This webinar explores the legal and service delivery implications for all Scottish public authorities of the implementation of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child into Scottish law. It will examine how public sector bodies - and anyone undertaking functions or providing services to children with public money - can meet the challenge of acting compatibly with the incorporated UNCRC requirements, reflecting them in their day to day running, culture and practices.
The UN articles will include requiring public authorities to make the best interests of children a primary consideration in their decision making and service delivery, with the obligation to protect children from violence, injury or abuse. They will also have to recognise the rights of children with disabilities to enjoy a full and decent life and to uphold children’s rights to an adequate standard of living. Complying with legislation is one thing, actively and successfully promoting children’s rights is another. So how do organisations get it right?
How will a proactive culture of everyday accountability for children’s rights across public services in Scotland be promoted? What will public bodies consistently acting to uphold the rights of all children in Scotland mean for the experiences of children, young people and their families? What are the implications of giving children, young people and their representatives the right to go to court to enforce their rights? How should public authorities and others covered by these UNCRC rights prepare for their implementation? What will rights and accountability mean for demand led service delivery?
Key points
Speaker, Trainer and Consultant in children's rights, former Children and Young People’s Commissioner (Scotland)
Chief Executive
CHAS
Head of Research, Policy & Participation
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Tam Baillie
Speaker, Trainer and Consultant in children's rights, former Children and Young People’s Commissioner (Scotland)
Tam has over 35 years experience working on children and young people’s issues.
In the initial stages of his career, Tam spent more than 20 years as a practitioner working with our most vulnerable children and young people. This practice provides a solid base for all of his future influencing work. Later, he influenced service delivery through the development of good practice and the re-provisioning of services. For the past 15 years he has been operating in positions where he is able to influence national and local policy, with progressively increased opportunities to engage in international activities. As a consequence, he has been involved in influencing activities through UN structures reporting on the UNCRC and has had the opportunity to influence children’s rights policies at European level through the European Commission and the Council of Europe.
He has been a manager and leader of staff and budgets for over 30 years, including raising necessary finances for developing services in various settings. He is experienced in dealing with national and local politicians and senior civil servants. He has extensive experience of public speaking and engaging with the press, radio and television media.
Tam was the Children and Young People’s Commissioner (Scotland) between May 2009 and May 2017.
With his role as the Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Tam had a duty to promote and safeguard the rights of children and young people in Scotland under the age of 18, or those under 21 if they have ever been in the care of a local authority.
The Commissioner had duties of:
Tam’s current activities include:
Tam also works a speaker, trainer and consultant in the field of children’s rights.
Rami Okasha
Chief Executive
CHAS
Rami Okasha was appointed Chief Executive of CHAS in September 2019 and formally took up the role February 2020. As Chief Executive Rami is responsible for providing strategic leadership of the organisation, and for ensuring that CHAS meets its statutory and service obligations. In his role as Chief Executive, Rami places a particular emphasis on the continued delivery of high-quality specialist palliative care, service transformation and developing a positive workplace culture.
Throughout the pandemic, Rami has been committed to leading CHAS to build effective and enduring relationships with partners and support staff and volunteers to be resilient in the face of uncertainty.
Prior to taking up the role of Chief Executive, Rami was Director of Transformation and Innovation at CHAS. In this role, Rami successfully led the development of CHAS's new strategy Reaching Every Family 2020-2023 which includes ambitious plans to continue CHAS's mission to reach every family in Scotland through developing its people, growing the organisation and influencing its partners.
Prior to joining CHAS, Rami was Executive Director of Strategy and Improvement at the Care Inspectorate, Scotland's largest scrutiny and improvement body. There, he was responsible for leading the Care Inspectorate's improvement support activities across the care sector, and directed approaches to scrutiny methodology, intelligence, organisational development, corporate reporting, involving people who experience care in decisions, communications and policy development. He co-led the development of Scotland's Health and Social Care Standards, working with people who use and provide care to ensure these are outcomes-focused, based on human rights and wellbeing, and person-led.
Rami is also a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Scotland Committee and is responsible for advising the Commission on its work in Scotland.
Meg Thomas
Head of Research, Policy & Participation
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Meg is head of Research, Policy & Participation with includem. Meg is a qualified Social Worker with 30 years of experience working with children, young people and families in a wide range of settings in both her homeland of Australia and her adopted home of Scotland.
Meg joined includem seven years ago as a Services Manager. She now uses her professional experience to influence includem’s policy and practice to ensure that the experiences and voices of those we support are at the heart of all we do and are amplified with policy makers and implementers.
When she is not at work, Meg likes to run and knit – thankfully not at the same time as is not that co-ordinated.
