This pack was written by Sam Dimmock, with help from young volunteers from the Get ready for Geneva project, and support from the Get ready for Geneva team. Get ready for Geneva is funded by the Big Lottery Fund. All the images in this pack are of children and young people involved in the Get Ready for Geneva project. They have given their consent for their images to be used. ISBN 978-1-898961-20-8 Children’s Rights Alliance for England 94 White Lion Street London N1 9PF
GET READY for change Be a children's rights champion
T 020 7278 8222 E info@getreadyforgeneva.org.uk W www.crae.org.uk W www.getreadyforgeneva.org.uk
Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, 1994–1999
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is that luminous living document that enshrines the rights of every child without exception to a life of dignity and self-fulfilment.
BEING A CHILDREN'S RIGHTS CHAMPION Young people’s voices just got bigger! This pack will give you all the help you need to campaign for children’s human rights to be better protected and respected where you live.
You’re part of the Get ready for Geneva network of children’s rights champions What’s Get ready for Geneva? Get ready for Geneva is a project led by children and young people and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) to:
What’s a champion? A champion supports and speaks up for a cause they really believe in. CRAE is a champion for children’s human rights.
What’s a children’s rights champion? Children’s rights champions stir things up in their local area and make sure that people know about, understand and respect children’s rights. Children’s rights champions get important local people to make public pledges (promises) on the Get ready for Geneva website to take action to improve the lives of children and young people. Children’s rights champions campaign to improve the rights of children and young people, and demand change when children’s rights are not being protected.
• Check what the Government is doing to make sure the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is put into practice everywhere • Find out how well children and young people in England think their rights are respected • Help children and young people push for change in children’s rights.
We are not just young people: we are people and citizens of this world…You call us the future, but we are also the present.
Statement given by children to the UN Special Session on Children in 2002
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this pack
sections – you t en er ff di to in d de vi di is ck This pa go straight st ju or h, ug ro th ay w e th l al can read it to the information you need.
PART
Finding out about children’s rights… page 3 You’ll find lots of information here about children’s rights, what they mean, and who is responsible for making sure they are respected.
T R A P
Taking action FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS… page 15 Find out how to spread the word about children's rights and encourage decision-makers to listen to what you have to say.
PART
Getting your voice heard… page 27
This section gives you the help you need to promote children's rights where you live.
start of each e th at t lis ts en nt co d ile ta de u'll find a more
Yo
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section
Finding out about children's rights
What are human rights?............................................................3 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child......................3 What does the Convention say?..............................................4 Checking children’s rights are respected................................6 Why are children’s rights important?......................................6 Other human rights treaties......................................................7 Who’s got the power?................................................................8 National champions for children and young people...............9 How laws are made.................................................................10 Questions you might be asked about children’s rights.....12 Words you might find useful...................................................14
What are human rights? Human rights are a set of basic things that every human being should have, like the right to be free, the right to say what you think, and the right to be treated with dignity and respect. An important part of human rights is respecting the rights of others.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty (agreement) that was agreed by the United Nations in 1989. It gives children and young people all over the world over 40 major rights. These rights include the right to a family life, to be protected from all types of violence, to have a say and be respected, to be healthy, and to have an education that helps you grow fully as a person. The UN Convention gives extra rights to children and young people living in very difficult circumstances – for example, children in trouble with the law, or young refugees and asylum seekers.
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So what does this Convention actually say? The UN Convention has 54 articles. Articles are different parts of the Convention that say what rights children have, and how the Government should protect those rights. Article 1
A child is a person aged 17 or under.
Article 2 All the rights in this Convention belong to all children. Article 3 Children must always be a top priority.
Article 11 Governments must work together to stop children being taken illegally to another country. Article 12 Every child has the right to express his or her views, and those views must be taken seriously. Article 13 Every child has the right to express him or herself and to receive all kinds of information and ideas (this is called freedom of expression). Article 14 Every child has the right to have his or her own beliefs and religion.
Article 4 Governments must do all they can to protect children’s rights.
Article 15 Every child has the right to meet people and to be outside in a group (this is called freedom of association).
Article 5 Parents can give children advice and help about their rights.
Article 16 The law must protect every child’s right to privacy.
Article 6 Every child has the right to be alive and to be the best person they can be.
Article 17 Governments must make sure children get lots of different information about all sorts of things. They should protect children from harmful information.
Article 7 Every child has the right to a name and nationality, and to be cared for by both parents. Article 8 Governments must protect the child’s right to a name, a nationality and a family life. Article 9 Every child has the right to keep in regular contact with both parents so long as this is the best thing for the child. Article 10 Decisions about a child going to live in another country should be made quickly and fairly.
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Article 18 Governments must support parents. Parents must always try to do what is best for children. Article 19 Every child must be protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and bad treatment. Article 20 Children who do not live with their parents have the right to extra protection. Article 21 The child must be the top priority in adoption. Article 22 Children who are refugees, or trying to be refugees, have the right to extra protection.
Article 23 Disabled children have the right to a full life, and to be part of the community.
Article 36 Governments must protect children from all other harm.
Article 24 Every child has the right to the best possible health.
Article 37 Every child has the right to protection from torture and very bad treatment.
Article 25 Children who are in care or who live away from home for health reasons should have their care checked regularly.
Article 38 Children must be protected from wars and from joining the armed forces.
Article 26 Governments must support every child’s right to have enough money.
Article 39 Governments must give good support to children who have been abused or hurt.
Article 28 Every child has the right to education.
