A case study investigation into a children’s rights approach to health services

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute knowledge regarding what should be involved in a children’s rights approach (CRA) to health services in the Welsh context and to develop tools to monitor the implementation of such an approach using Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (ABMU) as a case study. There is no agreed model for a human rights approach, a children’s rights approach, human rights approach to health or indeed a CRA to health services. This thesis begins with an examination of the conceptual literature and the international human rights treaty system to determine what should be included in a CRA to health services. It considers what are the barriers and also the mechanisms that support a CRA to health services’ implementation in practice and reviews devolved health policy and the agenda for children’s rights in Wales. From this analysis it develops a conceptual framework and monitoring tools to test a health authority’s institutional approach to implementing a CRA in the Welsh context. Using ABMU Health Board as the case study it demonstrates how tools were developed to gain a baseline understanding of how far a CRA had been embedded in ABMU health services and what strategies were required to make a CRA fully operational. The monitoring tools are determined to be effective, non-resource intensive methods that can be used to test a health board’s progress on implementing a CRA. The thesis presents opportunities for critical reflections regarding how to better embed and implement a CRA to health services and recommendations regarding future research.