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United Nations CRC/C/GBR/5 Convention on the Distr.: General 6 March 2015 Rights of the Child Original: English English, French and Spanish only Committee on the Rights of the Child Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 44 of the Convention Fifth periodic reports of States parties due in 2014 United Kingdom* [Date received: 27 May 2014] * The present document is being issued without formal editing. GE.15-04491 (E) CRC/C/GBR/5 Contents Paragraphs Page Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1–12 3 Chapter I: General measures of implementation ..................................................... 13–49 6 Chapter II: General principles ................................................................................. 50–75 12 Chapter III: Civil rights and freedoms .................................................................... 76–88 16 Chapter IV: Family environment and alternative care ............................................ 89–138 19 Chapter V: Basic health and welfare ....................................................................... 139–180 27 Chapter VI: Education, leisure and cultural activities ............................................. 181–220 34 Chapter VII: Special protection measures ............................................................... 221–267 41 Appendices Appendix 1: Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict ......................... 50 Appendix 2: Innocenti score cards ................................................................................................. 52 Appendix 3: Devolution and new legislation ................................................................................. 54 Appendix 4: Patterns of expenditure on children in the UK ........................................................... 57 Appendix 5: Consultations with children and young people conducted by the UK Government to inform policy and practice............................................................................................................ 69 United Kingdom Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies Summary reports Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 77 Anguilla ............................................................................................................................................ 85 Bermuda ........................................................................................................................................... 89 British Virgin Islands ....................................................................................................................... 103 Cayman Islands ................................................................................................................................ 108 Falkland Islands ............................................................................................................................... 145 Monteserrat ...................................................................................................................................... 155 Pitcairn Island................................................................................................................................... 161 St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha .................................................................................... 167 Turks and Caicos Islands .................................................................................................................. 182 Isle of Man ................................................................................................................................... 192 2 CRC/C/GBR/5 Introduction 1. The UK Government is proud to present this review of progress in implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child across the United Kingdom (UK) since 2008. It is not possible in such a short space to do full justice to the many important developments that have taken place in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as in the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. We hope, however, that it will demonstrate our firm commitment to the progressive implementation of children’s rights under the Convention. We look forward to presenting the Committee with further information during the course of the review. Overall progress 2. Our prime aim is to help all children achieve their potential, but we are also committed to narrowing gaps between the most disadvantaged and their peers. We have used a variety of data and independent sources to assess our progress. Key data 3. There have been significant improvements in children’s outcomes in the following areas: (a) Deaths of children aged under 19 in England and Wales fell by 15.3 per cent between 2007 and 2012; (b) The infant mortality rate fell by 10.6 per cent in England and Wales, 12.7 per cent in Scotland and 12.2 per cent in N. Ireland between 2007 and 2011; (c) The under-18 conception rate fell by 32.9 per cent in England and Wales and 12.6 per cent in Scotland between 2007 and 2012. The number of live births to under- 18s in N. Ireland fell by 27 per cent between 2008 and 2012; (d) The proportion of children in England aged 11–15 who had taken drugs in the previous year fell from 15 per cent in 2008 to 12 per cent in 2012; (e) The proportion of children in England aged 11–15 who had drunk alcohol in the previous week fell from 18 per cent in 2008 to 10 per cent in 2012; (f) Children’s educational attainment is improving. In England, the percentage attaining 5 GCSEs at grades A*–C increased from 65.3 per cent in 2007/08, to 81.8 per cent in 2011/12; those achieving 5 GCSEs including both English and Maths increased from 47.6 per cent in 2007/08, to 59.4 per cent in 2011/12. Pass rates in Scotland increased for all major qualifications including final year of results in Standard Grades. Higher pass rates were up from 72.9 per cent in 2006 to 77.4 per cent in 2013; (g) The number of children permanently excluded from school fell by 36 per cent in England and by 58 per cent in Wales between 2007/08 and 2011/12. Exclusion from Scottish schools decreased by 40 per cent; (h) 3,980 children were adopted in 2012–13, up 15 per cent from 2012 and the highest number of adoptions since the current data collections began in 1992; (i) The number of first time entrants to the criminal justice system in England and Wales fell by 63 per cent between 2008 and 2012. The number of under-18s convicted in Scottish courts fell by 53 per cent; 3 CRC/C/GBR/5 (j) The average number of children in custody fell by 33 per cent in England and Wales; and by 42 per cent in Scotland between 2007/08 and 2011/12; (k) The number of Scottish children referred to the Children’s Reporter has dropped by 33.1 per cent since 2008/09 and is at its lowest level since 2002/03. 4. The above represents good progress in some key areas. However, we are concerned about other data which show significant differences in the outcomes of children from different backgrounds, or which appear to show that aspects of children’s lives have got worse. For example: (a) The number of children in England who were subject to a child protection plan increased by 47 per cent between 2008 and 2012; and numbers of children on child protection registers increased in Wales (+17.5 per cent), Scotland (+23 per cent) and N. Ireland (+2.7 per cent). These increases may be due to better identification of children at risk, rather than because more children are being harmed; (b) There remain significant gaps in educational attainment: in England only 36.8 per cent of children eligible for free school meals achieved 5 GCSEs (including English and Maths) at A*–C grades in 2011/12, compared to 63 per cent of all other children. The comparable figures for N. Ireland were 34.1 per cent and 67.9 per cent; (c) A significant proportion (4.5 per cent) of 16 and 17 year olds across the UK were not in education, employment or training in Oct–Dec 2013 – although this has fallen from 6.2 per cent in Apr–June 2012; and 4.9 per cent in Apr–Jun 2013. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Report Cards: 2007 and 2013 5. In the 2007 Innocenti Report Card, the UK was ranked 21st out of 21 countries and was bottom of the rankings in assessments of the quality of family and peer relationships, the extent to which children engaged in risky behaviours, and children’s subjective well- being. 6. In the 2013 report, the UK was ranked 16th out of 29 countries overall. This was partly due to the inclusion of a new aspect of children’s well-being (Housing and Environment), on which the UK was ranked 10th out of 29 countries, but also reflects better scores on material well-being, risks and behaviours and subjective well-being, including children’s self-assessment of their overall life satisfaction. Despite these improvements, the report card highlights long-standing challenges in relation to the UK’s low post-16 participation rate and high proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), which we are determined to address. A more detailed account of progress in each of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) well-being domains is attached at Appendix 2. Office for National Statistics: Measuring National Well-Being Programme 7. In 2011, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) led a national debate on the well-