Article 40 Children who are in trouble with the law have many extra rights, including the right to privacy, the right to a lawyer and, wherever possible, the right not to go to court or be sent to prison.
Article 29 Education is about helping children to develop fully as people.
Article 42 Governments must tell everyone about all the rights in this Convention.
Article 30 Children must never be stopped from enjoying their own culture, religion or language.
Articles 41 to 54 These articles say how children’s rights should be checked, and how governments should promote, protect and respect all the rights in this Convention.
Article 27 Children have the right to get everything they need to develop fully.
Article 31 Every child has the right to rest, play and to do things they enjoy. Article 32 Children must be protected from harmful work. Article 33 Governments must do everything to protect children from illegal drugs.
You can download a copy of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child from www.getreadyforgeneva.org.uk/ childrens_rights
Article 34 Governments must protect children from being hurt sexually. Article 35 Governments must do everything to protect children from being taken away or sold.
I got involved with Get ready for Geneva because I believe that children deserve a voice, and part of having that voice is knowing their rights.
Natalie, Get ready for Geneva steering group 5
Checking children’s rights are respected
After a government ratifies (agrees to follow) the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (a group of 18 children's rights experts) checks that each government is doing all it can to make sure children and young people enjoy their human rights. The UN Committee meets three times a year in Geneva in Switzerland. Every five years, the UK Government has to send a report to the UN Committee to say how it is putting the UN Convention into practice. Charities, Children’s Commissioners, and children and young people can send evidence to the UN Committee about how well they think the Government is doing. Once the UN Committee has heard from everyone, it makes recommendations to the Government about what they need to do to better protect children’s rights. These are called concluding observations. The Government is expected to take action on these recommendations to improve the rights of children and young people.
Why should children and young people check how well children’s rights are respected?
Because no one understands what it is like to be a child or young person today better than you do!
Why are children's rights important?
Children’s human rights are really important because they say children must be respected as people today, not just when they reach 18. Human rights say all human beings are of equal worth. The UN Convention puts pressure on governments to make sure every child and young person has a good life. As well as basic things like a decent home, enough money to live on, and education and health care, you have the right to a say on all the decisions and laws that affect you.
So what’s the problem?
Not many people in England know there’s an international treaty (the UN Convention) that gives children and young people their own human rights.
How do we fix that?
As a children’s rights champion, it’s your job to help CRAE get the word out about children’s rights and make life better for all children and young people in England.
Who do I tell about children’s human rights? Tell EVERYONE! Tell your friends, your brothers and sisters, the people you see every day, the children and young people that live down your street, your classmates at school or college, and all the adults you know.
We need to make sure the Government acts on the UN’s advice and recommendations.
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Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green, Children’s Commissioner for England
Other human rights treaties The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is not the only human rights treaty that protects children. There are other important human rights treaties for people that need extra protection from bad or unfair treatment, for example for disabled people, women, people who are discriminated against because of their race, religion or sexual orientation, and for refugees. All these treaties cover children and young people.
European Convention on Human Rights
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is an important treaty that was agreed by the Council of Europe in 1950. The ECHR protects civil and political rights, such as the right to a fair trial, the right to express your views, the right to life and the right to privacy.
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights is in Strasbourg, France. This allows people (including children) who think their government has failed to protect their rights under the ECHR, or acted against those rights, to take their case to a European court. Governments must respect the Court’s decision. It is unusual for a human rights treaty to have its own court, which is why the European Court of Human Rights is very important for protecting children’s rights.
The Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act was passed by Parliament in 1998. It made most of the rights in the ECHR part of UK law. This means that people (including children) can go to UK courts to try and protect their rights. They can still go to the European Court of Human Rights if they don't get protection.
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Who’s got the power? One of the things you’ll need to know when you’re campaigning for children’s rights to be better respected is who’s got the power.
Parliament
The House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Queen all make up Parliament. The House of Commons is the place in London where elected Members of Parliament (MPs) go to debate important things, make laws, and check up on the Government. MPs are voted in by people in a local area, called their constituents. UK law only allows adults to vote. Many young people are part of the Votes at 16 campaign, to try and lower the voting age from 18 to 16. Young people living in the Isle of Man and Austria can already vote at age 16, and the ruling political party in Scotland wants to lower the voting age there too. The House of Lords is the second chamber of Parliament – where the Peers sit. Peers are not elected and there are a lot of debates about whether or not this is good for democracy. Peers in the House of Lords make laws, check up on the Government and give advice. The Law Lords also sit in the House of Lords. They make judgements about human rights and other court cases. The Queen has to give royal assent (agree) to any law that members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords want to pass, before it can become an Act of Parliament. This is the name for a law that has been passed.
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The Government
The Government is separate from Parliament and is run by the political party that won the most votes in the last general election. The Prime Minister is in charge of the Government, and decides which MPs will become Ministers. Ministers are in charge of particular things for the Government, like children, health, schools, equality, and environmental issues. About 20 of the most senior ministers are members of the Cabinet. The Cabinet decides Government policy (what the Government thinks about different issues).
