The 'go to' organisation for Local Government improvement in Scotland

We had previously worked with this company to produce an illustrated Child Poverty Action Plan and found that this was a useful tool in engaging children and young people in discussion around the plan.  We also found that adults appreciated seeing information in this summarised format as they did not have to digest a lengthy document.  Some of our schools have also used this format for School Improvement Plans, this meant that our pupils were already familiar with the approach.

We were fortunate enough to have been successful in securing funding through CORRA Foundation.  This financed the production of the illustration and the cost of producing A4 poster versions and A5 postcard versions of the plan. Having a company that we knew had experience of working with children and young people was helpful.

What has changed as a result of the work?

As a result of this particular piece of work we have increased awareness of our UNCRC plan with a range of stakeholders but most importantly with children and young people.  Although we developed it with Primary and Secondary aged pupils, ELCs have requested copies as practitioners have found this a useful visual tool to engage pre-5 children in relation to their rights. We have been able to increase the visibility of this work and how rights are connected to so many other areas of improvement activity within the local authority.

Engagement with children and young people

We engaged children and young people in the illustrated UNCRC Plan by reaching out to Rights Respecting Schools and working with Argyll & Bute Youth Voice Group.  Given that the plan was for UNCRC, we wanted to ensure that we engaged with groups of pupils that were well informed on their rights through the Rights Respecting Schools Awards. This mainly involved primary schools.  The Youth Voice Group had more varied knowledge of rights and helped to provide a secondary school age perspective. Through both pieces of engagement work, we ensured that we had mainland and island representation.  The final illustration was shared first with those involved in creating it to ensure that they felt their views had been taken into account.  We were also keen to ensure that we close that “you said.. we did” loop.  A4 laminated prints and A5 postcards have been produced and shared across schools and partner agencies within Argyll & Bute.  The postcards have allowed children and young people to share their rights with others. It is important to note that children and young people’s views informed the work that was contained within the full UNCRC plan and report.

Challenges

The timing of the this work was challenging as it was towards the end of exam leave.  We initially worked with Primary Pupils to receive initial responses before then seeking the views of secondary pupils.  This was mainly undertaken via virtual meets to ensure that we could have a spread of opinions from across the local authority.

The other challenge we faced was co-ordinating availability.  In the end, I arranged separate sessions and I fed back to the illustrator, Clare. Whilst this was not ideal, having previously worked together, I knew the level of detail she would require to help formalise ideas.  This also helped children and young people to be open about how they felt things could improve without offending anyone.

Creating an open atmosphere for children and young people to be critical was important. They provided suggestions about what areas of the plan had been overlooked that were important to them as well as how to illustrate key priorities better so that they understood what it meant. They were not afraid to challenge, this was great to see and hear.

This approach does have financial implications and we do not currently have the skill set within the council to capture documents and reports in this way. We do need to consider our budget accordingly.

Lessons learned

We are all still at the earlier stages of finding appropriate ways to report to children and young people with regards to matters that affect them. Solutions will be varied and will evolve overtime. By directly engaging with children and young people to find the solutions, we are already beginning that process of reporting back and hopefully that cascades. I do think that it is important to remember that often we are creating documents that are not only more accessible to children and young people but to our communities as a whole. However, 1 size never fits all!

The processes in itself was an important one. It highlighted to us priorities that are important to children and young people that had been previously overlooked or not made prominent enough. Children and young people were also very clear about what they can relate to.

Outcome and Impact

Pupils fed back to us that they could see their suggestions within the final design. We have been sharing this through virtual meetings and in person events. It is always positively received. We are still at the early stages of using this and will need to evaluate the reach and understanding of the illustration once this has had the opportunity to be utilised in a range of settings.

Find out more

If you would like to learn more about this practice example, please contact Rosie.mackay@argyll-bute.gov.uk

The most relevant UNCRC Articles targeted in the example:

Article 3 (Best interests of the child): Ensuring the plan is accessible to children and young people supports their best interests by making information on rights comprehensible. Including young people’s feedback in the development process also helps ensure the plan aligns with their needs and preferences.

Article 12 (Right to be heard): This article underlines children’s right to have their views heard and considered. The case study illustrates this well, as children and young people were directly engaged in creating the UNCRC plan illustration and provided input on both the content and presentation.

Article 13 (Freedom of expression): The project allows children to freely express their thoughts on how their rights are presented. By incorporating their feedback into the final design, the council respects their input, demonstrating their right to freedom of expression.

Article 17 (Access to information): The illustrated UNCRC plan improves accessibility, making information on children’s rights easily understandable for young audiences. By sharing visual formats like A4 posters and A5 postcards, the council ensures that children and young people can access information about their rights in an engaging and age-appropriate way.

Article 29 (Goals of education): This article encourages education that respects children’s rights and prepares them for active participation in society. By using the illustrated UNCRC plan as a teaching tool in schools, the council promotes rights education that aligns with Article 29, encouraging children’s understanding of their rights and their role in civic life.

Article 42 (Knowledge of rights): The initiative promotes awareness of children’s rights, helping children and young people recognize and understand their rights as outlined in the UNCRC. Using visual aids, especially in Rights Respecting Schools, supports ongoing education and awareness of rights among young people.