Ms Saoirse Brady:

Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan mentioned the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It does not have effect in domestic law. We are starting to see more and more parts of the convention incorporated into domestic legislation - for example, the best interest principle, the right of the child to be heard, which is a key provision, and non-discrimination rights for children. However, we would like to see this in more domestic legislation on both sides of the Border. The Scottish Government was very keen to try to incorporate some of the principles of the convention into domestic law, but that did not happen. It has incorporated certain elements of it, but if we are going to look to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we must consider ways to promote it and ensure it is legally enforceable here as well. We report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as well as other UN committees. The Children's Rights Alliance lead on that process here in the South. We have a lot of contact with our colleagues in the North - for example, the Children's Law Centre.

We can feed into that committee. We know that it makes recommendations. We need politicians and policy makers to take on board those recommendations and to come up with ways to progress them, including by way of legislation and also through implementation of the national policy framework, Better Outcomes, Better Futures. The Children's Rights Alliance is represented on the national advisory council for children and young people and as such it has a key role to play in this area. There is also a role for the UN convention but we need to strengthen our stance on it.