Global Child Forum

Children’s Rights and Business
Workbook

Put child rights at the core of your business

How to implement a Child Rights perspective

About this guide

Welcome to Global Child Forum’s practical step-by-step guide on how to incorporate children’s rights into existing business processes. This guide aims to inform, inspire, and equip companies to implement a children’s rights perspective throughout the value chain. The workbook has been written in alignment with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and The Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBPs).

Who is it for?

The guide can be used by professionals working in sustainability, social impact or human rights, or consultants supporting companies in their human rights due diligence work.

What does this guide contain?

In the guide you’ll find:

Step-by-step guidance and concrete tips
Information to help you build an internal business case
Examples from other companies such as Marks & Spencer, Microsoft, and more!
Useful checklists
References to other valuable tools and frameworks
Templates to use in your organisation, to help understand, map and address your company’s impact on children

Developed together with our partners

The workbook was developed with the active support and participation of Lindéngruppen*, driven by a determination to implement a children’s rights perspective in their own businesses and enable other companies to do the same.

Our benchmark partner Boston Consulting Group supported the development process, and Emily Sara Lee of ESLEE Consulting contributed invaluable expertise in human rights due diligence and was responsible for compiling and finalising text and templates.

* Lindéngruppen is a second-generation family business based in the South of Sweden, focusing on sustainable and long-term development of industrial companies. The group is made up of Beckers, Colart, Alex Begg and Höganäs.

Jenny Lindén Urnes

Owner and chair, Lindéngruppen

Business has a huge impact on children’s lives and their perspectives on business matter. Together with Global Child Forum and the Boston Consulting Group we created a guide for how to incorporate children’s voices into businesses. We hope it will enable many other companies to start working with children’s rights.

Shape the future of your business

DOWNLOAD THE WORKBOOK

Please share your company name with us to download the Children's Rights and Business Workbook. Your information will not be used for any marketing purposes or distributed to any other parties. The purpose is for Global Child Forum to better understand the usage of our products and services

Continue your journey

More resources to guide your company

Child Labour
Policy Guide

Preventing and dealing with child labour in operations and supply chains

To the Guide

The Magnifier - Child Rights Knowledge Test

Map your child rights weaknesses and gain inspiration on how to improve

To the Magnifier

Children’s Participation Guide

Advice on involving children in corporate decision-making processes

To the Guide

Want to know more?

Talk to an expert

Nina Vollmer

Director Child Rights and Sustainability

As the organisation’s senior expert, Nina conducts research and supports companies on how to improve their understanding of, and impact on children’s lives. She develops and works with the tools and services that Global Child Forum offers, including the Business Academy, Scorecard Feedback service, guidance and best practices. Nina also supports with content creation for events and communications. With responsibility for the methodology behind the Corporate Sector and Children’s Rights Benchmark, Nina is the appointed spokesperson for benchmark activities, and regularly speaks at key events and conferences. Nina holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Lund University (Sweden), and has worked both nationally and internationally with human rights and development within the NGO sector.

Contact

Matthew Goodwin

Head of Sustainable Investing

Matthew is pioneering a new role at Global Child Forum as Head of Sustainable Investing, responsible for building Global Child Forum’s relationship with the financial services sector and ensuring that our sustainability data on children’s rights is made available to investors, asset managers and asset owners, helping them integrate children’s rights into their operations and investment decision-making process. Prior to joining Global Child Forum, he spent eight years at Lloyds Banking Group in London. Matthew studied Law and French at Université Paul Cézanne, Aix Marseille III and The University of Sheffield.