Chris Quinn – Committee for Health (30-04-26)

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]We need to fully incorporate the UNCRC into domestic law.

[00:00:04]I think that would be the single most impactful thing that our assembly could do for children because it would switch the dial in terms of how we spend our money, in terms of how we plan our services, and how we take that child's rights approach. Um and in fact, I looked just in preparation for this meeting, I looked at what's been happening in Scotland because they incorporated not so long ago. And Together Scotland published a report and within that report there's 63 case studies as to the impact the incorporation has made to date. And I was able to pick out some examples of how there has been a shift away. Um so, there was one particular case study about the importance of early intervention and a shift away from illness towards prevention and early intervention. There was other examples of trauma-informed practice.

[00:00:52]Um so, we're seeing the impact. I think for me we need our assembly to kind of to buy into child's rights budget and child's rights impact assessments. And um and look, I I know there's difference of opinions on on international treaties such as the UNCRC, but for us it would bring a lot of solutions to the table.