The Big Children’s Rights

Ask

It is your MP’s job to listen to their constituents (people that live in the area they represent) – and this includes children and young people. We want as many MPs (Members of Parliament) as possible to know about children’s rights, and to act on issues affecting children and young people in their area. Before the General Election, we wrote to the three main political parties to ask what their plans were for children’s rights. It’s now over to you! As a member of CRAE’s Young Activists Network, we’d like you to try to arrange a meeting with your MP to talk about a local children’s rights issue. Ask if they will sign up to our national Big Children’s Rights Ask. This is a public promise made by MPs: As a local MP, I will listen to children and young people in my constituency, take into account their views, and speak up for their rights in Parliament. Please take a few minutes to send an e-mail or letter to your MP. An example letter is included in this pack. You can change the wording of the e-mail if you would like to. This pack will give you everything you need to get started on the Big Children’s Rights Ask. If your MP agrees to meet with you, please let us know so that we give you any help you need. And, after your meeting, we’d like to hear how it went! Fill in the feedback form at the end of this pack and send it back to CRAE along with a copy of the letter or e-mail from your MP (if you receive one). This information helps us find out who supports children’s rights in Parliament. If you need any more help, please get in touch: By e-mail: activist@crae.org.uk By phone: 020 7278 8222 extension 26

What you need to know before you meet your MP

So, you are going to meet with your MP and talk about children’s rights. Here are some tips to get you started! The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child The Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a human rights treaty (agreement) that was agreed by the United Nations in 1989. It gives children all over the world over 40 major rights. These rights include the right to a family life, to be protected from all types of violence, to have a say and be respected, to be healthy, and to have an education that helps you grow fully as a person. The UNCRC gives extra rights to children and young people living in very difficult circumstances – for example, children in trouble with the law, or young refugees and asylum seekers. What are human rights? Human rights are a set of basic things that every human being should have, like the right to be free, the right to say what you think, and the right to be treated with dignity and respect. An important part of human rights is respecting the rights of others. Why are children's rights important? Children’s human rights are really important because they say children must be respected as people today, not just when they reach 18. Human rights say all human beings are of equal worth. The UNCRC puts pressure on governments to make sure every child and young person has a good life. As well as basic things like a decent home, enough money to live on, and education and health care, you have the right to a say on all the decisions and laws that affect you. Why do children have human rights? Children have human rights because they are human. They have their own treaty to make sure they can have a really good childhood.

Why should children have rights when they don’t have responsibilities? Human rights don’t depend on how someone behaves or how many responsibilities they have – they belong to everyone just because they are human. Lots of children have responsibilities, such as jobs, looking after family members, and going to school or college. They also have the responsibility to respect other people’s human rights. What is the Children’s Rights Alliance for England? The Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) works to get the UNCRC put fully into practice in England. We try to do this in lots of different ways:

We report to the United Nations and the Council of Europe on the children’s rights situation in England

We run a legal advice service for children on equality and human rights law

We work with Government and Parliament to encourage them to make laws and policies that are in line with children’s human rights, and try to stop laws and policies that go against children’s rights

We campaign on different children’s rights issues, including age discrimination against children, and treating children in trouble with the law with respect

We help children and young people to take action on children’s rights

We try to make sure as many people as possible know about children’s rights.

Find out more You can find out more about CRAE’s work and The Big Children’s Rights Ask here: http://www.crae.org.uk/under-18s/big-childrens-rights-ask.html

Tips and hints

When you contact your local MP… 1 Introduce yourself 2 Be clear about what you want them to do and why. 3 If you’re writing a letter or an e-mail, ask for a reply 4 Send them information about children’s rights and tell them about the issues you are concerned about where you live 5 Ask if he or she will sign up to The Big Children’s Rights Ask. Before you meet you MP… 1 Be informed and know what you are talking about 2 Decide which children’s rights issues you want to speak to your MP about – write these down to remind you during your meeting. When you meet your MP… 1 Tell them what you want them to do and why 2 Be informed – have evidence to back up your case 3 Share your ideas about what changes could be made 4 Ask if he or she will sign up to The Big Children’s Rights Ask.

After your meeting… 1 Write to the MP to thank them for meeting you. Include a summary of the things you talked about and decided at the meeting. 2 If your MP signed The Big Children’s Rights Ask, ask for a second meeting to find out about the progress they’re making. 3 If your MP didn’t sign The Big Children’s Rights Ask, think about what else you might need to do to convince them.

4 Tell CRAE about your meeting by e-mail or using the record sheet (you can find this on page 5 of this pack).

Dealing with “eeek!” situations An ‘eeek!’ situation is one of those awkward moments where you don’t know what to say, or don’t know the answer to a difficult question. Here are our top ‘eeek’-busting tips to help you out of those sticky situations. Eeek! My MP asks me a question but I don’t know the answer. Don’t panic. Tell them they you are not too sure about that but you will find out and get back to them. E-mail activist@crae.org.uk and we will try to help. Eeek! My MP does not want to sign up to The Big Children’s Rights Ask. Don’t worry. You will need to think about how you will convince them to sign up. More evidence? More information? Write them a follow-up letter and explain why you think they should sign up to the Big Children’s Rights Ask. Let them know how many other MPs have signed up too. Let us know if you need any help.

Template letter to your MP Please copy and paste the letter below into an e-mail or a letter. Don’t forget to add in your personal information and ideas (you can see where you need to do this in blue!). You can find our who your MP is at http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

Your address Your MP’s name House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Dear [Your MP’s name] I’m writing to you because you are the MP for my constituency. My name is [write your name here]. and I am [write your age here]. I’m part of an organisation called the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, where children and young people work together to campaign for children’s rights to be better protected and respected in England. I’d like to have a meeting with you to talk about how children’s rights are being respected locally, and how you might be able to help. In particular, I would like to talk to you about [write your concerns/ideas about local children’s rights issues here]. I would also like to ask you to sign up to the Big Children’s Rights Ask. This is a public promise to listen to the views of children in [the area you live in] and to speak up for their rights in Parliament. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely [Your name]

Meeting record sheet

Send this record sheet and the form for MPs (on the next page) back to CRAE to tell us how your meeting with your MP went – by e-mail to activist@crae.org.uk or by post to the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, 94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF.

Your name: __________________________________________ Your local area / constituency: __________________________ Name of your MP: _____________________________________ Date of meeting: ______________________________________

What you planned to talk to your MP about

What you actually talked about in the meeting

What did MP think about the issues you discussed?

Did your MP agree to sign up to the Big Children’s Rights Ask? Did they agree to anything else?

Did your MP ask you any questions that you weren’t sure how to answer? What were these?

The Big Children’s Rights Ask

Form for MP to complete As a local MP, I will listen to children and young people in my constituency, take into account their views, and speak up for their rights in Parliament. Name of MP___________________________________________________ Constituency__________________________________________________

Telephone ____________________________________________________ Email ________________________________________________________

Thank you for signing up to the Big Children’s Rights Ask. Please return the completed form to your constituent. The form will then be passed on to the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), and your name will be listed on the CRAE website to highlight your commitment to the children and young people of your constituency. If you would like to contact CRAE directly, please contact: Catherine Hodder Parliamentary Adviser Children's Rights Alliance for England 94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF 020 7278 8222 ext. 27 07506 511252 chodder@crae.org.uk www.crae.org.uk