National champions for children and young people
In the same way that you’re a local champion for children’s rights, there are also adults that work for and with the Government who are champions for children’s rights. The Children’s Commissioner for England makes sure that children and young people are asked what they think, and that people listen to their views. The Commissioner wants the rights of all children and young people to be respected. The Children's Commissioner works closely with the Government, but is independent and has legal powers set out in an Act of Parliament. The Children’s Rights Director travels around the country listening to the views of children who live away from home. This might be because they are in care, at boarding school, living at a school for disabled children, or living with an adopted family. The Children’s Rights Director takes their views to the Government to help make their lives better.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an equality and human rights organisation that must promote and protect the rights of people (including children) living in England, Wales and Scotland. It must consult people when deciding what it works on, and work within the European Convention on Human Rights and other human rights treaties. The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (sometimes called the Children's Secretary) has to make sure services for children and young people work well. This Minister is in charge of making sure the services run by the Government and your council help all children to be healthy and safe, to enjoy life and do well in education, to get involved in society, and to have a good standard of living. CRAE tries to make sure all Government Ministers, especially the Children's Secretary, protect children's human rights.
Children and young people’s rights are important. Some people think they are there but don’t matter, while others don’t even know they exist. Spread the word!
Charley-Louise, Get ready for Geneva website and communications team 9
How an idea becomes a law An important part of protecting children’s human rights is making sure that the laws passed by Parliament respect children and young people, and are in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Do you know how a law is made? Idea
Parliament
An idea for a new law comes up. This might come from the Government, MPs and Peers, a think tank, the media, charities, a piece of research, or something that has happened recently.
The Bill then goes through lots of different stages in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Most Bills can start in either the Commons or the Lords. All Bills have to go through their different stages in both Houses.
Green Paper The Government sets out its plans in a document called a Green Paper. A Green Paper is used to get people talking about the Government‘s plans. The ideas can still be changed at this stage. Consultation
There should then be a consultation (which should last for at least 12 weeks). This lets people tell the Government how its plans will affect their lives. Charities, the public, and children and young people all have a chance to say what they think about the Government’s plans.
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There is not always a Green Paper or a White Paper before a Bill is written. White Paper The Government then brings out a White Paper, setting out its final plans. These might be different from the plans in the Green Paper if lots of people said the same things in the consultation. The ideas in the White Paper are then used to write a Bill (a new law).
The different stages are: The first reading The Bill is presented to Parliament. Once this has happened, Peers and MPs can read the Bill in full.
The second reading The Minister in charge of the Bill starts a debate, where the main ideas in the Bill are talked about. The Bill is then voted on. If enough MPs vote against the Bill (perhaps because they don’t agree with it, or they don't think it is needed), the Bill doesn’t go any further through Parliament. If enough MPs vote for the Bill, it will go on to the committee stage.
Royal assent Once the Bill has been through all these stages in Parliament, it is given royal assent by the Queen. The Bill then becomes a law and is known as an Act of Parliament.
Passage through the other House
The Bill goes through the same stages as in the first House. If there are any changes made to the Bill in the second House, the Bill has to go back to the House where it started so they can vote on the new changes. This is sometimes called ‘ping pong’!
The committee stage A committee of MPs from all political parties look at the Bill in detail. The committee then says what changes (called amendments) should be made. Different amendments are voted on. After the committee stage is over, the new version of the Bill is printed.
The third reading There is a vote to either accept or reject the Bill. The third reading includes a debate. This is the last chance for MPs (or Peers if the Bill started in the House of Lords) to see the Bill before it goes to the other House.
The report stage The changed Bill is presented to Parliament. If MPs don’t agree with the changes made by the committee, new changes can be made. Sending a whole Bill back to the committee to be debated again doesn’t happen very often.
Charities like CRAE often work on Bills at all these different stages. We try to encourage MPs, Peers and Ministers to make changes so that every new law protects and improves children’s rights.
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Questions you might be asked about children’s rights… What are children's rights?
Children's rights are a set of things that all children and young people should have, no matter how old they are or where they come from. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international treaty (agreement) that gives children and young people over 40 major human rights. It has been signed by all the Member States (countries) of the UN except the US and Somalia.
How old do children have to be before their views must be listened to?
There is no age from which children have the right to be heard and taken seriously: this right belongs to all children. Article 12 of the UN Convention says that any child that has a view has the right to express it in all things that affect him or her, and that their views must be taken seriously, taking into account their age and maturity.
Can children go to court if their rights are ignored?
Children and young people can’t go to court if their rights under the UN Convention are ignored, because the Convention is not yet part of the law in the UK. The UN also doesn’t have a complaints system especially for children’s rights (although this may change).
Some rights in the Convention have been written especially for children that need extra protection from bad treatment or discrimination, including disabled children, children living away from home, young refugees, and children in trouble with the law.
Children and young people can go to court if their rights under UK law are ignored. These include rights under the Human Rights Act 1998; their rights in education, health and social services; and their right not to be discriminated against.
Why do children have human rights?
Judges should also take the UN Convention into account when they’re making decisions because it is an international law the Government has agreed to follow.
Children have human rights because they are human. They have their own treaty to make sure they can have a really good childhood.
Why should children have rights when they don’t have responsibilities?
Human rights don’t depend on how someone behaves or how many responsibilities they have – they belong to everyone just because they are human. Lots of children have responsibilities, such as jobs, looking after family members, and going to school or college. They also have the responsibility to respect other people’s human rights.
CRAE can give you information about getting legal help if you need it. Contact us on 020 7278 8222 or at info@crae.org.uk
We must do all that we can to improve the rights of children, and the first thing that we should do is start listening to what children themselves have to say. I’m in alliance with the children.
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Benjamin Zephaniah, a poet, novelist and playwright
Why do children and young people need to know about their rights?
Children need to know about their rights so they know how they should be treated, how they should treat others, and what they are entitled to.
How well does England respect children’s human rights?
