The Children's Rights in Early Years Network

• To bridge the gap between practice, policy and research
• To improve accessibility of research, policy and practical experiences by providing a forum for practice, policy and academic communities to meet and work together
• To develop a forum through which future research activity, that is collaborative and cross-sector in nature may be generated. That members learn about children’s rights and are able to deliver a stronger advocacy for the rights of young children across their areas of work
• To exchange knowledge between professionals who share interests in the rights of young children, making sure that the knowledge shared identifies best practice and pertinent issues
• To support the development of an evidence-base to better understand young children’s rights in Wales and includes the views of young children

Any professional with an interest in children’s rights may become a member. Membership is for as long as the member is interested. All members will be asked to write a brief ‘Pen portrait’ to be shared online.

To reduce the size of meetings, most meetings will be themed so members can attend those meetings which they deem relevant.

For further information please contact either, Dr. Jacky Tyrie, email: j.tyrie@swansea.ac.uk or Anna Westall (Policy Officer), e-mail: anna.westall@childreninwales.org.uk 

Annual Conference: “Early Years Rights in Practice: Research Informed Practice”

Held in Cardiff in May 2025, CREYN’s second bi-annual conference brought together delegates from across Wales and the UK to explore children’s rights in practice. The event featured keynote speeches from Professor Jane Murray and Professor Jane Williams, and workshops led by organisations including Save the Children Cymru, Forest School, and Ty Plant Community Nursery. The conference launched the Pledge for Babies in Wales, a call to action for professionals and communities to centre babies’ needs and voices in decision-making.

The Pledge for Babies in Wales

This initiative recognises the unique developmental needs of babies and encourages caregivers, professionals, and communities to support their emotional, physical, and social wellbeing. It emphasises the importance of listening to babies and creating nurturing environments where they can thrive. 

Resources for Practitioners and Families

CREYN has developed a suite of leaflets tailored to different age groups (0–5 years), helping parents and practitioners understand and support children’s rights. These include:

• Here I am! (0–12 months)
• I’m exploring! (1–2 years)
• Look at me now! (2–3 years)
• Watch me go, here I come! (3–5 years)

RAISING AWARENESS OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS – The CREY Network in guidance documents

The recently published strategy sets out the plan on how Welsh Government will raise awareness of the UNCRC in Wales until the end of 2023.

https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2021-11/raising-awareness-of-childrens-rights.pdf 

The CREY Network has a specific mention under the Early Years section to support the children’s rights early years network. We will support this network to bring together key stakeholders to share good children’s rights practice.