Issues affecting young people in Wales will be considered as part of the next meeting of the National Assembly’s Scrutiny of the First Minister Committee in Torfaen on Friday 27 October.
The Committee will meet at Cwmbran Centre for Young People to scrutinise the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones AM, on the Welsh Government’s approach to protecting and promoting the rights of children and young people
Assembly Members will meet with youth groups and school councils from the area beforehand to hear their concerns about rights and the issues affecting children and young people.
Some of those issues will be raised with the First Minister during the formal committee meeting.
The Welsh Government adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 2004 and the Assembly passed a law, the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure, in 2011 which placed a duty on all Welsh Ministers to have due regard to the substantive rights and obligations within the UNCRC and its optional protocols.
“The rights of children and young people are hard-wired into how laws and policies are made in Wales,” said Ann Jones AM, Chair of the Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister.
“The opportunity to meet with young people and find out what they know about their rights and what issues most affect them in their lives will be an invaluable part of our visit to Cwmbran and our scrutiny of the First Minister.
“I am looking forward to hearing and sharing their views.”
Among the subjects to be discussed during the meeting will be:
- How the Welsh Government embeds the rights of children and young people into the delivery of its programmes, policies and practices;
- How Brexit could affect children’s rights in Wales;
- Key aspects and commitments from the programme for government relevant to the rights of children and young people; and
How the Welsh Government involves children and young people in the design and delivery of their public services.
Questions not asked will be put in writing to the First Minister for answer after the meeting.