2020
January
Consultation on Youth Justice Standards
A response to a Scottish Government consultation on proposed new Youth Justice Standards.
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Consultation on Proposed Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions)(Scotland) Bill
A response to a Bill proposed for consideration by the Scottish Parliament.
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2019
November
Call for views: The Children (Scotland) Bill
A response to a call from the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee.
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Evidence to the Local Government and Communities Committee: Call for Views on the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill
Download a PDF of our written evidence.
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October
MSP Briefing: Children (Equal Protection from Assault)(Scotland) Bill
Our Briefing to MSPs ahead of the final debate of this Bill in the Scottish Parliament.
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September
Response: Scottish Sentencing Council consultation on the sentencing process
Our response to the Scottish Sentencing Council focuses on human rights issues for children of prisoners that arise in the sentencing process.
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August
Consultation response: Incorporation of the UNCRC
Our consultation response to the Scottish Government lays out in detail why the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child must be fully and directly incorporated into Scots law and emphasises why this needs to happen urgently.
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Evidence: Disclosure (Scotland) Bill
Evidence for the Scottish Parliament's Education and Skills Committee on the Disclosure (Scotland)Bill.
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Response to Public Petitions Committee Petition PE01713: Ban the use of Mosquito devices in Scotland
Our response to the Scottish Youth Parliament's petition - which we support - to ban Mosquito Devices in Scotland.
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The Commissioner's office responds to this Scottish Government consultation.
July
Ahead of our response to the Scottish Government consultation on incorporating the UNCRC, we’ve produced this paper outlining our preliminary position. It highlights the four key points we want to make:
- that the UNCRC must be incorporated as written,
- that it doesn’t need to be rewritten to be incorporated into Scots law,
- that things need to move quickly for incorporation to happen in this Parliamentary session,
- that incorporation supports and complements wider work on human rights legislation in Scotland as recommended by the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership, whose final report supported incorporation of the UNCRC unequivocally.
June
Briefing for MSPs ahead of Stage 2 debate of the Children (Equal Protection from Assault)(Scotland) Bill.
May
Briefing for MSPs at Stage 1 of the Children (Equal Protection from Assault)(Scotland) Bill. It makes it clear Scotland's current law is untenable in international human rights terms.
Our submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child following their concept note for a general comment around how the UNCRC should be applied in a digital context.
Briefing for MSPs before they consider Stage 3 of the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill. It reiterates 14 as the minimum acceptable international standard for the age of criminal responsibility.
March
Our response makes clear why we support the use of temporary, short term protective orders as an appropriate and proportionate way of ensuring children are protected from the impact of domestic abuse.
January
Comments on proposed revisions to the Committee's General Comment 10, including its recommendation that a minimum age of criminal responsibility of 14 should now be considered the absolute minimum standard.
Our evidence around the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill highlights recent proposals to revise a UN General Comment on juvenile justice and our concerns about the Bill as it currently stands.
2018
November
Response to a consultation around reviewing the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937.
The Commissioner responds to the Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill, which he fully supports. Assaulting a child for the purpose of punishment is a breach of their human rights and can never be justified, and maintaining the defence of justifiable assault legitimises the use of physical punishment in Scotland. The submission details the international human rights treaties that the current legislation breaches.
October
UN Special Rapporteur Professor Philip Alston visits the UK in November to see how extreme poverty gets in the way of people’s human rights being realised. As part of this he’ll be meeting people in extreme poverty in Scotland.
This is the evidence we gave to him ahead of his visit, about how poverty affects the human rights of our country’s children and young people.
September
The Commissioner responds to this Scottish Government consultation.
August
The Commissioner's office responds to this consultation on reforming the disclosure regime in Scotland.
The Commissioner responds to proposed amendments to these requirements.
July
Evidence around the Bill that proposes to raise the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility from 8 to 12.
While our submission welcomes the move to raise the age, it argues the legislation doesn’t go far enough, and that the minimum age should rise to at least 16.
The Commissioner's written submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on children and young people as human rights defenders, ahead of the Committee's Day of Discussion on the issue in September 2018.
March
The Commissioner responds to Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, on the review of the Gender Recognition Act 2004.
The Commissioner responds to Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney MSP around this consultation.
January
A paper for the Equalities & Human Rights Committee on how the Scottish Parliament can feed into the reporting process of the UN Universal Periodic Review.
2017
November
A letter to John Swinney MSP responding to a consultation on extending children's rights.
The Commissioner responds to a consultation on a proposed bill to end period poverty.
The Commissioner’s office responds to a consultation on a draft Remedial Order.
