Promoting children's participation in children's issues

(Baonghean.vn) - The People's Committee of Nghe An province has just issued a Plan to implement the Program to promote children's participation in children's issues for the period 2016 - 2020. Nghe An Newspaper introduces the full text of the Plan.

Pursuant to Decision No. 1235/QD-TTg dated August 3, 2015 of the Prime Minister approving the Program to promote children's participation in children's issues for the period 2016 - 2020; Nghe An Provincial People's Committee develops a Plan to implement the Program to promote children's participation in children's issues for the period 2016 - 2020 in Nghe An province with the following contents:

I. Purpose and requirements

1. Purpose:

Create a favorable environment and enhance the capacity of children in Nghe An province in exercising their right to participate in issues related to children in accordance with the provisions of law and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

2. Requirements:

The implementation plan should achieve the following specific objectives:

a) 100% of laws and policies on children at the provincial and district levels are developed with consultation with children.

b) 90% of decisions related to children in schools are made in consultation with children.

c) 90% of decisions related to children in the community and society are consulted with children.

d) 100% of districts, cities and towns, each unit implements at least 01 model to promote children's participation in children's issues (hereinafter referred to as pilot area).

II. Subjects and scope of implementation

1. Subject:Children from 6 years old and up; agencies, organizations and individuals are responsible for implementing children's rights.

2. Scope of the Program:The program is implemented throughout the province.

III. Plan content

1. Project 1:Communicate, raise awareness and skills to implement children's right to participation.

a) Objective: Raise awareness, provide knowledge and skills to implement children's participation rights for authorities at all levels, organizations, individuals, families and society responsible for implementing children's rights.

b) Indicators:

- 90% of child protection and care staff have knowledge and skills to implement children's right to participation.

- 70% of government officials at all levels in the pilot area have knowledge and skills to implement children's right to participation.

- 90% of Youth Union officials, Team leaders, and teachers in the pilot area have knowledge and skills to implement children's right to participation.

- 70% of parents, caregivers and children in the pilot area have knowledge and skills to exercise children's right to participation.

c) Content:

- Research and develop documents to guide communication work, communication products on children's participation rights in mass media, information at grassroots level and activities to raise social awareness of children's participation rights; create conditions for children to participate in developing communication documents.

- Integrate media content to promote children's right to participate in child care, education and protection programs at all levels and sectors.

- Organize annual communication campaigns during the month of action for children to change awareness and mobilize the participation of the whole society to support the implementation of children's participation rights.

- Build special pages and columns on promoting children's participation rights in print newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online newspapers.

- Organize communication for school staff, teachers, and students about children's rights to participate; communicate in the community: at cultural houses of blocks, hamlets, villages, communes/wards/towns, at consulting services to change awareness for children, child protection and care staff, Youth Union and Team staff, parents about children's rights to participate, focusing on communicating knowledge and skills to parents. Promote communication about children's rights to participate, commit, train, exchange and commend typical examples of child protection, care and education.

- Monitor and evaluate the results of communication activities on mass media, communication in families and schools, periodically evaluate the impact of communication activities on children and adults in the areas where the Program is implemented.

d) Agency responsible for implementation:

- Presiding agency: Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

- Coordinating agencies: Department of Information and Communications, Department of Education and Training, Department of Culture - Sports and Tourism, Provincial Radio - Television Station, Nghe An Newspaper, Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, Provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, Provincial Women's Union, People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

2. Project 2:Enhancing capacity to implement children's right to participation

a) Objective: Improve capacity in developing and organizing the implementation of laws and policies on ensuring children's participation rights for authorities at all levels, organizations, individuals, families, and societies responsible for implementing children's rights, focusing on child protection and care staff at all levels, teachers, union and team officials, parents and children. Develop and edit implementation guidance documents and improve capacity to monitor and evaluate the implementation of children's participation rights.

b) Indicators:

- 90% of state management officials on children, officials working on child protection and care from provincial to district levels have improved capacity in state management and organization of implementation of programs, plans, projects, models on children's participation rights.

- 90% of staff working in child protection and care at the commune level and collaborators and volunteers participating in child protection and care in blocks, hamlets and villages have improved capacity to implement children's right to participation.

- 50% of Youth Union, Young Pioneers and teachers in the pilot area are trained and have improved capacity to implement children's right to participation.

- 50% of parents and children in the pilot area are trained and equipped with skills to exercise children's right to participation.

c) Content:

- Develop documents, policies and guidelines for implementing children's participation rights:

+) Research to develop or propose amendments to legal documents and policies related to children's participation rights. Research and develop coordination regulations between departments, branches, and organizations in the province and districts, cities, and towns in promoting children's participation rights.

+) Develop documents guiding the implementation of children's participation rights; procedures and standards on children's participation rights, and skills for working with children.

-Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of children's participation rights:

+) Develop criteria for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of children's participation rights.

+) Organize surveys and evaluate the implementation of children's participation rights.

-Improving capacity to organize the implementation of children's participation rights:

+) Develop training programs and content on children's participation rights for those being trained.

