Logo
Logo

Author: Sam Nelson

Solution to the Political Crisis Must be Found ‘Without Further Delay’

21 November 2023
Sam Nelson
No comments
Categories: News

21 November 2023

Mr Bragi Guðbrandsson, Vice Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has highlighted the need for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive ‘without further delay’. Mr Guðbrandsson addressed the lack of local decision making when delivering the Children’s Law Centre Annual Lecture 2023 at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast.

The lecture covered a number of key areas where children and young people’s rights are not being fulfilled. This included relationship and sexuality education (RSE), uses of force on children, restraint and seclusion, the treatment of refugee and asylum seeking children, academic selection, the age of criminal responsibility, child abuse, child sexual exploitation and child poverty.

Watch a live recording of the lecture

Download a copy of Mr Guðbrandsson’s lecture

Mr Guðbrandsson also repeatedly referenced the 2023/24 budget for Northern Ireland.

During the lecture, Mr Guðbrandsson said:

“The lack of progress in legislation being brought forward and delays implementing existing legislation and strategies to improve children’s lives in Northern Ireland require a solution to the political crisis in Northern Ireland without further delay.”

Mr Guðbrandsson referenced the committee’s recommendation on the 2023/24 budget for Northern Ireland a number of times during the lecture, saying:

“To my knowledge, no steps have been taken in Westminster to revise, yet alone withdraw the budget for Northern Ireland or to take any serious steps to mitigate any adverse impact on the most vulnerable children.”

He continued by reflecting on the current context facing children and young people:

“Alarming rates of child poverty, a profoundly difficult economic context, lack of financial support to meet the true cost of living, the complexity of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic still not fully known – all compounded by a budget which failed to give any hope of meaningful intervention.”

Mr Guðbrandsson concluded his lecture by repeating the need for the restoration of local decision making:

“While there has no doubt been progress in some areas, we have regrettably concluded that a vast number of children are being let down because of the continued failure to implement key measures and protections as laid out in the UNCRC.

“At the risk of some you may find I am using too strong words, I have argued that children and young people in NI are facing crisis in terms of lack of progress and even push-backs in crucial clusters of rights embodied in the UNCRC. I have repeatedly said in my speech that the prerequisite for overcoming the hindrances I believe that as a matter of urgency… Northern Ireland needs to regain its executive and legislative power”.

The Children’s Law Centre Annual Lecture 2023 will took place at on Tuesday 21 November, at The Inn of Court, Old Bar Library, Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast.

Watch a live recording of the lecture

Download a copy of Mr Guðbrandsson’s lecture

Key issues raised include:

  • Lack of NI Executive
  • Brexit
  • Academic selection
  • Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE)
  • Lowering the voting age to 16
  • Uses of force on children, including strip searches, spit and bite hoods and stop and searches
  • Corporal punishment
  • Child friendly and multiagency response to child sexual abuse
  • Implementation of recommendations from the Gillen Review
  • Lack of a childcare strategy
  • Restraint and seclusion
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health
  • Child poverty
  • Refugee and asylum seeking children
  • The minimum age of criminal responsibility
  • The environment

The committee’s concluding observation on the 2023/24 budget reads: “Withdraw the budget for Northern Ireland for the period 2023–2024 and fully consider the equality and human rights implications for a new budget, taking all possible steps to mitigate any adverse impact on children’s rights before issuing a revised budget.”

Read More

Vice Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Visits NI for World Children’s Day

20 November 2023
Sam Nelson
No comments
Categories: News

20 November 2023

Ahead of a visit to Belfast, Mr Bragi Guðbrandsson, Vice Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, has said children in Northern Ireland are facing crisis. Mr Guðbrandsson served as the UN Committee’s taskforce coordinator during the recent examination of the UK.

During his visit, Mr Guðbrandsson will meet children and young people, child rights experts and senior government officials, before delivering the Children’s Law Centre Annual Lecture 2023.

Speaking ahead of his visit, Mr Guðbrandsson said: “The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child completed extensive research over the past number of years to understand the challenges faced by children in Northern Ireland. While there has no doubt been progress in some areas, we have regrettably concluded that a vast number of children are being let down because of the continued failure to implement key measures and protections as laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Decades of delay in implementing international best practice standards to protect and support children and young people has left them facing a huge number of challenges. In recent years, this has been made dramatically worse by the lack of local decision making and the recent Northern Ireland budget.

“Children and young people are facing crisis.”

Fergal McFerran, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the Children’s Law Centre, said: “We are pleased to host Mr Guðbrandsson for World Children’s Day and to deliver our 2023 Annual Lecture. We are particularly pleased he will be meeting with the children and young people who presented evidence to the UN Committee in Geneva. As UN Committee’s taskforce coordinator for the UK’s recent examination he is well placed to advise on what needs to be done urgently in Northern Ireland to ensure we comply with our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“The message during Mr Guðbrandsson’s visit is crystal clear, our children are facing crisis. We need to see immediate action to start tackling the challenges and undoing the harm that is being caused. That work must start by addressing the immediate damage being done by budget cuts, then tackling the backlog of unaddressed issues over the past decade.”

Mr Guðbrandsson’s visit forms part of the Children’s Law Centre’s work to ensure decision makers in Northern Ireland implement the recommendations laid out by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. He will be engaged in a series of meetings with senior officials, key decision makers and duty bearers on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st November. He will then deliver the Children’s Law Centre’s Annual Lecture 2023 at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast.