October
The Commissioner responds to this consultation.
September
Notes of an interview between our Policy Officer Megan Farr and the Scottish Government.
A response to Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney MSP around the Code of Practice.
August
The Commissioner responds to a call for evidence from the Education and Skills Committee.
A joint letter from the Commissioner and the EHRC around prejudice-based bullying in schools.
The Commissioner's office responds to John Finnie's consultation on this proposed Bill.
July
In this position statement, the Commissioner calls for a ban on so-called "Mosquito" devices – which "repel" children by producing a sound which only they can hear – outlines the rights such devices infringe, and suggests a legislative framework through which they can be banned.
May
Commissioner Tam Baillie's response to the Justice Committee around the newly introduced Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill.
April
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the Public Petitions Committee around a petition on Section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to a consultation around guidance for schools around the healthcare needs of pupils.
An MSP briefing produced with ENABLE Scotland on public petition PE1548: National guidance on restraint and seclusion in schools.
March
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to an Inquiry from the UK Parliament's All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the Scottish Government consultation around religious observance guidance.
February
Briefing to the Scottish Parliament's Education and Skills Committee around the possibility of Scotland-wide guidelines for Personal and Social Education (PSE).
January
Commissioner Tam Baillie's written evidence around historic abuse in football.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the consultation on new standards in health and social care.
Commissioner Tam Baillie comments on the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice’s (BCAP) proposals for new rules.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the review.
2016
November
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to John Swinney MSP around this draft guidance.
October
In this letter to the Public Petitions Committee, former Commissioner Tam Baillie comments on this petition.
Commissioner Tam Baillie comments on the Consultation on Social Security in Scotland.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the Scottish Government's consultation around its ambitions to eradicate child poverty.
September
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the Scottish Government's consultation around what Scotland's mental health services should look like in 10 years’ time.
Response to Children's Commissioner for England Anne Longfield, who contacted other ombudspersons for children for advice around shaping a UNCRC General Comment on children's digital rights.
Commissioner Tam Baillie's submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's 2016 discussion on Children's Rights and the Environment.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to European and External Relations Committee's request for evidence around Scotland’s relationship with the EU following the UK's vote to leave the European Union.
August
Commissioner Tam Baillie comments on the Scottish Government's review.
June
Commissioner Tam Baillie's response to the Scottish Government's consultation.
Commissioner Tam Baillie's response to the Scottish Government's consultation.
Commissioner Tam Baillie's response to the Scottish Government's consultation.
May
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the Scottish Government's consultation.
This report to the UN looks at Covenant application with respect to the rights of children and young people.
April
Commissioner Tam Baillie comments on draft proposals around creating a specific offence of 'abusive behaviour in relation to a partner or ex-partner'.
January
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the Scottish Government's Draft Delivery Plan 2016-2020 for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
This joint briefing around key concerns in relation to the Bill's Schedule was produced by the Commissioner's office, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Inclusion Scotland, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, Govan Law Centre, ENABLE Scotland and Together.
2015
December
This joint briefing was produced with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Inclusion Scotland, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, Govan Law Centre, ENABLE Scotland and Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights).
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the Scottish Government's draft Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to a Scottish Government request for observations around the 2015 Remedial Order.
November
Commissioner Tam Baillie outlines concerns around the UK Government's proposal for a British Bill of Rights and repeal of the Human Rights Act in this response to the European and External Relations Committee.
October
Commissioner Tam Baillie gives his views on the Scottish Government's strategy for young people who are pregnant or parents.
September
The 4 UK children's commissioners' joint response to a Home Office consultation.
May
Commissioner Tam Baillie's response to Stage 1 consultation on the Bill.
This submission to the Public Petitions Committee consists of:
- a child rights impact assessment on the registration process for youth football in Scotland from a rights perspective, and
- a research report exploring the views of young players.
April
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to Petition PE1548 at the Public Petitions Committee.
March
Commissioner Tam Baillie's evidence to the Joint Committee for Human Rights gives an overview of key achievements and concerns in Scotland around children's rights, then focuses on the state of children's rights for groups highlighted by the Committee.
February
Commissioner Tam Baillie's evidence focuses on issues around child trafficking he feels the Scottish Parliament's Bill must address.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the draft guidance around the Act from a perspective explicitly based on children's rights.
Commissioner Tam Baillie responds to the Law Society of Scotland's discussion paper on legal assistance, focusing on the potential impact of its proposals on children and young people.
January
Commissioner Tam Baillie comments on the Scottish Government's proposals from a rights-based perspective.