Across nurseries and early years settings, the commitment to supporting the rights, wellbeing, and education of every child extends far beyond the nursery walls. This is why many organisations are joining together in support of a joint parliamentary briefing for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, debated at the Committee Stage in the House of Lords on Thursday, 18th September 2025.
This collective effort, coordinated by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), UNICEF UK, and the NSPCC, calls on the UK Government to take two vital steps that would help embed children’s rights into all areas of law and policymaking.
What the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill Aims to Do
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is part of the Government’s “Opportunity Mission,” which seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and young people across the UK. However, as it stands, the Bill does not include specific measures to ensure that children’s rights are consistently considered in policymaking.
This is where the proposed amendments, backed by organisations including Barnardo’s, The Children’s Society, and the National Children’s Bureau, can make a transformative difference.
Two Key Amendments to Strengthen Children’s Rights
The amendments, tabled by Baroness Lister of Burtersett, would ensure that children’s rights are not overlooked when decisions are made that affect their wellbeing, education, or care.
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A statutory duty on Ministers to consider children’s rights
This amendment would require Ministers to have due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making decisions related to children’s wellbeing, social care or education. This would ensure that children’s best interests are consistently prioritised and that their voices are heard in matters that affect them. -
Mandatory Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIAs)
The second amendment would require the Government to prepare and publish Child Rights Impact Assessments for new laws, policies, and decisions that affect children. CRIAs are a key tool used in countries like Wales, Scotland, and Jersey, helping to identify how government actions impact children and ensuring that policies promote equality and protection for all young people.
Why This Matters
Children have the right to be heard, to learn, to be safe, and to grow up healthy and happy. Yet, without legal safeguards like these, children’s rights can be unintentionally overlooked in national policymaking.
These amendments would help prevent unintended consequences, improve government accountability, and create a more child-centred approach to decision-making. By embedding children’s rights into law, the UK would also take an important step toward meeting its international obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
What This Means for Nurseries
In nurseries, we see every day how empowering children’s voices and protecting their rights leads to happier, more confident, and more capable individuals. From involving children in sustainability projects to encouraging independent thinking, this approach reflects the same values at the heart of the proposed amendments.
We believe that every policy decision, whether in education, health, or social care, should demonstrate the same respect for children’s rights that is practised in high-quality early years settings across the country.
How You Can Support
You can learn more about the joint parliamentary briefing and the proposed amendments by reading the full document here:
📄 Read more about the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Join us in spreading the word by sharing posts from @crae_official, @UNICEF_uk, and @NSPCC on social media, using hashtags such as #ChildRights and #UNCRC. Together, we can ensure that children’s voices are not only heard but protected at the highest levels of government.
