The National Council for the Child (NCC) advocates for the realization of the full spectrum of children’s and youth rights in the public arena, working to shape legislation, policy, and national programs that directly affect their lives.
As an independent civil society organization, the NCC serves as a professional, influential, and impartial voice in Knesset committees, government ministries, inter-ministerial forums, and multi-sector initiatives. It works to ensure that national policy and decision-making align with the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The NCC has promoted more than 160 laws and legislative amendments in the fields of welfare, health, protection, justice, education, child and youth participation, and more. Alongside this work, the NCC developed and implemented groundbreaking models that then were adopted as the framework for national services (‘social exits’), including the model for legal representation of children and youth in civil proceedings; the support model for child victims of sexual and violent crime; and the “Youth Parliament” model for child and youth participation in policymaking.
The NCC has also led major national efforts, including initiating the establishment of the Government Coordination Unit for Children and Youth Rights within the Ministry of Justice; advancing the development of the “Push” mechanism for the Ministry of Education (an immediate notification system regarding educators under criminal investigation); and co-chairing with the Government Coordinator for Children and Youth Rights the national multi-sectoral roundtable on children and youth during wartime and during the COVID-19 crisis.
The NCC participates regularly in Knesset committee discussions, serves on professional committees in government ministries, and occasionally submits petitions to the High Court of Justice on issues of fundamental importance for children and youth.
The NCC’s policy work rests on three pillars: (1) Professional knowledge and expertise—based on policy research, data, learning from relevant international cases, and collaboration with civil society organizations and practitioners; (2) Knowledge from the field—derived from the many inquiries received by the NCC from the public, which help identify gaps in services, recurring challenges, and systemic needs, informing cross-sector policy solutions; (3) The voices of children and youth themselves—gathered through structured participation processes. Their perspectives provide an updated and nuanced understanding of their lived experience and strengthen their right to express their views and influence decisions affecting their lives.
Together, these pillars enable the NCC to advance deep, relevant, and evidence-based policies that reflect the needs of children and youth, and to drive systemic change that impacts hundreds of thousands of children across Israel.