You can sign up for the livestream at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/childrenslawcentre/1042193
Read More

Stormont Event Warns that NI Assembly Collapse is Harming a Generation of Children

24 October 2023
Sam Nelson
No comments
Categories: News

24 October 2023

Key decision makers and politicians were warned, at an event organised by the Children’s Law Centre, that a generation of children and young people will be harmed unless a reformed Executive and Assembly delivers key children’s rights recommendations.

You can watch the full event on YouTube.

Delegates heard from leading children’s rights experts, as well as children and young people themselves, during a briefing event on the recent UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s concluding observations and recommendations – a report previously described as “damning”.

The UN report raises concern around the treatment and protection of children and young people, as well as a long list of recommendations. These include a recommendation to withdraw the harmful 2023-24 budget for Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the event, Paddy Kelly, Director at the Children’s Law Centre said:

“There is a real and serious risk of long-term damage to our children and young people. The list of challenges facing them today is growing and becoming endless.

“There can be no doubt that decision makers are failing to look after their best interests. The proof is in the report from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and in the endless stream of cuts to children’s services.

“It is past time for change. A restored Assembly and Executive should be working to implement these recommendations but instead we are seeing decisions being made at Westminster that are compounding the problems.

“We need a return to local decision making, followed by urgent Executive action, before the long-term damage to our children and young people becomes even more severe.”

The event also heard from Dr Deena Haydon, an independent research and policy consultant, Chris Quinn, the new Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Fergal McFerran, Policy and Advocacy Manager at CLC, and Youth@CLC member Ruby Campbell. The event was attended by MLAs, leading departmental officials, the NI Children’s Commissioner, leading children’s charities and human rights organisations.

At the event, Ruby Campbell addressed delegates as a young rapporteur from the Rights Here, Right Now children and young people’s conference held in September.

Read More

Training Relaunched at Children’s Law Centre

6 October 2023
Sam Nelson
No comments
Categories: News, Training

09 October 2023

Visit our training and events page – www.childrenslawcentre.org/training

The Children’s Law Centre has relaunched its training offering with a mission to provide quality training courses, delivered by experts in children’s rights.

Led by our Training and Engagement Co-ordinator, Paul Hamilton, the new courses aim to increase awareness and knowledge of children’s rights for young people, carers, professionals and practitioners.

Initial training courses include:

Launching the new training calendar, Paul Hamilton said: “There has been a serious regression in children’s rights over the past decade. We’ve seen this in numerous reports and, at CLC, we’re seeing the impact of that through our advice services and legal work.

“There has never been a more important time to ensure people are aware of and understand children’s rights, whether that’s parents and carers, professionals and practitioners, or children and young people themselves.

“At CLC we believe children’s rights change children’s lives. Our training will aim to give people the knowledge and skills they need to use the rights framework as a tool to change the lives of children and young people.

“We’re also keen to listen to your needs and ensure our training is as effective as possible. That’s why we’re asking people to complete our short training needs assessment. We can also design bespoke training that’s specific for your organisation. Simply contact us to discuss how we can help.”

Decorative image with text reading: "Children's Law Centre Training Needs Assessment".
Complete the Training Needs Assessment at https://tinyurl.com/2ya8mxvb

You can contact our training team on (028) 9024 5704 or by emailing paulhamilton@childrenslawcentre.org

You can also sign up to our email contact list to receive regular updates about CLC training courses and more.

Subscribe

* indicates required

Intuit Mailchimp

CLC’s Training and Engagement Co-ordinator is funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund NI.

Read More

Rights Here, Right Now: Young People Using Children’s Rights for Positive Change

6 September 2023
Sam Nelson
No comments
Categories: News

Event
Saturday 23 September 2023
1:30pm – 5pm
Ulster University, York Street, Belfast

To book, email claire@childrenslawcentre.org

Decorative image with information found in the body of the news post.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva recently told the Government that it needs to do more to make sure all children and young people enjoy their rights and achieve their full potential. The UK Government has to listen to the Committee’s advice because it signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991.

The Committee’s advice to the UK Government (including the NI Assembly) was influenced by the views and experiences of over 1000 children and young people in Northern Ireland. This included a delegation of children and young people from Northern Ireland who met with the Committee directly in Geneva.

Seven leading organisations have organised an event for children and young people to discuss and learn more about the recent concluding observations and recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Decorative image of children holding hands, with text reading "Concluding Observations: Summary for Children and Young People". Click on the image to download the summary document.

The event will also give children and young people a chance to question a panel of people in key roles who are responsible for making decisions that impact on children and young people’s lives.

If you, or any of the children and young people you work with, are interested in attending the event, or you would like more information on the event details, please contact claire@childrenslawcentre.org

The Children’s Law Centre have also produced a children and young people’s summary document of the UN Committee’s concluding observations. Alongside this, a teaching resource has been produced to help children and young people better understand the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the concluding observations and the importance to children’s lives.

Decorative image of a megaphone with overlay text reading: "Change Makers - Resource for teachers and youth workers". Click on the image to download the teaching resource.

The event is being organised by:

The event is kindly being hosted by Ulster University.

Read More