Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
Basic facts about the CRC
The reporting process
Guide for NGO submissions to the CRC
Useful guides & Links
Basic facts
- The UN Convention of the Rights of the Child was created in 1989.
- The UK ratified the Convention in 1991.
- Click here to read the Convention
- Compliance with the treaty is monitored by the Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Click here to read more about the Committee
- The UK’s obligations were last monitored in 2016
- The UK’s next review will take place in May 2023
The reporting process
- The state prepares and submits its report, in consultation with civil society.
- Civil society organisations and national human rights institutions may submit ‘shadow reports’ with their own evidence.
- The Committee presents its ‘List of Issues’ to the State Party, highlighting any problems with implementation of the Convention.
- The state party presents a response to the List of Issues
- The Committee and state party meet, and have constructive dialogue about the issues
- The Committee issues its concluding observations, including their recommendations for improvement
- The state party implements the recommendations, sometimes submitting follow-up reports. Civil society organisations may also submit follow-up reports to the Committee

Guide for NGO submissions to the CRC
- The Committee welcomes international, regional, national and local organisations to submit written reports on how the Convention is being implemented in a country.
- Information may be submitted by individual NGOs or coalitions of NGOs, as well as by National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and Ombudspersons.
- Joint submissions are encouraged, as are submissions by children
- All reports should be submitted electronically, in WORD format only, through the Child Rights Connect website.
- They can be comprehensive (maximum 10.000 words) or thematic (maximum 3.000 words).
- Submissions from children’s own organisations can use other communication formats and, when in writing do not have a word limit.
- Organisations should clearly indicate whether their report is confidential or if they wish the Committee to make it public.
- Reports that are submitted for publication on OHCHR’s website should not contain names, personal details, photos or any other information that might identify an individual child.
- NGOs who submit reports to the Committee may also request to participate in the pre-sessional working group; a confidential, interactive meeting between the Committee and United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, NGOs, NHRIs and children.
- Requests should be submitted through the Child Rights Connect website, when submitting the report or at least two months prior to the beginning of the pre-sessional working group concerned.
- Based on the submissions and requests received, the Committee will issue a written invitation to selected organisations to participate in the pre-sessional working group.
Useful Guides and Links
UK State Party reports and Concluding Observations
- UK state party report to the UNCRC, addressing the List of Issues Prior to Reporting, November 2022
- UK state party report to the UNCRC, March 2015
- UK reply to the List of Issues, April 2016
- Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, July 2016
Civil society guides and submissions
- The State of Children’s Rights in Scotland: 2023, Together’s submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, in preparation for its 2023 review of the UK
- The Reporting Cycle of the Committee on the Rights of the Child: A guide for NGOs and NHRIs
- Children’s Rights in Scotland: Civil society report to inform the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s List of Issues Prior to Reporting, Together report, 2020
- State of Children’s Rights in Scotland, Together’s Shadow Report, 2016
- Report of the UK Children’s Commissioners on Fifth UK Periodic Report, 2015
- Children’s rights in Great Britain, Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Follow-up Report, 2020
- Report of the UK Children’s Commissioners, 2020