Although the Government does a lot of good things for children and young people’s well-being, and tries to make sure they can have their say, lots of children and young people don’t benefit from this. Not all children are treated equally. When the UN Committee checked how the Government was doing on children’s rights in 2002, it made 78 recommendations about how the Government could do better. In 2007, a report from UNICEF (a UN organisation dedicated to children’s human rights) found that the UK was the worst out of the 21 richest countries for how well children are treated and how happy they feel.
What does the Children’s Commissioner do for children’s rights?
The Children’s Commissioner has to make sure people listen to the views of children and young people in England and take them seriously. The Commissioner uses the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as the guide for doing this, but is not in charge of putting it into practice.
What does the UN do for children’s rights? The UN makes sure that the governments that have signed up to the UN Convention do all they can to make sure children and young people can enjoy their rights. It also checks on other human rights treaties that protect children.
Find out more www.getreadyforgeneva.org.uk/ childrens_rights
Every year, CRAE looks at how well the Government protects children’s rights. We think the Government could do a lot more to put the UN Convention into practice in England.
Who in the Government is responsible for protecting children's rights?
The Department for Children, Schools and Families is in charge of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. But the Government doesn’t have a national plan in place to make sure children’s rights are respected and protected.
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A few words you might find useful…
Freedom of association Having the freedom to meet with people who have views, interests, and other things in common with you.
Advocacy To support or suggest an idea or way of doing things, or to help someone get their voice heard.
Lobbying Trying to persuade someone else that your opinions or ideas are the right ones.
Children and Young People’s Plan Every council has to have a plan to make sure all services for children and young people work together well to give them the best chances in life. These services include doctors, hospitals, social services, schools, community groups, youth services and the police. Children and young people should be part of putting together this plan.
Local authority This is another name for a local council.
Concluding observations Recommendations made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child for governments to improve the way they put children’s rights into practice.
Policy A set of ideas or a plan about what to do on a particular issue.
Consultation Asking people their views on something, for example on a particular issue, or for comments on a service they have used. Democracy A system of government based on freedom and equality, where the power is either held by representatives who have been elected, or by the people themselves. Discrimination Discrimination is treating someone unfairly because of something about them, like their age, disability, gender, race, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.
Member of Parliament (MP) The public vote for the politicians they want to run the country. The winning politician in each area (or constituency) then becomes a Member of Parliament (MP).
Ratifies This is when a country agrees to be bound by international law, for example ‘the UK Government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991’. United Nations The United Nations (UN) was set up in 1945 to keep international peace and security, to develop friendships between nations, to help to solve international problems, to promote respect for human rights, and to encourage different countries to work together. 192 countries are members of the UN. Check out the Get ready for Geneva children’s rights dictionary for more useful explanations. www.getreadyforgeneva.org.uk/childrens_rights/ jargon_buster
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Taking action FOR CHILDREN's RIGHTS
10 top tips for taking action....................................................16 Who’s in charge of where I live?...........................................17 Who can help me campaign for children’s rights?............18 Talking to the decision-makers.............................................20 Making a children’s rights pledge.........................................20 Meeting your local decision-makers.....................................20 An example letter..................................................................21 Investigating your children’s rights issue............................22 Keeping track of your activities............................................25 Your meeting record sheet....................................................25 Your children’s rights actions................................................26
What you can do You’ll find lots of ideas here about things you can do to spread the word about children’s rights, and how you can encourage decisionmakers to listen to what children and young people have to say. You can find out how to write a good press release, read our top tips for taking action, and learn more about how your local council works. We think the best people to take action on children’s rights are children and young people. That’s why our children’s rights champions are working so hard to get their voices heard.
Today I spoke to the UN General Assembly about a child’s perspective on life in the UK. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to speak to all the world’s leaders and have my voice heard.
Iqra, Get ready for Geneva steering group, December 2007
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Ten top tips for taking action 1 T ake a stand on the things that matter to you Have you ever felt inspired to take action to change something? 2 S tart small Work out what children’s rights mean for you, and for children and young people where you live.
Some campaign ideas
There are lots of children’s rights issues that you could campaign on in your local area. Here are some examples of campaigns that children and young people and CRAE have been involved in: • Campaigning for free travel for children and young people on local buses • Putting pressure on the local council to provide more play spaces for children and young people
3 K now what you want to change and why What can you do to make change happen in your area? Work out a step-by-step plan.
• Making sure children and young people are asked for their views when decisions are made that affect their school or the local community
4 F ind adults who can help you to speak out and make a difference Get the attention of your parents or carers, your teacher, your youth worker, social worker or participation worker. They can give you useful advice.
• Getting more counsellors in schools to make sure children and young people have someone they can talk to about any problems they have
5 Who are the champions for children’s rights where you live? Get them on your side. They can help you convince others how important children’s rights are.
• A national campaign to ban smacking and give children the same protection from assault as adults
6 Tell people about your campaign They can’t support you if they don’t know what you’re up to! 7 Find out which journalists write about children and young people Ask them to write an article about what you’re doing in your community to improve children’s rights. 8 G et other children and young people involved Talk to your school council and youth council. Speak to your Member of Youth Parliament. Get your classmates to sign a petition. Write letters to your MP or to your local newspaper. 9 Ask CRAE for advice if you need it Didn’t you know? That’s what we’re here for. 10 Don’t give up Making real change takes time.
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• Campaigning to improve the way the media represents children and young people
• Votes at 16 – a national campaign involving children and young people, and lots of children’s charities, to lower the voting age in England to 16 • Collecting evidence of age discrimination against children and young people, and presenting it to the Government, to make sure the law properly protects children and young people.
