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Author: Sam Nelson

Rights of the Child UK Post-Conference Report Launched

7 July 2025
Sam Nelson
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Categories: News

On 7 July 2025, Together joined colleagues from the Rights of the Child UK (ROCK) Steering Group to launch the Post-Conference Report from the ROCK Annual Conference 2024 – a day that brought together over 90 children’s rights advocates, decision-makers and academics from across the UK, Jersey and Iceland.

Held in Edinburgh on 17 September 2024, the conference was hosted by Together in partnership with the ROCK Steering Group, with generous funding from Elevate Great (formerly Cattanach).

Watch CLC’s Contribution

The conference offered a vital opportunity to reflect on progress – and gaps – in how children’s rights are being taken forward in law, policy and practice across the UK. Speakers shared updates from each jurisdiction, drew on international experience, and explored how best to respond to the UN Committee’s 2023 Concluding Observations.

Throughout the day, there was a strong call for action: to push for full incorporation of the UNCRC across all UK jurisdictions, strengthen systems for monitoring and accountability, and ensure that babies, children and young people are meaningfully involved in shaping decisions that affect them.

The Post-Conference Report captures these priorities and outlines practical next steps. These include a commitment from ROCK to develop a coordinated UK-wide strategy for incorporation, alongside stronger cross-sector collaboration and improved tools to support implementation.

ROCK is a coalition of voluntary organisations and individuals working together to embed children’s human rights into law, policy and practice.

ROCK’s work is guided by its Steering Group, which comprises representatives from leading child rights alliances across the UK, including: Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights); Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE); Children in Wales; Wales UNCRC Monitoring Group; Children’s Law Centre; and UNICEF UK.

Find the Report

Children’s Law Centre Appoints John O’Doherty as New CEO

28 May 2025
Sam Nelson
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Categories: News

28 May 2025

The Children’s Law Centre (CLC) is pleased to announce the appointment of John O’Doherty as its new Chief Executive Officer. John will take up the role in August 2025. The appointment follows the news that Paddy Kelly, the Centre’s founding Director of over 27 years, will step down this summer.

John O’Doherty, who comes with years of extensive experience in leading an NGO and working as a leading human rights defender, will lead CLC in the next phase of its work and development.

Commenting on the announcement, outgoing Director, Paddy Kelly, said: “It has been a huge privilege to lead the Children’s Law Centre for over 27 years. In that time, we have secured major protections in children’s rights and changed the lives of tens of thousands of children and young people directly through advice, legal representation and advocacy.

“I am delighted to be handing over the reins of CLC to John. I have no doubt that he will successfully lead the organisation in the next stage of its work to vindicate the rights of children. He brings years of experience of working in the voluntary sector, including advocating for the realisation of rights. He will bring drive and energy to the work of advancing children’s rights and I’m confident he will make a significant impact in the growth and development of the organisation.”

John O’Doherty will be joining the Children’s Law Centre having worked for the past two years as the Director of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the Community Foundation Northern Ireland. Previous to that, he worked for 14 years as Director of The Rainbow Project. His appointment comes after a competitive open recruitment exercise, undertaken by the Centre’s Board of Trustees, supported by CO3’s Engage Executive Talent.

The Board and staff at CLC would like to congratulate John on his appointment and look forward to working with him to secure and vindicate the rights of all children and young people in Northern Ireland.

CLC Gives Evidence on Restrictive Practices in Education Settings

22 May 2025
Sam Nelson
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Categories: News

22 May 2025

The Children’s Law Centre (CLC) presented evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Education Committee, calling for urgent legislative reform to end the harmful use of restrictive practices – including restraint and seclusion – in education settings.

Watch the Full Committee Session

The evidence session, supported by a detailed written briefing, highlights how current practices in some education settings are breaching children’s human rights and disproportionately harming disabled children, particularly those with autism, intellectual disability and communication difficulties.

The evidence, presented by Rachel Hogan, SEND Specialist Legal Adviser at CLC, strongly asserted that no child should be restrained in an education setting without strict legal safeguards and that no child should be subjected to seclusion in an education setting.

Yet, in Northern Ireland, outdated legislation remains in force and the statutory guidance which had been promised for the protection of children from harm has not been finalised. This creates a dangerous vacuum and places the most vulnerable pupils at serious risk of avoidable harm as well as leaving staff who support them without essential knowledge and skills to enable child rights compliant practice.

Read the Written Briefing

The CLC written briefing outlines a number of key concerns:

  • Article 4 of the Education (NI) Order 1998, which empowers staff to use “reasonable force” on children in a range of circumstances, including for the maintenance of order and discipline, is outdated and incompatible with equality and human rights standards.
  • There is a lack of clarity around the banning of seclusion in all education settings.
  • There is no mandatory training for school staff on how to minimise and eliminate restrictive practices.
  • NI remains behind other jurisdictions, despite repeated calls for action from parents, professionals and international rights bodies such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities.

