Children in Scotland acts upon the belief that children and
young people are important and valuable in the here and now (not
just for their potential contributions as adults). Accordingly,
we take a rights-based approach to children's policy. The UK
ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (UNCRC) years ago. The Scottish Government and Scottish
Parliament also have made clear their agreement with the UNCRC
and their intention to fully abide by it. However, the support
for the UNCRC in principle is not always matched in practice by
public agencies and institutions across Scotland. Much has been
accomplished, but more remains to be done. To read the UN
Convention of the Rights of the Child in it's entirety (54
Articles), click here. There is also a useful guide to the UNCRC
available from UNICEF at:
http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_understanding.html We find that
three UNCRC Articles are most often cited in child policy work
in Scotland. They are: Article 2: all UNCRC rights apply to all