Rights from the Start
Mrs Jenny Harris, then President of BSPD and Consultant in Community Paediatric Dentistry, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, launched the BSPD Rights from the Start initiative in the UK on 9 June 2023.
At the centre of this campaign to drive better awareness of the children’s rights, is a fact sheet outlining these rights according to The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The aim is to bring clarity for our 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.
Jenny 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 dentistry professionals 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 – including points such as providing information children can really understand, listening to their views and supporting them to make decisions.”
BSPD would love to hear and see how you use these fact sheets. Please email us at media@bspd.co.uk or tag us in your social media posts!
Download the fact sheet (poster)
A4 size pdf
A3 size pdf
Support for Rights from the Start
The fact sheet, which can also be used as a poster, is supported by the British Dental Association (BDA), the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and was co-developed with support from the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) Child Friendly Cities and Communities programme.
Additional support for BSPD’s Rights from the Start initiative
In addition to the BDA, NSPCC and UNICEF UK, BSPD is delighted to have further support of the Rights from the Start messaging from the following organisations:
1. British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN)
2. British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT)
3. British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD)
4. British Orthodontic Society (BOS)
5. British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT)
6. British Society for Oral & Dental Research (BSODR)
7. British Society of Special Care Dentistry (BSSCD)
8. Global Child Dental Fund (GCDF)
9. Society of British Dental Nurses (SBDN)
10. Office of the Chief Dental Officer Northern Ireland
11. Dental Schools Council
If your dental professional organisation would like to support Rights from the Start, please contact media@bspd.co.uk
Artwork by Harry Venning