The UK Government has rejected the Covid Inquiry's recommendation to make Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIAs) a statutory requirement. This was the only recommendation in Module 2 that focused specifically on children, and its rejection represents a significant missed opportunity to protect children's rights in future crisis'.
Statutory CRIAs would have helped prevent this. A Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) is a structured process that allows government departments to assess how a proposed policy or decision could help or harm children. It ensures children’s rights are considered early on, rather than as an afterthought.
At Just for Kids Law, including the Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), we are deeply disappointed by this decision. The Covid Inquiry has already shown how children experienced profound and avoidable harm during the pandemic. Its Module 2 report found that:
- Decision makers did not fully understand or assess how their actions would affect children.
- Communication with children throughout the crisis was inadequate.
- Children's needs were often overlooked in key decisions.
Statutory CRIAs would have helped prevent this. They are a simple, practical tool that ensures children's rights are considered early in the policy making process. CRIAs help government departments identify how decisions may help or harm children, and take steps to avoid negative impacts.
This recommendation was also widely supported. 162 organisations across the children's sector backed an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would have introduced statutory CRIAs. The government's decision goes against this clear call for stronger child centred decision making.
Louise King, Co‑Lead of Just for Kids Law and Director of CRAE, said:
“The Covid‑19 Inquiry has so far powerfully recognised the profound and avoidable harm caused to children during the pandemic. The Inquiry's Module 2 report concluded that decision‑makers did not adequately understand or assess the impact of their actions on children, and that communication with children throughout the crisis was inadequate. We are therefore extremely disappointed that the Government has chosen not to accept the recommendation to introduce statutory Child Rights Impact Assessments, particularly as this is the one recommendation focussed specifically on children. This is a missed opportunity to ensure crucial lessons from the pandemic are acted on and embed a culture of child‑centred decision‑making across government. CRIAs are not a burden or bureaucratic exercise, they are a vital tool that ensures that a child rights lens is applied to decision-making at an early stage and are widely supported across the children’s sector and beyond. By systematically assessing how policies may help or harm children, CRIAs enable government to identify, avoid or mitigate adverse impacts. Ultimately, we want to see the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child fully and directly incorporated into UK law. Implementing statutory CRIAs would be a straightforward and crucial first step towards that goal.”
Ultimately, we want to see the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child fully incorporated into UK law. Introducing statutory CRIAs would have been an important first step.
You can read our full briefing on children and the Covid Inquiry Module 2 report to learn more about what needs to change next.