Advocating for children’s language and communication rights

Following the publication of a new report ‘Giving voice to all of Scotland’s children’, AnneMarie Macrae highlights the impact that speech and language therapy can have on realising children’s language and communication rights and encourages SLTs to feel empowered to advocate for the unique role they play.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (“UNCRC”) is the most ratified human rights treaty in history. Scotland has proudly incorporated (‘UNCRC’) into domestic Law. This means that children can now use the Act to ensure that their rights are realised. Of course, children across the UK are all afforded the same rights and protections under the UNCRC.

A background in law, before retraining as a speech and language therapist, has likely fuelled my passion for rights-respecting clinical practice. I am particularly interested in how we can use human rights instruments to advocate for appropriately resourced SLT services. Personally, I believe the UNCRC creates a narrative to shape our views, as duty bearers, on how to make sure children truly experience the rights they deserve.

Communication is a fundamental Human Right for all individuals. However, the UNCRC details special rights and protections that children up to the age of eighteen have. A number of these rights, directly and specifically, relate to language and communication.

I believe that upholding language and communication rights is critical to the success of embedding the UNCRC into practice. Respecting, protecting and fulfilling the language and communication rights of children predicates their ability to thrive and develop to their fullest potential.

When I embarked on writing the report, Giving voice to all of Scotland’s children, my hope was for it to highlight the impact that speech and language therapy can have on realising children’s language and communication rights, and therefore all of their rights. I hope through reading it SLTs feel empowered to advocate for our unique role in realising children’s rights. I believe if the recommendations are taken forward that this can positively contribute to systemic change.

The most overt language and communication rights are the right to be heard (Article 12) and freedom of expression (Article 13), but this report details the intricate relationship, and indivisible nature of all rights. A breach of one right amounts to a breach of all, language and communication are often the key to upholding rights such as, the right to education or the highest attainable standard of health.

SLCN is then undeniably a threat to children’s rights being realised if they are not identified and supported by adequately resourced, and uniquely skilled, speech and language therapy services.

Children who experience speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are significantly at risk of their rights not being realised. SLCN is likely to impact a child’s daily life, activities and participation. Some of our most vulnerable groups, including children living in poverty, children with disabilities and children in conflict with the law are more likely to experience communication needs, than the general population.

 

Giving voice to all of Scotland’s children, seeks to advocate for the language and communication rights of children to be respected, protected and fulfilled to ensure that all their rights are realised and children are given the best start in life. I believe speech and language therapists, with their unique specialist skills, are essential to this cause. They are perfectly placed to support children, families and the wider workforce.

The report concludes by detailing recommendations, or a call to action, to ensure that children are given a voice and can participate in all matters which are meaningful to them. Our speech and language therapy workforce will be instrumental in enacting this. SLTs should take great pride in our existing rights-respecting practices and feel confident that we can contribute to the changes in policy and practice that will ensure the UNCRC Act has the greatest impact for our children and families.

 

Children’s rights are everyone’s business, and I feel hopeful and excited to see children having a voice and participating meaningfully in all the things that are important to them.