Just for Kids Law is one of the leading UK charities in monitoring government compliance with national and international children's rights laws. Much of our rights monitoring work is delivered through the Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), which became part of Just for Kids Law in 2015.
CRAE works with over 100 members to promote children’s rights and monitor government implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. CRAE fights for children’s rights by listening to what children say, carrying out research to understand what children are going through and challenging those who violate children’s rights. CRAE campaigns for the people in power to change things for children – and we empower children and those who care about children to push for the changes that they want to see.
Following up on the recommendations the government received from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2016 is a core focus of our rights monitoring work. We monitor progress, identify areas of concern and make further recommendations for government action through our regular State of Children's Rights reports. We co-chair the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Action Group with the Department for Education, with whom we have developed a Civil Service Learning online training programme on children’s rights. This has helped to raise awareness and understanding of the UNCRC across Whitehall. We have also worked with government officials to develop a template for carrying out child rights impact assessments.
We also regularly cooperate with international rights monitoring bodies. In 2018 we engaged with the UN Special Rapporteurs on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights during their official visits to the UK. Our engagement ensured that both End Of Mission Statements clearly highlighted key child rights issues, including the disproportionate number of BAME children excluded from school. And as a key member of the Children and Brexit Coalition we work to ensure that there is no weakening of children’s rights protections as a result of leaving the European Union.
