Update

Outcome 1 - Review of SOPs and Guidance/Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA)   

As outlined in previous updates to members, a CRIA is similar in format to an Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EqHRIA).  These assessments evaluate how a policy or decision affects children’s rights, with a view to prioritising and protecting these rights and will be used as the mechanism to assess children’s rights compliance within national policy and practice documents held across Police Scotland. 

In August 2024, the Policing Together Senior Leaders Team (PT SLT) determined at the Policing Together Management Board (PTMB), that the UNCRC Implementation Team would be responsible for the development of the CRIA document set.  Once complete, the Team would engage with the chair of the EqHRIA Improvement Group to transfer ownership.  It was further determined that the EqHRIA Improvement Group would then devise a CRIA governance process and finalise the document set to reflect this.  The EqHRIA Improvement Group would retain responsibility for the oversight of the governance of both EqHRIAs and CRIAs.  
 
This approach echoes ACC Duncan’s decision at the UNCRC SOB in February 2024 and PT SLT at the PTMB in August 2024.  Discussions to confirm a timeline in respect of the document set handover are ongoing with a date due to be identified imminently. 
 
In recognition of the absence of a formal CRIA process, the Implementation Team assessed national policies, guidance documents and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to identify any significant risks in respect of UNCRC compliance.  During 2022, policy owners of any document set identified as a “red risk” were contacted and informed and supplied with a draft CRIA. 

A secondary review has now been undertaken, and the Implementation Team is currently in the process of instigating contact with impacted SOP/Policy holders and providing the updated draft document set for their consideration.

This continued work will allow the organisation to apply the principles of UNCRC to our national policies and practices whilst the formal CRIA Governance Process is still under development by the EqHRIA Improvement Group.

Outcome 2 – Training/Awareness for Officers and Staff 

The Awareness Package has been delivered to officers and staff in the form of a 9-minute video detailing the purpose of UNCRC and how its enactment will impact the organisation. This is now published on the Force Intranet page and has been disseminated by all ACCs and Heads of Department.  The Implementation Team have engaged internally to monitor completion rates of the awareness package across the organisation with a national completion rate averaging 89.3%.  Whilst it is acknowledged that this figure is anecdotal, it is recognised as positive progress.

Outcome 3 – National Engagement Framework for Children and Young People 
 
The Implementation Team, in collaboration with the Strategy, Insight and Engagement Team have successfully recruited two Child Engagement Officers under the title Child Engagement Lead (Grade 7) and Child Engagement Officer (Grade 5) with the Child Engagement Lead in post and a start date for the Child Engagement Officer in the process of being agreed.  These members of staff will retain responsibility for the development of a National Children’s Participation and Engagement Model and will also support the    organisation to engage with children and young people during the CRIA process.   

The UNCRC Implementation Team have recently recruited a dedicated Child Rights Officer at Grade 5 level to provide a point of contact and support for those undertaking this new process whilst considering its impact on current policy and practice.