Draft Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Commencement No. 2 Act 202-

STATES OF JERSEY

DRAFT CHILDREN (CONVENTION RIGHTS) (JERSEY) COMMENCEMENT No. 2 ACT 202-

Lodged au Greffe on 15th October 2025 by the Minister for Children and Families Earliest date for debate: 25th November 2025

STATES GREFFE

2025  P.88/2025

Draft Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Commencement No. 2 Act 202-  Report

REPORT

Background

The Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022 was adopted by the States Assembly in March 2022 and requires identified duty-bearers to have due regard for children's rights as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Rationale for decision

In October 2023, the Minister for Children and Families decided to enact the Law for Ministers, Elected Members and States Assembly Bodies, referred to as duty-bearers.' These duty-bearers have a duty to have due regard for children's rights, as set out in the UNCRC, when making decisions and carrying out their functions. Following the Assembly's adoption of P.81/2023, this part of the Law came into effect on 1 January 2024. The Minister now proposes to enact the remaining Articles of the Law, which will extend the due regard duty to Public Authority duty- bearers, including certain named charities, arms-length bodies of the States and the 12 Parishes. A list of Public Authorities can be found in Schedule 1 to the Law. The Act will bring into force the un-commenced provisions of the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022, being Articles 5, 9 and 12(4)(b)(iii) and Schedule 1, with effect from 1 January 2026.

Financial and staffing implications

There are not additional financial or staffing implications for Government as a result of this proposition.

Children's Rights Impact Assessment

A Children's  Rights  Impact Assessment (CRIA) has  not been prepared in relation to this proposition as a CRIA is not required, in accordance with Schedule 2 to the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022.

Draft Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Commencement No. 2 Act 202-  Explanatory Note

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Act, if passed, will bring the remainder of the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022 (the "Law") into force on 1 January 2026. The Law, which was adopted by the States on 30 March 2022 (P.19/2022), gives further effect in Jersey to the rights and obligations set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The provisions of the Law commenced by this Act are –

• Article 5 (meaning of "public authority" and related provisions);

• Article 9 (duty to have due regard – Public Authority duty-bearers);

• Article 12(4)(b)(iii) (Children's Rights Scheme, in relation to Article 9); and

• Schedule 1 (public authorities).

These provisions relate to duty bearers that are public authorities (as defined in Articles 4 and 5 of the Law).

The rest of the Law is already in force, having been commenced partly on 24 June 2022 and partly on 1 January 2024.

Draft Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Commencement No. 2 Act 202-  Article 1

DRAFT CHILDREN (CONVENTION RIGHTS) (JERSEY) COMMENCEMENT No. 2 ACT 202-

Made  [date to be inserted] Coming into force  [date to be inserted]

THE STATES make this Act under Article 16(3) of the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022 –

1  Commencement of the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022

The remaining uncommenced provisions of the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022 (Articles 5, 9 and 12(4)(b)(iii) and Schedule 1) come into force on 1 January 2026.

2  Citation

This Act may be cited as the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Commencement No. 2 Act 202-.