Who’s in charge of where I live? Laws are made by Parliament, but it is usually local councils that put these laws into practice.
How do local councils work?
Local councils are also called local authorities. They cover a particular area, which might include more than just your town – some cover whole counties! There are 150 local authorities in England. Councillors are in charge of the council. They are elected by the local community and make decisions about how the council spends its money and runs its services. The services the council runs include schools, youth clubs, social services, local parks and leisure centres, and local transport. Health services like hospitals and doctors' surgeries are run by Primary Care Trusts. These often cover bigger areas than local councils. The Director of Children’s Services is in charge of all local services for children and young people. These include schools, children’s homes, and services to keep children safe.
Where does my school fit in?
Most schools are managed by local councils, but can make their own decisions about how they are run. The headteacher is in charge of many of these decisions, for example how lessons are taught, and making sure students are safe and do well.
School governors decide how the whole school is run, and must make sure that any student who is or might be excluded from school is treated fairly. Governors can be parents, teachers, and people from the local community. Students can also become school governors, but they don’t have the same influence as adult governors.
What if I want to make a complaint?
Every council has slightly different ways for people to make complaints. You usually have to contact the service you want to complain about first. If you feel they haven’t dealt with your complaint properly, you should then talk to the council’s complaints manager. Most complaints have to be made in writing. Your council must make sure that everyone, including children and young people, knows what to do if they want to comment on or complain about a service they receive. If the council can’t sort out your complaint to your satisfaction, you can take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is independent and will look at both sides of the argument before making a decision. The Ombudsman has special investigators that deal with complaints from children and young people. Complaints about schools have to be made to the school governors, although the council can give you advice about how to do this. If you have a complaint about the school governors, this should be made to the Local Government Ombudsman. You can get information about making complaints from your local council. You can also find out more on the Local Government Ombudsman’s website: www.lgo.org.uk
We've got Get ready for Geneva posters on all the buses in our area.
Kevin and Sharon, Get ready for Geneva steering group
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Who can help me campaign for children’s rights? Think about the place where you live. > Who makes the decisions that affect your life? > Who’s got the power to help you change things? There are lots of adults who can help you to get your ideas to improve children’s rights heard by the people that can make change happen. They can also help you to tell others about children’s rights. Here are some of them:
The team at CRAE
We can help you to campaign for children’s rights, and to find some of the people we’ve listed here. Contact us on 020 7278 8222 or at info@crae.org.uk
Community worker
Community workers get people involved in local issues like preventing crime and making the neighbourhood a better place to live.
Connexions Personal Adviser
Connexions Personal Advisers work with young people to help them understand their education and employment choices.
Director of Children’s Services
There is a Director of Children’s Services in every local council. He or she is in charge of most of the services for children and young people in that area, including schools and social services.
Lawyer
Lawyers can help children and young people take a problem to court. To get help from a lawyer (this is called instructing), children and young people need to show they can understand their problem, and the consequences of any decision that a court might make.
Children’s rights officer
Children’s rights officers inform children and young people about their rights, and help them to get their voices heard. They usually work with children in care and children being helped by social services.
Last week I held a debate session in my college about children’s rights. It was a really exciting debate, a great way to publicise the project, and it was nice to see 60 people getting passionate about having their say.
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Lauren, Get ready for Geneva steering group
Local councillor
Councillors are local people elected to the local council. They make decisions about what the council does and how its money is spent. Councillors are called elected members.
Member of Parliament (MP)
Social worker
Social workers help children and young people to get the most from life and to be safe. The law says that social workers must take a child or young person’s wishes and feelings into account before making any decisions about their lives.
An MP represents the views of the people living in his or her area (constituency) in Parliament. You can write to MPs, and visit them in their local office (you may need an appointment). MPs can write letters on your behalf to people in power, and ask questions in Parliament.
Teacher
Find out who your MP is: www.theyworkforyou.com
Youth workers run clubs and activities for young people. They often help them decide what changes they want to see in their local area, and how they can make those changes happen.
Parent or carer
Your parent or carer can be a great person to go to for advice about how to promote children’s rights where you live.
Participation worker
Participation workers help children and young people to get involved in decision-making. They can be found in councils, hospitals, charities, museums, and lots of other organisations.
Don’t forget your teachers. They’re easy to get hold of, and can help you to tell people in your school about children’s human rights.
Youth worker
Before you talk to these people, ask yourself: > Can this person help me to get the change I want? > What exactly do I want them to do?
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Talking to the decision-makers An important part of being a Get ready for Geneva children’s rights champion is getting a local decisionmaker to make a children’s rights pledge that will improve the lives of at least 30 children and young people.
What’s a decision-maker?
A local decision-maker is someone who makes choices that affect children, young people and adults in your local community. Some decision-makers you might want to talk to are: The editor of your local newspaper An adult who employs a lot of young people in the area you live in Your headteacher Your MP
Your doctor
Your local councillor The Director of Children's Services A faith leader
What’s a children’s rights pledge?
A children’s rights pledge is a public promise to make something better for children and young people. A pledge should say: • What the promise is, and how the decision-maker plans to achieve it • How many children and young people the pledge will help • How long it will take them to fulfil their pledge • What article in the UN Convention their pledge is related to (you can help them with this by using the information in this pack). Decision-makers can make their pledges online at: www.getreadyforgeneva.org.uk/take_action/ childrens_rights_pledges
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But first things first… Before you can get a local decision-maker to make a pledge, you need to tell them about your campaign for children’s rights.
