I am delighted that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) will come into effect on 16th July.

UNCRC has long been the foundation of good youth work, ensuring a children’s human rights approach. It is built into the National Youth Work Outcomes and Skills Framework. It remains at the heart of what youth workers do and the mechanism practitioners use with children and young people to hold those in power accountable for budgets, community planning, and local service provision.

The sector has helped drive the UNCRC journey in Scotland from training and campaigns to partnership work, policy, influencing, and working directly with young people. As we call for the growth and protection of the youth work workforce, the sector has repeated its ask for a legal right to youth work, as the most direct route to delivering all UNCRC commitments and turning the Scottish Government’s flagship policy into a reality.

Youth workers educate young people about their rights, including specific rights such as education, protection from harm, and leisure and recreation. Based in the heart of our local authorities and across the third sector, youth workers are keenly positioned to empower young people to become advocates for their rights and the rights of others and to campaign for change effectively.

Participation is embedded in the non-formal youth work approach so practitioners can ensure that young people have a voice in the decision-making processes that affect them. Youth workers create platforms such as youth councils, forums, and workshops to discuss their views and experiences, helping to ensure that policymakers and stakeholders hear their voices. Youth workers are strategically positioned to train other professionals on how to incorporate the principles of the UNCRC into their practice.

Additionally, youth workers can help monitor the implementation of the UNCRC in local communities and report any violations of children’s rights. This can involve working with local authorities and other organisations to ensure compliance with the law. Youth workers often provide support to other services, supporting the most marginalised. So, by understanding the UNCRC, they can better advocate for all young people’s rights and ensure they receive appropriate services and support. Youth workers advocate through engagement with the broader community – promoting a culture of respect for children’s rights. This helps raise awareness and continued support.

YouthLink Scotland has a significant role in closing the policy and practice gap as a large membership organisation and intermediary. Alongside youth workers, we can contribute to developing policies that reflect the UNCRC principles through consultations, providing evidence and research, and communicating the impact of youth work in this policy space to policymakers. This can involve young people in research projects, examining the impact of the UNCRC and the effectiveness of its implementation, providing valuable insights and supporting evidence-based policy development.

Of course, all of this takes time and resources. YouthLink Scotland believes a significant step is being taken towards ensuring that the rights of children and young people are recognised and protected. However, youth work must be recognised as an equal essential partner in this process by raising awareness, promoting participation, providing education, supporting implementation, fostering collaboration, and influencing policy.

Youth workers are essential to young people and ensure their voices are heard, contributing to a more inclusive and rights-respecting society. Those crucial workers deserve our attention, too, because without that integral and respected sector’s influence, the ambition to deliver upon the aims of UNCRC will be stunted. So, if we want to get it right for young people, we must get it right for youth work.

It’s over to the local and national politicians and other key decisionmakers to make it happen.