Children’s rights-based childhood policy: A six-P framework

While public policies increasingly reference the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and consultations with children and young people are becoming routine, there is as yet no agreed understanding of what a children’s rights-based approach to policymaking should look like. With a view to addressing this gap in the practice and scholarship of children’s rights, this article discusses some core elements of children’s rights-based policy. In doing so, we offer a framework for understanding children’s rights-based approaches to policy based on the following six ‘Ps’: the principles/provisions of the CRC; the process of children’s rights impact assessment; the participation of children and young people; partnership to ensure joined up working; public budgeting to ensure that the resources are in place for implementation; and publicity to make policies known to children and young people. It will be argued that a human rights-based approach to policy formation, for children and others, requires a focus not just on rights-holders and their outcomes but also on their substantive rights and the information, resources and collaboration required to make them a reality.