Meeting your local decision-makers
The first thing to do is decide which children’s rights issue you want to campaign on. Then, find out which local decision-maker can best help you make change happen. Get in touch with them to ask for a meeting – this could be by telephone, letter or e-mail. When you contact your decision-maker 1 Introduce yourself. 2 Be clear about what you want them to do and why. It's useful to write down the things you want to talk about, especially if you are making a phone call. 3 If you’re writing a letter or an e-mail, ask for a reply. 4 Send them information about children’s rights and the issue you’re campaigning on. When you meet your decision-maker 1 Tell them what you want them to do and why. 2 Be informed – have evidence to back up your case. 3 Share your ideas about what changes could be made. 4 Ask them if they will make a children’s rights pledge to support your campaign. After your meeting 1 Write to the decision-maker to thank them for meeting you. Include a summary of the things you talked about and decided at the meeting. 2 If your decision-maker made a pledge, ask for a second meeting to find out about the progress they’re making. 3 If your decision-maker didn’t make a pledge, think about what else you might need to do to convince them. 4 Tell CRAE about your meeting – send us a copy of the record sheet on page 25.
Check out our top tips for taking action on page 16 for more ideas on making an impact!
An example letter to your local decision-maker
This is a letter you could use to write to your local decision-maker. It's only an example, so add in your own ideas in the orange sections to make it work for your campaign. Your decision-maker’s name Your decision-maker’s address Your address Your e-mail address (optional) The date Dear name My name is your name here and I am your age here. I’m working on a project called Get ready for Geneva with the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, where children and young people are working together to campaign for children’s rights to be better protected and respected in England. We are also helping monitor how well the Government puts the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice. The UN Convention is an international treaty that gives over 40 major rights to children. I’d like to have a meeting with you to talk about how children’s rights are being respected locally, and about the changes I think need to be made. I would also like to ask you to make a public pledge to improve the rights of local children and young people. Put some more details about your children’s rights issue here Please let me know if this would be possible. If you’d like to find out more, please visit our website at www.getreadyforgeneva.org.uk. Yours sincerely Sign your name here
Tip: MPs have two addresses you can write to. One will be their office in their constituency (where you live). The other is at the House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA.
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Investigating your children’s rights issue Before you start taking action on children’s rights in your area, it can be useful to do your own research to support your campaign.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to show you how. Decide on your topic What matters to children and young people where you live? Are all their rights being respected?
For example: • You might think that children and young people are discriminated against just because of their age… and want to find out more. • Y ou might think that there aren’t enough places for children and young people to play – do other children and young people agree? If you don’t know what the issues are in your area, use your research to find out. You could ask children and young people about their experiences at home, at school and in the community. This will help you find out what problems they face. One of these things could then become the focus for your campaign. Do some background research Once the researcher (that’s you) has decided on a topic, they carry out background research to find out more about it. Check out articles online and in local newspapers. Find out if anyone else is campaigning on the issue. Have any useful reports been published? Decide who you need to talk to Once you’ve done your background research, decide who you should talk to to find out more. This might be: • C hildren and young people at your school or college • Members of your local youth council • P articular groups of children, such as refugees, disabled children and young people, children in care, or children of a certain age (for example, under-11s) • L ocal decision-makers, or adults who work with children and young people. 22
Decide what questions you’re going to ask Whether you’re doing a questionnaire or a focus group, you’ll have to decide what questions to ask. Here are some examples of the sort of questions you might ask in a focus group: • Do you feel safe when you hang out with your friends? • What do you think would improve respect between older and younger people? • What, if anything, do you know about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child? Questionnaires are useful for asking multiple choice questions. These can give you a very clear picture of the situation: • Do you think the police treat children and young people seriously, and with respect? Tick one answer: Yes Sometimes No I’m not sure. • On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 = very unhealthy and 5 = very healthy), how healthy is the food provided in your school or college? 1 2 3 4 5 Tip: Don’t ask too many questions. You'll get much better results if you just concentrate on the things you really need to know. Decide how you will find out what they think
There are lots of different ways to carry out research. You can use questionnaires, or talk to people in research interviews (called focus groups). Questionnaires can work well, but younger children and children who find it hard to get their views across (perhaps because of a disability) might prefer to talk to you or to have their say in more creative ways.
Prepare your questions Put your questions into a questionnaire if you are doing a survey, or write out your questions for a focus group. Add a sentence at the top to explain why you’re doing the research. If you are running a focus group, you can read this out before you start. Doing your research Before you begin, you should always explain why you’re doing the research, and that people can choose not to answer any question that makes them feel uncomfortable. If you are running a focus group, you’ll need to take notes. If you decide to tape record your group, you must ask your participants for permission first. Analysing your findings
When all your questionnaires are filled in and your focus groups are over, it’s time to work out what the answers people have given show. This is called analysis. It is easiest to do your analysis one question at a time, writing a summary of answers for each question. Keep an eye out for things that come up time and time again – these will be the key themes of your findings.
Spreading the word
Think about how you can use your findings to campaign for change. You can present them in any way you like (for example in a report, a poster, or at an event), but you must be clear about: • What your research was and who you spoke to • What you found out • What you want to happen next.
Making recommendations An important part of doing research on children’s rights is making recommendations about how things can be improved. This is what the UN does when it checks how well governments are putting children’s rights into practice. Read through your findings and decide who needs to do what to improve the situation. CRAE can help you do this.
Tip: Don’t forget to include your background research in your analysis. It can be useful evidence to support your campaign.
