1. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Finding out about the Convention The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed by all countries of the world (except the USA and Somalia), including the United Kingdom, in December 1991. It is an international human rights treaty that applies to all children and young people under the age of 18 years.

2. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Finding out about the Convention The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child gives children and young people a set of 40 comprehensive rights, including: Article 12 : The right to express and have their views taken into account on all matters that affect them Article 19 : The right be free from all forms of violence Article 31 : The right to play, rest and leisure

3. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Finding out about the Convention Some groups of children and young people, for example those living away from home and young disabled people, have rights to make sure that they are treated fairly and that their needs are also met. These rights include: Article 2: The right to be treated “without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s … race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.” Article 23: The right, as a mentally or physically disabled child, to enjoy a full and decent life.

4. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child “the institutions, services and facilities responsible for the care or protection of children shall conform with the standards established by competent authorities, particularly in the areas of safety, health, in the number and suitability of their staff, as well as competent supervision.” “the institutions, services and facilities responsible for the care or protection of children shall conform with the standards established by competent authorities, Implications for practice As an early years practitioner, Article 3 is very relevant to you. This states that: “the institutions, services and facilities responsible for the care or protection of children

5. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Implications for practice In relation to Article 3, discuss in class: 1)What are the safety features in this photograph? 2)What level of supervision would you advise in this scenario?

6. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Recognising children’s rights Article 24 of the UN Convention recognises: Unscramble the following words to identify factors that can affect a child achieving this right: tryvepo ropo ginsohu blancnuade tied lupootlin wordgincrove “the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health.” poverty poor housing unbalanced diet pollution overcrowding

7. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Recognising children’s rights Poverty, poor housing, pollution, overcrowding and an unbalanced diet can all contribute to children not enjoying the highest attainable standard of health. This is true for children in the United Kingdom as well as other countries that signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.