PROFED1

WHAT IS THE DEFNITION OF A CHILD?

You cannot give children their rights, if there is no universal

agreement on the word "child".

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) defines a child as everyone under 18
unless, "under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier".

In England a child is defined as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. Child protection
guidance points out that even if a child has reached 16 years of age and is:

 living independently

 in further education

 a member of the armed forces

 in hospital; or

 in custody in the secure estate

they are still legally children and should be given the same protection and entitlements as any other
child (Department for Education, 2018a).

In Scotland, the definition of a child varies in different legal contexts, but statutory guidance which
supports the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, includes all children and young people up
to the age of 18.

Where a young person between the age of 16 and 18 requires support and protection, services will need
to consider which legal framework best fits each persons’ needs and circumstances. The National
guidance for child protection in Scotland gives more detail about this and explains how professionals
should act to protect young people from harm in different circumstances (Scottish Government, 2021).

ADOLESCENT LEARNER

Adolescence is a distinct stage that marks the transition between childhood and adulthood.

According to Piaget, the transition from late childhood to adolescence is marked by the attainment of
formal operational thought, the hallmark of which is abstract reasoning. 
Adolescent learners thrive in school environments that acknowledge and support their growing desire
for autonomy, peer interaction, and abstract cognitive thinking, as well as the increasing salience of
identity-related issues and romantic relationships.
(Source: Seel 2012).

Adolescent learners are a study in contradictions. Teenagers yearn for freedom to make all their own
decisions, yet they don't always display the sound judgment needed to do so.

UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund,

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, to defend their rights, and to
help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. And we never give up.

UNICEF works in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents
– and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. 

The world’s largest provider of vaccines, we support child health and nutrition, safe water and
sanitation, quality education and skill building, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and babies,
and the protection of children and adolescents from violence and exploitation.

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialised agency of the United
Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education,
the sciences, and culture

WHO - WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for
international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all
peoples of the highest possible level of health".