The next step is to think about how to tell local decision-makers about your research – check out our ideas for promoting children’s rights on page 27.
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Top research tips 1 A lways introduce your research. It’s important that people understand why you’re doing it and what their views will be used for. 2 L imit your questions. 5 or 10 are usually enough to find out what you need. 3 Think carefully about which research method you're going to use. Some people might like to tell you what they think through a questionnaire, others might want to talk to you in an interview, and some might like to use the arts to have their say.
4 Remember, your research is about other people’s views and experiences. Even if you don’t agree with them, you must give everyone the chance to have their say. 5 S ome people can find it hard to share their views in front of others, especially in a focus group. Encourage everyone to have their say by asking each person what they think about every question. oing analysis can take a lot of time. When you're 6 D deciding who to talk to and what questions to ask, think about how much time you have to analyse the answers.
I want to find out about things going wrong for children around the world and try to fix them.
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Cory, Get ready for Geneva children’s rights investigator
Meeting record sheet It can be useful to keep a record of the decision-makers you meet so that you can track your campaign’s progress. Your name
Did your decision-maker ask you any questions that you weren’t sure how to answer?
Your local area / constituency Name of your decision-maker
What were these?
Date of meeting What you planned to talk to the decision-maker about
What will you do next?
What you actually talked about in the meeting
What did your decision-maker think about your issue? You can download this record sheet from the Get ready for Geneva website: www.getreadyforgeneva.org.uk/take_action What did your decision-maker agree to do?
Send this form back to CRAE to let us know what you’ve been doing, and to tell us what help you need to make change happen! Children's Rights Alliance for England 94 White Lion Street London N1 9PF info@getreadyforgeneva.org.uk
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Remember to tell CRAE what you’ve been doing to improve the lives of children and young people in your area. You can send us a copy of this sheet, e-mail us at info@ getreadyforgeneva.org.uk, or update your blog on the Get ready for Geneva website.
The job of a children’s rights champion is to take action on children’s rights. You can keep a track of what you’ve been doing here. Date
My children’s rights actions Who I met / what I did
What happened
Getting your voice heard Promoting children’s rights isn’t just about telling people about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It’s about telling them what you’ve been doing to make sure children’s rights are respected. Start small. Tell your family, your friends, your classmates, your teachers, and your youth workers about children’s human rights. Give out information about children’s rights in your school, college or youth group.
Get a bit louder. Write a press release, or an article
for your local newspaper. Design a poster. Meet with your local decision-makers and ask them to make a public pledge to support children’s rights. Write a blog on the Get ready for Geneva website.
Shout it out! Hold a children’s rights event for
children and young people where you live. Send out details about your event far and wide, so that as many children and young people as possible hear about it.
5 simple actions you can take................................................27 How do I get the word out?.....................................................28 Telling the media about children’s rights.............................29 Writing a press release............................................................30 Speaking in public....................................................................32
5 simple actions you can take on children’s rights 1 Get a friend to join the Get ready for Geneva website, and help them to get active on human rights. 2 Start an avalanche! Tell 5 children and young people about children’s rights, and get them to pass it on. 3 Ask your teacher if you can talk about your children’s rights campaign. 4 Does your college have debates? Make human rights a talking point. Get things moving by starting a petition, or by using notice boards to spread the word. 5 Convince your school council or youth council to support your campaign to improve children’s rights where you live.
Tell CRAE all about what you’ve been doing by posting a blog on the Get ready for Geneva website: www.getreadyforgeneva.org.uk/take_action
Society is getting a lot better at expressing the views of minority groups but it is very rare that young people are considered as a minority group in their own right. Young people need to be empowered to make a real difference in decision-making.
Dominic, Get ready for Geneva children’s rights investigator
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How do I get the word out? A good way to spread the word about children’s rights is by making your own publicity materials. Children’s rights champions have been designing leaflets, posters and magazines to tell children and young people about their rights. They’ve been posting information to their social networking sites to tell their friends about their campaigns.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to making your own publicity materials. Who is it for?
Your design should capture the imagination of your audience. You might want to use different words and pictures, or make a certain type of publication depending on who your information is for: young children, teenagers, or adults. Decide on your main message What do you want people to know? Keep it short and to the point. Use a headline to catch people’s attention. Use the Get ready for Geneva logo You could also design your own logo. This will let people know what you’re campaigning for. It will also help them recognise information about your campaign. Use pictures These could be drawings, photographs or computer images. If you didn’t make them, you must make sure you have permission to use them. Contact details
Put CRAE’s contact details and the Get ready for Geneva website address on your publicity. You'll find this information on the back of this pack. People will then have somewhere to go if they want to find out more. Never put your personal contact details on your publicity materials.
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So, I’ve made my leaflets and posters. What do I do now?
You need to make sure your information is somewhere people will see it. This could be on a website you already have. You could also leave information in local shops, restaurants, cafés, youth clubs, libraries, schools and leisure centres. If you decide to do this, make sure you ask permission from the people in charge. You could ask your local council to put your information into the council magazine – this is usually sent to all households in the area.
Telling the media about children’s rights Sending information to newspapers, magazines, radio stations and TV companies about what you’ve been doing can be a great way to spread the word about children’s rights. The easiest way to do this is to write a press release.
What’s a press release?
A press release is a written sheet sent to the media about a story you want them to write about. Tip: It can be useful to get in touch with a journalist before you send them a press release. They will then know who you are, and are more likely to write about your story.
