Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Date: 1st May 2025
Category: Child rights impact assessments, Best interests of the child, Respect for the views of the child, Incorporation, Policy and strategy

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Together is pleased to be one of more than 110 organisations backing a joint parliamentary briefing ahead of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill Second Reading in the House of Lords on 1 May. 

The briefing—led by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), UNICEF UK and NSPCC, for the Children’s Charities Coalition—calls for two achievable but powerful changes to the Bill: 

• A statutory duty on Ministers to consider children’s rights 

• A requirement to publish Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIAs) for relevant policies and legislation 

These reforms would embed children’s rights into UK Government policymaking, in line with the UK’s international obligations. 

The briefing has been supported by many children’s charities across Scotland, who recognise that presents a valuable opportunity to embed children’s rights more firmly in decision-making processes across the UK. This includes decisions on reserved matters that affect children in Scotland – and which fall outwith the scope of the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. 

• Read the full briefing here.