The Children’s Law Centre is urging the Department of Education to:

  • Immediately repeal Article 4 of the 1998 Order and introduce children’s human rights-based legislation and guidance.
  • Ban seclusion outright in all education settings.
  • Ensure mandatory, standardised training for all school staff.
  • Implement clear recording, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
  • Work with the Department of Health to ensure joined-up, cross-departmental policy and guidance.

Every child has the right to feel safe, supported and respected in education regardless of their disabilities or other protected equality characteristics. Legislative reform is long overdue. Without it, children’s rights will continue to be violated and staff left unsupported.

Read the BBC NI News Coverage

Children’s Law Centre Annual Lecture Underscores Importance of ECHR in Protecting Children’s Rights

6 May 2025
Sam Nelson
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Categories: News

06 May 2025

The Children’s Law Centre (CLC) Annual Lecture 2025 was held in the Old Bar Library at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, with the keynote address being delivered by former President and Judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Síofra O’Leary. The lecture explored the role of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in protecting the rights and voices of children.

Watch the Lecture

In her address, titled Children’s Voices and the Law: Reflections on the Role and Contribution of the ECHR, Judge O’Leary outlined how Strasbourg case law has evolved to better reflect the needs, rights and participation of children, despite the Convention’s original adult-focused framing.

Drawing on landmark judgments, Judge O’Leary examined key issues such as surrogacy, childcare and adoption, domestic violence, legal representation, and more recent climate change cases. She emphasised that children must be treated as rights holders, not bystanders, and underscored the responsibility of states to ensure child-friendly justice systems.

Judge O’Leary also reflected on the continued important role of the ECHR, particularly in the context of peace and prosperity, as well as the positive role of the UK judiciary in developing convention rights and continuing domestic case law relating to the Human Rights Act 1998.

Download the Lecture Notes

Speaking after the event, Children’s Law Centre Director Paddy Kelly said: “Twenty five years on from the Human Rights Act coming into force it is important to not only reflect on how much has changed and how children’s rights are better protected in law, policy and practice and the important role the European Court of Human Rights has played in securing those rights. But also, to reflect on what remains outstanding and how, in challenging times, we can best secure what has been achieved and ensure the onward progress of protecting the rights of our most vulnerable citizens.

“It was a privilege to have Judge O’Leary outline so eloquently the continued important role that the Convention and the European Court of Human Rights plays in protecting the rights of children and young people.”

Children’s Law Centre Calls for Urgent Amendments to the Justice Bill

27 March 2025
Sam Nelson
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Categories: News

27 March 2025

The Children’s Law Centre (CLC) has presented evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Justice, calling for critical amendments to the Justice Bill to ensure that children’s rights are fully protected within the justice system.

Watch CLC Present to the Committee

In a written submission, CLC called for two key amendments to implement long overdue children’s rights safeguards. The submission then looks at clause by clause detail on part 2 of the Bill, relating to bail, remand and custody arrangements for children.

Read the Written Submission

Key Amendments Urged by CLC

CLC’s evidence highlights two priority areas requiring amendments:

  1. Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility – Northern Ireland’s current age of criminal responsibility remains one of the lowest in the world at just 10 years old. CLC strongly advocates for this to be raised to 16, aligning with international human rights standards and ensuring a child centred approach to justice.
  2. Ending the Legal Defence of ‘Reasonable Punishment’ – The Bill presents an opportunity to remove the outdated defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ in respect of common assault in the home. CLC argues that children should have the same legal protections from violence as adults, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Failing Children in Need: Bail and Accommodation Issues

Beyond these critical amendments, the CLC submission also highlights serious failings in the current system regarding bail and accommodation:

  • Children Held in Custody Due to Lack of Accommodation – The evidence outlines cases where children granted bail remain in custody for extended periods due to the failure of Health Trust’s to provide children with a bail address. This violates their rights and may result in them spending longer in custody than if they had been given a custodial determination.
  • Children with Additional Needs and Vulnerabilities – The evidence highlights instances where children with additional needs and vulnerabilities are placed in unsuitable settings where their needs are not met. This can result in inappropriate police intervention and children without capacity being placed in justice settings.
  • Flawed Bail Provisions – The Bill fails to properly safeguard children’s rights when bail conditions are set. CLC argues, in line with children’s rights standards, that there should be a presumption of bail without conditions for children.
Read the Submission

CLC Urges Immediate Action

Ahead of presenting to the committee, Fergal McFerran, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at CLC, said:

“The Justice Bill represents a vital opportunity to bring Northern Ireland’s youth justice system up to date with ongoing best practice, and in line with international human rights standards. However, without critical amendments, it risks failing the most vulnerable children in our society. No child should be criminalised at ten years old, nor should a child remain in custody simply because they have nowhere else to go.

“The Bill also provides an opportunity to finally grant children the same protection from violence to that afforded to adults. MLA’s cannot miss this opportunity to join the many other jurisdictions across the world who have ended corporal punishment for children in all settings.”

Watch the Evidence Session

CLC calls on MLAs to act decisively and ensure that the Bill prioritises children’s rights and best interests. The organisation will continue to engage with the Committee for Justice and a wide range of MLAs as the Bill progresses, including further commentary on other parts of the Bill as introduced in due course.