Top tips for writing press releases 1 Editors (people in charge of newspaper stories) get lots of press releases and only read them if they’re short and to the point. Only include the most important information – they’ll get in touch if they need to know more. 2 Put yourself in the editor’s shoes. Their job is to make a newspaper or magazine that people want to read – your press release has to be interesting. 3 Can you link your story to other things that are happening? This will give the journalist more reasons to write about your story. 4 Don’t use jargon – you know how much you hate it? Well, reporters do too! 5 Connect your story to the articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This will help you spread the word about children’s rights.
I got involved to make a difference in young people’s lives, and make sure they get all the rights they deserve.
Eni, Get ready for Geneva steering group
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Your step-by-step guide to writing a press release Do your research Who are you going to send your press release to? Your local paper? The magazine for the local council? A national newspaper or radio station?
Know why you’re writing it You might write a press release because: • You’ve got a decision-maker to make a pledge to improve children’s rights
Finding out more Every press release should have information about where the journalist can find out more if he or she wants to write a story. You should never write your personal details on a press release. Instead, you could: • Set up a separate e-mail address for press enquiries • Ask an organisation you belong to (this could be your school, youth centre, or another group you’re involved in) if you can use their contact details • Send a copy of the press release to CRAE and use our contact details. You can find these at the back of this pack.
• You’re running an event on children’s rights
Getting it published
• The Get ready for Geneva project has reached an important stage
Put the date on your press release. You should also say whether you want your story published straight away (write ‘for immediate release’), or on a date in the future (this is called ‘embargoed until’).
• The decision-makers in your area have done something good for children’s rights • The decision-makers in your area are ignoring children’s rights. Tip: You can help journalists find good stories by telling them how children and young people are making change in their communities. The key message Decide on your key message. This is the one thing you want people to remember about your story.
The headline Every press release should have a catchy headline to grab the journalist's attention. This should be less than ten words long, and have your key message in it. Your first paragraph
Check it
Check your press release. Will it make sense to someone who doesn’t know about children’s rights? Is all the information correct? Are there any spelling mistakes? Notes to the editor Most press releases end with ‘notes to the editor’. This is background information that the journalist might need to write their story. This could be information about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child or Get ready for Geneva. Your second paragraph Your second paragraph will give more details about your story. It can be useful to include a quote here – from a young person or from CRAE. Make sure you have permission to use the quote.
Your first paragraph should include your key message and a summary of your story.
Your press release is ready to go! 30
Check out CRAE’s press release about an exciting event for children and young people in New York. You can use this as a starting point for your own press release.
Press Release For immediate release: Tuesday 11 December 2007
World Fit for Children +5 – young people at the UN
Two young volunteers from the Get ready for Geneva project, Alex and Iqra, are in New York this week as part of the UK Government’s delegation to the United Nations’ World Fit for Children +5 event. World Fit for Children +5 has been organised to measure the progress made by UN Member States to make the world a better place for children since the Special Session on Children in 2002. It will take place in New York, and include discussions on issues affecting children, such as HIV/AIDS, health, education, and staying safe. Speaking from New York, Alex said: ‘As a child brought up in care, I have learned about children’s rights. I’ve tried to do as much as possible as I want other children to know their rights. I feel it is my duty to do something about it.’ Forty children and young people from around the world have been invited to attend the event. After the first day of meetings, Iqra said: ‘It was great meeting delegates from all around the world and between us we spoke over 20 languages from 53 countries.’ The UN Secretary General will present a report on the progress towards the World Fit for Children goals at the UN General Assembly session this week. More details Contact the Children’s Rights Alliance for England on 020 7278 8222 or at info@getreadyforgeneva.org.uk Notes for editors 1 The UN World Fit for Children +5 event takes place from 9th to 12th December. 2 At the 2002 Special Session on Children, UN Member States agreed 21 goals to achieve for children in the next 10 years. These were called A World Fit for Children, and included protecting the legal rights of children. 3 The Children’s Rights Alliance for England is an alliance of more than 380 organisations committed to putting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child fully into practice in England. 4 Get ready for Geneva is funded by the Big Lottery Fund. It involves children and young people in the international reporting process for the UN Convention, and supports them to campaign for change at local, national and international levels.
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Speaking in public
On the day…
Giving a speech can inspire others to learn more about children’s rights and to get involved in campaigning for change.
• Try not to read from your notes without looking up at all
A great way to get your voice heard is to speak at local events and meetings. You could get involved in your youth or school council, at community meetings, and at your school or college. Get ready for Geneva children’s rights champions have been giving presentations at national and local events. They have also been supported by their schools and colleges to run citizenship lessons for other students, and assemblies on children’s rights. Giving speeches can be challenging and even a bit frightening. So here are some tips from other children’s rights champions to help you out.
• Check out where you’ll be speaking – this will help you feel less nervous • Make eye contact with your audience – this will help to keep their attention • Make sure your audience can hear you, and don’t talk too fast • Be enthusiastic! Remember, your audience want to hear what you have to say.
What are you waiting for? Get out there and get your voice heard!
Prepare well…
• Find out who you will be speaking to. Adults, children or young people? MPs, or people who work for the local council? This can help you make your speech really relevant • Research your facts • Think about what inspired you to get involved in children’s rights, and use your own experiences • Tell your audience why children’s rights matter to you • Have a great first and last sentence – this is what most people remember • Think in advance about the questions the audience might ask • Practise, practise, practise!
I feel that young people should have a say in issues that affect them.
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Rakhee, Get ready for Geneva website and communications team