Statutory Child Rights Impact Assessments

No formal response published by this government.

The government agrees with the importance of considering children's rights in policy making. Children's rights impact assessments (CRIAs) are used as a tool to identify how decisions taken, including those made during emergencies, could impact children. The Department for Education (DfE) will continue to build awareness and understanding of children's rights and the use of CRIAs across government.

The government does not intend to introduce legislation to make CRIAs a statutory requirement at this time. It is not evident that mandating CRIAs would necessarily lead to better outcomes for children. The risk of making CRIAs mandatory would be that it becomes a mechanical recitation of points, rather than a tool to ensure a meaningful focus on the interests of children and how to best support and mitigate negative impacts on them. The Module 2 report itself acknowledges the challenge of preparing a CRIA in a crisis response scenario, indicating that "many decision-makers might have felt there was insufficient time to conduct formal impact assessments".

With Module 8 hearings on the impact of the pandemic on children and young people now concluded, the government is considering how the voice of the child and the education and care sectors can be better incorporated into crisis planning and response. The government will consider the findings set out in the Module 8 report next year, as part of our work to strengthen this area.

In the meantime, DfE is working closely with the Cabinet Office and other government departments to better incorporate children and young people's interests into overall risk planning, including for pandemics. The government is also looking at how the impact of pandemic measures and other civil emergencies on children's education, childcare and safeguarding can be better considered in crisis prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and decision making.

The government agrees with the importance of considering children's rights in policy making. Children's rights impact assessments (CRIAs) are used as a tool to identify how decisions taken, including those made during emergencies, could impact children. The Department for Education (DfE) will continue to build awareness and understanding of children's rights and the use of CRIAs across government.

The government does not intend to introduce legislation to make CRIAs a statutory requirement at this time. It is not evident that mandating CRIAs would necessarily lead to better outcomes for children. The risk of making CRIAs mandatory would be that it becomes a mechanical recitation of points, rather than a tool to ensure a meaningful focus on the interests of children and how to best support and mitigate negative impacts on them. The Module 2 report itself acknowledges the challenge of preparing a CRIA in a crisis response scenario, indicating that "many decision-makers might have felt there was insufficient time to conduct formal impact assessments".

With Module 8 hearings on the impact of the pandemic on children and young people now concluded, the government is considering how the voice of the child and the education and care sectors can be better incorporated into crisis planning and response. The government will consider the findings set out in the Module 8 report next year, as part of our work to strengthen this area.

In the meantime, DfE is working closely with the Cabinet Office and other government departments to better incorporate children and young people's interests into overall risk planning, including for pandemics. The government is also looking at how the impact of pandemic measures and other civil emergencies on children's education, childcare and safeguarding can be better considered in crisis prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and decision making.