Child Impact Assessment Project
Child Impact Assessment involves the analysis
of proposed legislation to determine its likely effect on children
and young people based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the five outcomes for children
and young people under the Children Act 2004.
NCB and the Children's Legal Centre
were funded by the Nuffield Foundation over three years (Oct
2004 - Sept 2007) to undertake child impact assessment of several
Bills per year. Special consideration is given to Bills that
directly affect children, but where children are not specifically
considered. During the final year of the project, child
impact assessment work was transferred to the Office of the
Children's Commissioner.
Through the project we aimed to:
- Improve the understanding of children’s issues in Parliament
and Government
- Contribute to policy development for children
- Increase knowledge and awareness of international standards and
norms relating to children
- Contribute to the work of the new Children’s Commissioner and
report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child; and
- Identify issues which inhibit shared policy development across
Government departments.
The Child Impact Assessment was conducted in
three stages:
1. Analysis of Bills in relation to
existing provisions and as they are likely to affect children and
young people: child
impact statements.
2. Substantive legal scrutiny of selected Bills,
comparing provisions to other relevant legislation and policy
drives originating elsewhere in Government.
3. Seminars with
interested parties to discuss relevant issues arising from
legislative proposals and Bills.