PLANNING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SCOTLAND
By Professor Alan Miller, Chair, Scottish Human Rights Commission
Scotland’s first National Action Plan for Human Rights was launched on 10th December 2013, International Human Rights Day. SNAP is a groundbreaking, innovative and ambitious plan to progressively achieve the full realisation of human rights in Scotland. Its vision is clear: Scotland should be a country where everyone is able to live with dignity.
We were joined at the launch by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muižnieks alongside a wide range of representatives from civil society, rights based organisations, public bodies and government representatives. The Action Plan was well received and the energy, motivation and enthusiasm of those present reassured me that the implementation of the Plan will bring real progress in human rights across the country.
… the vision is clear: Scotland should be a country where everyone is able to live with dignity.
Why do we need SNAP? Scotland must improve its record of promoting and protecting human rights on the ground, in people’s everyday lives. Evidence shows that laws and policies, often designed with the best of intentions, are not consistently delivering good practice in care homes, schools, hospitals or in our justice system. Human rights can often be an after-thought, applied inconsistently, or are simply perceived as a complicated legal area that organisations feel frightened of tackling. It is time for meaningful change in the way human rights are perceived, understood and applied in Scotland. SNAP is a roadmap to realising the human rights that we are all entitled to and that are provided in international law.
In other countries, national action plans for human rights have resulted in real changes, for example by improving protection from abuse, and reducing the use of measures such as restraint. SNAP has followed best international practice, but has also gone beyond the sort of traditional action plan of top down tick lists.The process launched is a transformative and collaborative programme of action, including agreed outcomes, priorities and a process for working together to deliver sustainable culture change.
SNAP will pursue three outcomes. It will promote people’s participation, the integration of human rights into day to day decision making and accountability, so as to develop a Better Culture. Current challenges are addressed through putting human rights into practice in the areas of health and social care, standard of living and justice and safety for all so as to help enable us all to enjoy Better Lives. It also helps open up Scotland to learn from the experience of others while making sure it meets its own responsibilities to contribute to a Better World.
The model for change which SNAP promotes is a “human rights based approach” which emphasises participation, accountability, non-discrimination, empowerment and legality (“PANEL”). This has several proven benefits: upholding the rights of everyone, supporting person centred services, helping good decision making, improving institutional culture and relationships and, finally, ensuring legal compliance and promoting best practice.
Evidence shows that laws and policies, often designed with the best of intentions, are not consistently delivering good practice in care homes, schools, hospitals or in our justice system.
SNAP has been, and will continue to be, a collaborative process. Its success is dependent on the effective coordination of work across all the areas that affect peoples’ lives in Scotland. SNAP will be delivered by an expanding coalition of public bodies and voluntary organisations. It will be underpinned by a constructive process of accountability including independent monitoring and evaluation, annual reports to the Scottish Parliament and an annual National InterAction with broad participation to review progress and address challenges. Organisations will be encouraged to identify, promote and replicate good practice and to innovate. Through Innovations Forums there will be opportunities to learn about practice across Scotland and the world and testing out new ways of seeking to address both old and new challenges.
I am confident that SNAP will be an effective method of bringing human rights into peoples’ everyday lives and will give us in Scotland the chance to demonstrate how human rights can be used to improve peoples’ lives both home and abroad.
Professor Alan Miller is Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission
www.scottishhumanrights.com/actionplan
By Professor Alan Miller, Chair, Scottish Human Rights Commission
OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
- Editorial
- Children - Putting Policy Into Practice
- Worth more than the First Minister? Senior Salaries in Scottish Quangos
- Success secrets shared: Learning from the best Mittelstand and British global niche champions
- Remembering John Muir
- Internship Can be Good For You
- Planning for Human Rights in Scotland
- Power to the People?
- Evidence exchange: sharing social policy lessons between neighbours
- Helping to build stronger communities across Scotland
- How Can We Engage The Disengaged?
- Pay as you Go?
Issue 8: January 2014
SMART CITIES: SMART SERVICES: SMART WORKING
Smart Cities: Smart Services: Smart Working Editorial
In focusing on 'Smart Cities' let's start with a few teaser questions (answers at the foot of this column)...
- Connecting the Unconnected
- Smarter cities, greener cities cost less to run
- The Future of Mobility - Economic and Transport Opportunity
- Will 2014 be the year that cities become even smarter?
- Geographic Information for Smart Working
- Smart Accelerator: Accelerating action to create smarter cities and regions
- Public Service Reform in an Enabling State: It's about people - not just curly cables
- Data's the way to do it as Glasgow fast forwards to the future
- Time To Start Powering Public Services?
- A 'Smart' Move for Scotland? Edinburgh Napier University's role in the EU Smart Cities Project
- Transport for Edinburgh - Integrated Transport for a Smart City
- "Smart" Opportunities for Scotland's Cities
- Co-ordinating Investment to Deliver 'Smart Places'
- Delivering a sustainable rail future
PREVIOUS ISSUES
Looking for a previous issue? Use the menu below to select an issue.
MOST READ ARTICLES
- Bringing alive the Digital Participation Charter for Scotland's citizens, communities and businesses
- Transport for Edinburgh - Integrated Transport for a Smart City
- Worth more than the First Minister? Senior Salaries in Scottish Quangos
- A Planet of Smart Cities: Scotland's digital challenge
- Dundee: From Waterfront redevelopment to city economy regeneration
- Social Business Can Transform Public Services
- Success secrets shared: Learning from the best Mittelstand and British global niche champions
- Public Services Reform and Public Opinion
- Increasing digital participation levels in Scotland - what needs to happen next?
- The Evolving Public Sector Response to Budget Challenges