Protection of human rights in an independent Scotland

Stephen Richard — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 21:21:43 +0000

Protection of human rights in an independent Scotland Stephen Richard Mon, 10/18/2021 - 22:21

Author or Creator

Scottish Government

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that everyone has. They are what allows us to walk down the street, speak to our friends and go to work. In fact, almost everything we do in our daily lives is because we have our human rights.

The rights themselves are based on core principles like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and autonomy. When they are properly put in place in society they allow us to live a dignified human life.

Here, we’re lucky that Scottish and UK law means that human rights should be part and parcel of the way government and services behave and do their job. Acting as a cornerstone of a healthy democracy, human rights make sure that the government plays fair by giving people a voice. They’re a safety net for everyone.

So what are my human rights?

Human rights cover things that we probably all take for granted. They allow us to live, marry and have families. They also include civil and political rights. They let you have an opinion and voice it, they let you vote, celebrate your beliefs and get a fair hearing should you ever need one. And they cover economic, social and cultural rights which covers things that are much more day to day. They are there to make sure you have an adequate standard of living, don’t go hungry, ensure you have access to water and sanitation and have access to healthcare.

All of this is built on an original document called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.

Learn more about your rights

And how are they protected?

Here in Scotland, your human rights are protected in a number of different ways. Some rights are protected by the Human Rights Act, which incorporates most of the European Convention of Human Rights into our legal system. The Convention is also embedded into the Scotland Act, which makes sure that the people in charge act according to those rights in any action they take. In Scotland, we also have access to other human rights because the UK has signed up to various international human rights treaties. The way it works is that most civil and political rights are protected under the Human Rights Act, whilst Economic, Social and Cultural Rights are covered by international treaties. It’s worth noting that while Economic, Social and Cultural Rights can’t be claimed through the courts, the Government has a responsibility to make sure you still enjoy these rights as far as they possibly can.

Sources and Links

https://www.gov.scot/policies/human-rights/

Keywords

Human rights

Human Rights Act

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Child Care or Caring About Children?

Stephen Richard — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 06:40:12 +0000

Child Care or Caring About Children?

Primary Author or Creator

Marion Macleod

Stephen Richard Mon, 09/06/2021 - 07:40

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Common Weal

Date Published

Sun, 09/05/2021 - 12:00

Category

Social welfare

Women

Type of Resource

Policy Paper

Fast Facts

Few in politics and in government now dispute the central importance of getting support for children in their early years right if we want to create a wellbeing economy with healthy and productive citizens in the future. But, in reality, Scotland has a system of support for children in their early years which is a patchwork of initiatives, fixes, legacy services and omissions. What we do not have is a single, well thought- through integrated service. This is what Scotland’s children need. This report will highlight the problems in the system as it is and propose how they can be fixed and a comprehensive, integrated system introduced as part of a comprehensive, all-ages National Care Service.

More details

Get the policy context right

― Children’s right to a good start in life should be at the heart of policy with clear and specific entitlements reflecting the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

― Optimal child health and development should be the clear purpose of early years service provision – getting parents back to work is secondary

― Integrate governance and delivery of all early years provision from a single department or body at national level holding overall responsibility to holistic centres in all communities through local authorities

― Adapt the European social pedagogy degree for Scotland and incorporate its principles into work with young children and their families

― Upskill the entire early years workforce to degree-level qualification as there is a strong correlation between staff skill and children’s outcomes

― Emphasise secure attachment to primary care giver as central to everything the service does

― Introduce parenting and child development as a part of social education in all schools.

Ante-natal

― Invest in preconception health, education, counselling and care for all prospective parents

― Monitor family provision from first contact to make sure the home context is provided with the resources and support necessary to promote a child’s healthy development and learning

― Focus contact on relationship-building and trust not compliance and enforcement, with a single consistent point of contact throughout the early years

― Establish holistic and integrated family support centres in all communities, providing early education and care, child health advice and support, parent learning and opportunities for play and creativity

― Create residential support centres pre-birth for families with chaotic home lives, providing both stability, wellbeing support and training

― Focus on the rights of the child to a good and equitable early life experience and the role of parents as the primary protectors and safeguarders of these rights

― Ensure a generous parental leave option in both time and money

― Stress the importance of the father’s involvement and make that possible with equitable treatment.

Post-Natal

― Create an integrated system of financial social protection and high quality support services for parents and make sure this service means there are no essentials poor families cannot afford

― Services must be inclusive of all children with additional support needs of any kind

― Focus services on strengthening families so children are only taken into care as a last resort; investment in stabilising home life is more effective and sustainable

― Where taking a child into care is unavoidable minimise the disruption to that child, make the experience consistent and stable and work intensively to improve the home environment so the child can return quickly and successfully

Early Childhood

― All children and parents should have the right to early childhood education and care (ECEC), on up to a full-time basis, from the end of the period of parental leave entitlement, or earlier if family circumstances require this

― Both high quality family based care and group care should be provided; promoting attachment and resilience should be the foundation of any ECEC service and this in turn should provide the foundation for a new National Care Service

― Subsidise ECEC and make the cost to parents income related, with a maximum total cost for any family and free provision for those on the lowest incomes

― The public sector must be the primary provider and outsourcing must only happen where other providers can demonstrate the same quality and effectiveness (including future attainment, confidence, risk management, resilience, pro-social behaviour, cooperation and emotional health)

Kindergarden

― From age three, establish a kindergarten stage which emphasises play, creativity, exploration and social interaction, not formal attainment

― Children should remain in kindergarten until aged seven and commence formal education then; the school starting age should be changed to reflect this, in line with international evidence

Keywords

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Children

Child care

National Child Care Service

Language English