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Play is at the heart of all that we do at JOSS. The entire team is trained in Playwork.
Have you ever thought about what that means?
All our work is embedded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
It is a worldwide accepted charter of the rights of all children. Every UN country in the world has adopted it except the USA.
Scotland introduced the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill and here is some information from the website of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland which explains the importance of Scotland incorporating the UNCRC into law.
Incorporation of the UNCRC means it gets written into a country’s law at a national level, a level known as domestic law.
The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill was unanimously passed in Scottish Parliament on the 7th of December 2023.
On the 16th of January 2024, Royal assent was granted for the UNCRC Bill meaning it is now officially an Act. Most of its provisions came into force on the 16th July 2024.
The granting of royal assent marks the final step of making the Bill into an Act of the Scottish Parliament.
When a Convention is incorporated into Scots law, it has more power to bring about change. Often, this happens through cultural change. But this is underpinned by the fact the law can be used in Scottish courts.
Children and young people have been at the forefront of campaigning for incorporation for more than a decade.
They have said time and time again that putting their rights into law is an important demonstration of how Scotland values children and young people. They have told us:
“Incorporation of the UNCRC is so important because we need to show children and young people in Scotland today that their rights are serious, they are meaningful, and they are set out in law.”
“By putting the UNCRC into law, it shows children that the government and local authorities and other public bodies will take them seriously and do care about their rights.”
“Knowing that our rights are coming into law, knowing we are being listened to, and knowing we are being taken seriously by the people in charge, gives more power to young people.”
Now let’s focus on the articles. Here is the link to a simplified version of them – Child Rights | The Rights of Children and Young People – CYPCS. Each article is important but for now let’s focus on Article 31- the Right to Play – which is beautifully explained in these resources on the Play Scotland website. Guidance on Playwork – Play Scotlan
If you prefer to see play in action then look no further than here. This is a delightful film which captures the essence of what play is all about.
And remember, a child’s right to play is now incorporated into Scots law.
