RESOURCES: Review - An exercise in upholding the rights ofchildren

Why does the subject of children's rights cause such a reaction? Why is the Government so reluctant to frame its policies for children and young people within its legally binding international obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child? Why do so few practitioners have a detailed rights-based framework to inform their work with children and young people?And why will the Government so studiously avoid the word "rights" in the title of the proposed champion and advocate for England's 11.3 million children and young people? These questions are all the more pertinent in the current political climate: consultation on reducing the voting age to 16; legislation and guidance on student participation in schools; and the forthcoming green paper, which is set to bring about a radical shake-up in services affecting young people.