+) Organize training and foster skills in management and organization of implementation of programs, plans, projects on children's rights and children's participation rights for staff at all levels and collaborators participating in child protection and care work.

d) Agency responsible for implementation:

- Presiding agency: Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

- Coordinating agencies: Department of Education and Training, Department of Culture - Sports and Tourism, Department of Justice, Department of Planning and Investment, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of the province, Provincial Women's Union, People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

3. Project 3:Develop and implement models that promote children's participation rights.

Model 1:Children's Forum

Children's forums are activities for children to express their opinions and wishes or for agencies and organizations to get children's opinions on issues related to children.

a) Objective: Provincial and district children's forums are held periodically once a year.

b) Content:

- Children participate in games, cultural exchanges, and sightseeing; children discuss in groups to make recommendations and messages; children participate in exchanges with representatives of Party leaders, the government, People's Councils, state management agencies, socio-political organizations, and social organizations.

- Communication about Children's Forums and children's messages and recommendations, summaries, conferences and workshops to evaluate the implementation of Children's Forums.

c) Agency responsible for implementation:

- Presiding agency: Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

- Coordinating agencies: Department of Education and Training, Department of Culture - Sports and Tourism, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of the province, People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

Model 2:Children's Poll

Children's opinion poll is a form of consulting children's opinions through conferences, seminars, discussions, questionnaires, mobile phones, hotlines, the internet and other suitable forms.

a) Objective: At least 02 districts, cities and towns in the process of building laws and policies related to children organize surveys of children's opinions.

b) Content:

- Organize seminars, training sessions, and share experiences in implementing children's opinion survey models.

- Develop documents guiding the content of children's opinion surveys on issues and documents related to children; provide guidance on the process of children's opinion surveys, design and organize the implementation of children's opinion survey models.

- Develop reports, documents, evaluate results, summarize experiences and recommendations when implementing the model, organize model monitoring and supervision to draw lessons learned and propose model replication.

c) Agency responsible for implementation:

- Presiding agency: Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

- Coordinating agencies: Department of Education and Training, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Department of Health, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of the province, People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

Model 3:Children's Council

The Children's Council is a group representing children in the Youth Union and Young Pioneers organizations to periodically express opinions, aspirations, exchange and dialogue with representatives of People's Councils at all levels on issues related to children in the locality.

a) Objective: At least 02 districts, cities and towns establish and organize Children's Council activities.

b) Content:

- Organize workshops, training sessions, and share experiences in implementing the Children's Council model and related models when implementing the above model.

- Develop guidance documents and procedures for establishing and operating the Children's Council model.

- Communication about the Children's Council model.

- Organizing Provincial Children's Council:

+) Develop plans, select children to participate, and design the content of the Children's Council's activities.

+) Establish a Children's Council, children organize voting for the Children's Council based on criteria proposed by children with the support of adults.

+) Organize activities of the Children's Council and periodically hold meetings of the Children's Council on issues related to children.

+) Synthesize the opinions, suggestions and recommendations of the Children's Council and send them to the leaders of the provincial departments and branches for consideration and feedback.

- Develop reports, evaluate results, summarize experiences and recommendations when implementing the model, organize model monitoring and evaluation to draw lessons learned and propose model replication.

c) Agency responsible for implementation:

- Presiding agency: Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Council, Nghe An province.

- Coordinating agencies: Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Department of Education and Training, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Department of Justice, People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

Model 4:Children's Participation Club

Children's participation rights club is an organization established on the basis of voluntary participation of children, with children proactively building and implementing activities related to children's rights and duties.

a) Objective: Each district, city, town and each secondary school has at least 01 children's participation rights club established and organized activities at school and in the community.

b) Content:

- Instructions for establishing and maintaining a children's club.

- Plan to organize children's club activities; develop and implement club activity guidelines.

- Organize club activities, keep a diary and make club activity reports.

- Organize training on skills to organize and manage club activities, exchange and club festivals; conferences, summaries, assessments, conclusions and experiences in implementing the model.

- Review and evaluate the implementation of the children's club model.

c) Agency responsible for implementation:

- Presiding agency: Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

- Coordinating agencies: Department of Education and Training, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of the province, People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

Model 5:Programs and activities initiated and implemented by children

Programs and activities initiated and implemented by children are proposals and initiatives by children to address the needs of children, the community and society. These programs and activities are proposed, developed, implemented and supervised by children under the guidance of agencies and organizations with functions and tasks to meet children's participation rights as prescribed by law.

a) Objective: Each district, city and town has at least 01 program and activity initiated and implemented by children at school and in the community related to children's participation rights.

b) Content:

- Develop guidance documents for implementing child-initiated programs and activities.

- Guide, implement programs and activities.

+) Develop a plan and select a location to implement the model.

+) Establish a group of provincial-level source lecturers: officers from the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Education and Training, and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

+) Select members to participate in the child support network at the commune level: officers working in child protection and care, Youth Union and Team cadres, teachers, and leaders of pilot areas; establish core children's groups.

+) Training for provincial-level source trainers; training for commune-level child support networks; training for core children; mobilizing children to develop programs and activities; reviewing and approving programs and activities for children to implement.

+) The core group of children implements the program and activities with the supervision and support of the child support network: initial survey, development of logical framework and intervention plan, monitoring plan, organizing workshops to pass the program, child-initiated detection activities, evaluation workshops, reporting on implementation results, monitoring programs and activities.

+) The child support network reports on the implementation results to provincial and district level agencies.

- Review, evaluate, and draw lessons from implementing programs and activities initiated by children and social activities involving children.

- Organize workshops, conferences, summarize, evaluate and draw lessons from model implementation.

c) Agency responsible for implementation:

- Presiding agency: Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

- Coordinating agencies: Department of Education and Training, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of the province, People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

IV. Tasks and solutions to implement the plan

1. Raise awareness for all levels of government, organizations and individuals in the province about the meaning and necessity of children's participation rights, helping children to be proactive, creative and confident in life, becoming future owners of the country. Improve capacity in state management, knowledge and skills to implement children's participation rights for all levels of government, organizations and individuals in the province.

2. State agencies, when developing and implementing laws and policies related to children; schools, communities and society, when developing and implementing decisions, plans and activities related to children, must organize consultations and collect children's opinions in appropriate forms.

3. Promote the mobilization of social, community and business resources to implement the Plan; encourage organizations and individuals to support resources to organize activities and models to promote children's participation rights.

4. Strengthen inspection and examination of the implementation of children's participation rights and the contents of this Plan. Promptly encourage and reward groups and individuals with many achievements in implementing the Plan and take measures to handle groups and individuals who are irresponsible in implementing children's participation rights according to the provisions of law.

5. Expand relations with other provinces to learn from experiences and good models in promoting children's participation rights. Actively participate in and host events on children's participation rights such as: Forums; children's festivals...

V. Implementation

1. Implementation costs:

The budget for implementing the Program includes: state budget allocated in the budget estimates of departments, branches, localities and units; mobilized from funding sources and support from organizations and individuals inside and outside the province and other legal sources of capital.

2. Assignment of responsibilities:

2.1. The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs is responsible for:

a) Develop an annual implementation plan; be the standing body of the Plan, chair meetings with relevant provincial departments, branches, and mass organizations and People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns to organize the implementation of the proposed Plan;

b) Organize the implementation of assigned activities in the plan according to the provisions of law;

c) Promote and innovate communication activities on the Party's guidelines, laws and State policies on children's participation rights;

d) Guide, inspect, examine, summarize the implementation of the Plan and periodically report to the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs;

d) Assist the Provincial People's Committee in urging departments, branches, sectors and localities to organize consultations with children when developing laws, policies, programs and projects related to children;

e) Organize a summary of the implementation of the Plan by the end of 2020.

2.2. The Department of Education and Training shall preside over and coordinate with the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Nghe An province, and the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns to perform the following tasks:

a) Implement training and capacity building for managers, teachers, and officers in charge of the Youth Union and Young Pioneers in schools on developing and applying educational methods associated with children's participation;

b) Integrate and incorporate content involving children into core subjects and extracurricular activities appropriate to the grade level, training level, and capacity and development of children.

c) Direct educational institutions to establish models and clubs to promote children's participation rights, focus on organizing children's forums, polling children's opinions on issues related to children, respect and encourage programs and activities initiated and implemented by children in schools to promote children's participation rights.

2.3. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall preside over and coordinate with the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and relevant departments and agencies to research and propose policies to promote children's participation in family activities. Direct localities to plan and build cultural institutions for children, creating conditions for children to participate in appropriate recreational activities.

2.4. The Department of Finance shall appraise and arrange funds to implement the Plan allocated by the state budget in the annual budget estimate according to the provisions of the State Budget Law; coordinate in inspecting and examining the management and use of funds to implement the Plan.

2.5. Provincial Departments, branches, agencies and organizations, in the process of developing laws and policies related to children, must have appropriate forms of consultation with children and organize the implementation of the Plan according to their assigned functions and tasks.

2.6. People's Committees of districts, cities and towns are responsible for:

a) Organize the implementation of the Plan locally according to the guidance of the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs and relevant functional Departments and branches;

b) Develop and organize the implementation of annual action plans on promoting children's participation rights; integrate the implementation of the Plan with other relevant programs and plans in the area;

c) Direct agencies and organizations to consult children when developing and implementing laws, policies, programs and projects; develop and replicate models to promote children's right to participation;

d) Proactively arrange budget and human resources to implement the Plan;

d) Check the implementation of the Plan locally.

2.7. Propose that the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province and its member organizations, within the scope of their functions and tasks, participate in organizing the implementation of the Plan; promote communication work on children's rights to participate; participate in developing and supervising the implementation of laws and policies on children's rights to participate.

On the basis of this Plan, Departments, branches, agencies, units and People's Committees of districts, cities and towns shall annually (in the last week of November) send reports on the implementation results of the above tasks to the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs (Standing Agency) for synthesis and reporting to the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs in accordance with regulations.

TM. PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE

KT. Chairman

Vice president

Le Xuan Dai