Human rights are basic rights that each person in the world is entitled to. These rights apply regardless of age, race, gender and culture & beliefs, these are in place without any discrimination to anyone. Human rights are set out and can never be removed from an individual, they are defined and protected by law. Human rights apply to everyone from birth, through their childhood into their adult life right up until they die (What are Human Rights, 2017).
These rights are in place to protect everyone however this is not always the case. Human rights are not law however, they are protected by the Human Rights Act which is a UK law passed in 1998. This act allows humans to protect their rights in UK courts and makes sure everyone is treated fairly. (Human Rights Act, N.A)
Human rights have been recognized by all countries by 1948 when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration has 30 articles. One of these articles is the right to education, everyone has the right to education nobody can be denied their right to an education. Education is guaranteed legally without any type of discrimination. Early education is compulsory, and education for children should be free and help children develop and gain a better understanding of the world in which the live in as well as develop cognitively. (Universal declaration of human rights, N.A)
‘The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a legally-binding international agreement setting out the civil, political, economic, social & cultural rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities.’ (Save the Children, N.A)
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, otherwise known as UNCRC are rights that are solely in place for children as they are more vulnerable. There are 54 articles within that are in place to protect children’s rights, 43-54 are linked to how and what the government has done to protect children and their rights. All articles fall into categories Participation, Protection & Provision.
Article 19 from the UNCRC is ‘the right to be protected from being hurt or badly treated’. Children must be kept safe from harm and protected against violence. (Children & Young people’s commissioner Scotland, 2017). Within childcare establishments the way we would protect children from harm is by having security measures in place such as badge scanners, id badges and signing in/out books for visitors to the establishment. These measures ensure that it is controlled who is within the building, both staff & visitors. Other ways that we protect child from harm is through PVG checks with anyone who is working near children.
Article 24 in the UNCRC is ‘the right to the best health possible & to medical care information’. (Children & young people’s commissioner Scotland, 2017) Every child has the right to be as healthy as possible throughout life, they have the right to live a safe, healthy environment with good food and clean drinking water. Within a childcare establishment this would be provided through healthy snack options, milk & clean drinking water provided to the children throughout their day, information leaflets homes to parents to educated them further on healthy lifestyles. One of the main ways healthy life styles are promoted through education is through child smile helping children have healthy teeth, educating both children & parents on the importance of dental hygiene.
There are seven principles towards a children’s right approach these are ‘Dignity, participation, non-discrimination, interdependence & indivisibility, transparency & accountability, Life, survival & development and best in interests’ (UNICEF, N.A). Each principle is important in its own way however they all need to be implemented together to create a strong child rights framework.
The Seven principles are implemented within education establishments to make children’s rights the focus in everything that is done. An example of this would be the principle best in interest. With all educational establishments child centered approach is in place, care plans, observations, and child lead activities. All these things are in place to ensure the best interest of the child have been implemented, that support it in place to help the child in any way possible. The principle Life, survival & development supports the children’s rights article 6 which is ‘you have the right to life’ (Children & young people’s commissioner Scotland, 2017). This article gives children the right to be alive, survive and to develop through life and the principles states that each child can develop, thrive, achieve and flourish. Educational establishments set out to provide children with the best starts in life they educated them about the world in which they live in and great leadership will also ensure these children achieve the full potential.
Children’s rights are imbedded into placement in various ways, an example of this would-be Article 31 ‘you have the right to play’ (Children’s & young people’s commissioner, 2017). This right is provided with childcare establishments through Age & Stage appropriate resources, Child led & free flow this could be in the form of outdoor play or messy place in whichever way the child would like to participate in play. However even though children have the right to play rules and health & safety still should be followed in able to make a wide range of activities available to children. The environments in which children play are stimulating and engaging environments, the role of the practitioner within this would be a role model and encourage participation.
A piece of National legislation related to children’s rights and education is The Children & Young people (Scotland) Act 2014. The act sets how children and young people are cared and strengthens their rights as well encourage public bodies to recognize children rights and implemented them into their practice. It is in place to support children & young people, to spot any issues that children may be facing at an earlier stage rather than later in life when they have reached a crisis point. The act overall increases the powers of the Scottish Commissioner for children & young people, makes changes to early learning & childcare, provides extra help to looked after children and young people in care and provides free school meals for children in primary one to three. (Children & young people’s commissioner, N.A)
One of the key policies within Scotland that link in with this piece of legislation is GIRFEC ‘ Getting it right for every child ‘ The main principle of GIRFEC is everyone should be working together to create the best starts in life for all children across the board. Getting it right for every child is a National approach in improving outcomes and supporting the well-being of children & young people by offering the right help and the right time. The way in which this is being supported and brought into practice is by creating the role of the named person. In any childcare establishment there will be a named person who anyone can approach if they have any concerns what so ever about a child This many be regarding a child’s wellbeing or if they feel that they require so help or additional support in anyway. Getting it Right for every Child puts the rights and wellbeing of children & young people at the heart of all childcare establishments that supports children throughout their childhood. (Scottish Government, 2017).
This legislation and policy promotes children’s rights within early years as children under 18 are being protected within their childcare provision. Any decisions that are being made about a child’s wellbeing is ensured is for the best of the child, they are being protected from harm and being kept safe from violence while in an early year’s establishment through systems such as PVG Checks and security measures like access codes that are in place. All these factors are met by Childcare establishments to protect children & ensure they are being provided with the best starts and life as well as being supported throughout their childhood years. These Legislations & policy’s make it law that these need to be supported and put in place for children & young people.
There are many public issues that affect children & families such as substance misuse, poverty, domestic violence and child abuse. Poverty damages childhoods and damages life chances. Poverty has negative impacts on a child’s health, cognitive, social & emotional development as well as their behaviors. (Child poverty action Group, 2017). Children living in poverty miss out on events in life such as family holiday, having friends round and school trips. Within Scotland there is various charities that make people aware of poverty and provide help to those living in poverty. Some of these are Oxfam, Barnardo’s, save the children, UNICEF and Child poverty action group. Through these play sessions with parents and children are set to build relationships and provide support as well as foodbanks being available to these people to ensure children are provided for. Even though there are measures in place to help prevent poverty still today many families and children live in poverty.
Ethical issues that practitioners face in modern society is the attempt by parents & careers to friend their children’s practitioners on social media. Building and forming relationships with parents is a positive step in working together to ensure the needs of the child are being met however on the negative side of this parents become familiar with the staff and attempt to friend practitioners on social media. Practitioners need to keep their personal lives separate from their work life, and all interactions with parents must remain to face to face contact or over the phone from the education establishment.