WO
Group discussion
service users and providers.
The following key points emerged from the
• A human rights culture must be promoted at
discussion:
the top levels within organisations. This may R
• From needs to r ights: It is vital to empower
mean focussing on outcomes, presenting the
K
service users to work from basic human rights
issue in terms of ‘value lost’ when a human
S
rights based approach is not used rather than
H
principles and frame their issues in terms
‘value added’ when it is.
O
of entitlement rather than need. FREDA
principles – fairness, respect, equality, dignity
• Duty bearers (e.g. public authorities) should
P
include mandatory human rights training as

and autonomy – are easily understood and
S
agreed upon and, once established, people can
part of staff inductions to ensure they are
E
S
rely on the legal framework to back them up.
working in compliance with human rights
S
• Participation and empowerment: Service users
principles.
I
O
and providers need to be more informed about • Long-term participation among service users
N
human rights based approaches so they can in the monitoring and evaluation of policies
S
recognise the tools at their disposal, and service should be encouraged.
users should see them as a real opportunity to • Success stories about human rights based
change policy at the very top. It is important approaches should be used to inspire others
that participation is genuine and inclusive. to use human rights.
• Committed leadership: Genuine engagement
with human rights at the top level trickles down
Rights, Responsibilities and
to the lower levels where actual services are
provided. It is essential to have human rights a new Bill of Rights
champions in the public sector who can steer
organisational culture towards human rights.
Overview
The major political parties are currently
It is essential to have human rights champions
framing human rights in terms of ‘rights and
in the public sector who can steer organisational
responsibilities’. This is reflected in current
culture towards human rights.
Government proposals for a new Bill of Rights
which make the link to responsibilities explicit.
• Resources: Society’s values determine spending
This session aimed to allow participants,
priorities – the third sector should not accept
many of whom were from the voluntary and
a lack of resources as a valid reason for public
community sector, to engage in the debate over
services avoiding their obligation to protect
a new Bill of Rights, and also provided a space
people’s rights. The Participatory Budgetary
to assess the relationship between rights and
Unit
5
allows you to check the allocation of
responsibilities.
resources in relation to public services.
Presentations
• The public sector: Organisations adopting
Edward Adams (Chair), Head of the Human
a human rights based approach have
Rights Division at the Ministry of Justice, opened
experienced an organic growth towards
the workshop with the following two questions:
genuine use of human rights – showing us
that when people’s dignity and worth are
• Given the Bill of Rights backdrop, where do
recognised, they are then able to fight for their
rights end and responsibilities begin, from
rights.
theoretical, political and practical standpoints?
• Private sector obligations: When services are
• If/when a Bill of Rights consultation takes
outsourced to businesses, although they are
place, who should be involved in this debate
not ‘publicly run’, their service is ‘public’ and
and how do we engage them?
these businesses should not be able to opt out
of their obligations under the Human Rights
Absolutely central to the debate is the way
Act.
individuals understand (and misunderstand)
what it means to use a human rights approach
Recommendations in their everyday lives. UNICEF UK’s Head
• Support and information about human rights of Education Edward Waller described how
17
based approaches should be provided to UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools programme
5 See www.participatorybudgeting.org.uk for details.
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