN Convention on the Rights of the Child UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk