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Understanding Children
The Nest and the UNCRC: Aligning frameworks for children’s rights and wellbeing
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Fiona Alston
Oct 27, 2025
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A conceptual alignment between The Nest and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) offers a powerful lens for understanding what children and young people need to thrive and who is responsible for meeting those needs.
Developed by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY), The Nest is a holistic framework for child and youth wellbeing. It answers a fundamental question: what does it take for a child or young person to live a good life? The model defines six interdependent domains that must all be met for a child to thrive.In parallel, the UNCRC sets out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. Endorsed by nearly every country in the world, it is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. The Convention recognises children’s entitlement to life, development, protection, and participation, and outlines the duties of governments, families and institutions in realising these rights.
The two frameworks align in key ways. While The Nest concentrates on wellbeing outcomes, the UNCRC overlays a legal and accountability framework, detailing not just what children need but also who must act to support those needs.For example, Article 6 of the UNCRC affirms every child’s right to life and maximum development. Within The Nest, achieving this right is understood to require wellbeing across all six domains. In this way, the rights described in the UNCRC map closely and often multiply across The Nest’s interrelated areas of wellbeing.
However, The Nest differs from the UNCRC by design. It intentionally focuses on the child’s perspective highlighting needs rather than prescribing responsibilities. This approach recognises that how those needs are met will vary depending on each child’s context, including cultural, familial and community factors.
Together, these frameworks provide a comprehensive approach to child wellbeing and rights. The Nest helps guide service design and policy from a child-centred viewpoint, while the UNCRC ensures that rights-based obligations remain front and centre in practice and accountability.
Educators, policymakers and service leaders working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) can draw on both frameworks to inform inclusive, strengths-based approaches that uphold children’s rights and support their holistic development.
To learn more or access a child-friendly version of the resources, visit the ARACY website.
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