Since our partnership with UNICEF began in 2019, Acorns Care teams across our hospices and wider care services have been embedding our roles and responsibilities as Duty Bearers for children’s rights. This has taken the form of direct work with children in sibling groups and increased displays across the hospices. Additionally, Children’s Rights Champions at each of the hospices and across the teams liaise with their colleagues to support them in their role as Duty Bearers.
The teams have purchased games and developed activities which our teams use as tools when playing with children during their stay at the hospices. These fun activities highlight rights and help to empower children.
Children at Acorns are supported and empowered to know their rights but also understand the rights of other children around the world. Children in this picture were celebrating UNICEF’s birthday and recognising the work UNICEF do for children.
What it means to be a Duty Bearer for Children’s Rights
Being a Duty Bearer at Acorns means being committed to ensuring the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child is embedded into both culture and practice within an organisation. The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights. Every child has rights, whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities or any other status.
Acorns has developed an organisational charter and also a leaflet that are used by our teams to share with children, families and colleagues.
Read more about how Acorns first commenced a partnership with UNICEF and became the first children’s hospice across the UK to be awarded the Bronze Rights Respecting Award by UNICEF, and then made history as the first hospice in Britain to win a prestigious UNICEF UK Silver Award for its work to protect children’s rights.
