BSPD launches ‘Rights from the Start’ initiative

At the centre of this initiative, is a fact sheet outlining these rights according to The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Carrying endorsements from the British Dental Association and the NSPCC, the fact sheet, which can also be used as a poster, was co-developed with support from the UK Committee for UNICEF Child Friendly Cities & Communities programme.

The aim is to bring clarity for professional colleagues in dentistry, and beyond - to anyone who works with children and young people - so that they can feel confident in their understanding of the rights that they must uphold for the youngest in our society.

Printed versions of the fact sheet are being issued with the British Dental Journal (BDJ), with the suggestion that dental practices may want to use them to prompt discussion amongst their teams or to put them up as posters on a staff noticeboard. Jenny has written an opinion article to accompany the fact sheet; this article in the journal explores the implications for clinical teams.

Mrs Jenny Harris, President of BSPD and Consultant in Community Paediatric Dentistry, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who conceived the Rights from the Start initiative said:

“It’s crucial that inequalities in children’s oral health at a population level are tackled and tackled fast. Change is needed soon. Children desperately need far-reaching solutions to uphold their right to the best dental care possible. We are, as yet, a long way off that.

But there are also things we can do in our day-to-day clinical practice to respect and uphold individual children’s rights. That’s what I have focused on in my article in the British Dental Journal – things like providing information children can understand, listening to their views and supporting them to make decisions.”

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