Step 4
Accountability and Communication
Children must always be informed of how their input was used and how it contributed to safeguarding their rights, regardless of how well the proposal ultimately conforms to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Explain in simple language how you took children’s interests into account while working on the proposal. Share this information with the children you interviewed and make it available and accessible to all children throughout the European and Caribbean Netherlands.
Include information about the outcome of the Child Rights Impact Assessment in any explanatory notes to your proposal, such as an Explanatory Memorandum (Memorie van Toelichting) for a bill. This will allow all interested parties to see how the Child Rights Impact Assessment helped shape the proposal.
Keep the following in mind as you write:
- All information meant for children should be written in child-friendly language.
- Provide a solid justification for your decisions, explaining how they were made and how the proposal supports children’s rights.
- Explain your rationale for either complying with or deviating from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Important!
Children must be told what they can do if they disagree with the finished proposal. For example, they can write a letter to the relevant council committee (in the case of local legislation) or House Committee, or they can contact a local ombudsman organisation or the Ombudsman for Children.