16/7/2024

Last November, Cardiff wasofficially declared a UNICEF Child Friendly City -the first of its kind in the UK.

The prestigious and internationally acknowledged status was awarded in recognition of the steps the Council and its partners have taken to advance the human rights of children and young people across the city.

In championing children's rights, 55Cardiff schools have now been awarded gold or silver in the UNICEF Right's Respecting Schools Award (RRSA). This recognises that schools are putting children's rights into practice -  where children are respected, their talents are nurtured, and they are able to thrive.

Through support from Cardiff's Child Friendly Cardiff team, an impressive 85% of all children and young people attend a school that has a rights action plan in place.

Cardiff's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry said: "We think it is vital for children to have an education that teaches about rights, for rights and through rights and Cardiff is continuing to lead the way in championing children's rights through the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA). Incredible progress has led to 85% of all our children and young people now attending a school engaged with the RRSA."

"Cardiff is proud to be the first city in Wales and England to adopt this approach, inspiring regions like London and Cornwall, which have implemented similar strategies."

"RRSA recognises the efforts of embedding children's rights in daily school life and the Council's sustained commitment to delivering the programme, ensures schools align their curriculum around the key principles of equality, dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation."

"To help realise our aim for all of the city's schools to become rights respecting, funding is available for schools to participate in the award and to further enhance delivery of the scheme, Council officers will receive training to become RRSA assessors."

Headline figures:

• 78% (100) of Cardiff's Local Authority have an RRSA action plan in place having received their bronze, silver or gold award.
• 43% (53) of them have moved up from bronze to silver and gold level.
• 85% of all pupils from nursery to high school, attend a school with Bronze or above.
• The latest schools to achieve the gold award in the last 12 months are: Tremorfa Primary School and Whitchurch Primary School

You can view a map of RRSA schools here:RRSA Schools Cardiff - Google My Maps

Cardiff Council and its partners joined the UK Committee for UNICEF's (UNICEF UK) Child Friendly Cities & Communities programme in 2017 as part of a pioneering cohort. Since then, it has been implementing strategies to embed children's rights - as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - into its policies and services.

The detailed multi-agency delivery plan aims to involve children and young people in decision making and address the barriers which limit their life chances, supporting Cardiff's role of being the UK's first UNICEF UK Child Friendly Cities, an ambitious programme that sees councillors, council staff and local organisations working to ensure that children and young people help shape and guide decisions which affect them.

The programme provides support to Local Authorities and partners to deliver a child rights-based approach when designing, delivering, monitoring and evaluating local services and strategies for children.

You can find out more about Child Friendly Cardiff here:Child Friendly Cardiff

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