Participation and Engagement

Last month, we launched a new resource called Your Rights, Our Plan to help children answer six questions about our work to guide our new plan.  Children and young people have been speaking up about the issues that matter to them – and helping to shape our work. 

Children’s Commissioner Nicola Killean took part in a conference on children’s rights with 80 secondary school pupils from Midlothian.

Young Advisors to the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland used the office’s powers of investigation to examine the provision of counselling services in schools. It is believed to be the first time young people anywhere in the world have used a children’s commissioner’s legal powers to lead an investigation.

Young Advisors Grace and Lewis, along with Nick Hobbs, Head of Advice and Investigations, are interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live about the Mental Health Investigation to mark Youth Mental Health Day.

The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) is a collaborative platform for Children’s Commissioners from 34 member countries to promote and protect children’s rights. In 2023, the annual ENOC conference took place in Brussels, Belgium, where Young Advisor Helen represented Scotland alongside Commissioner Nicola Killean. Young Advisors from across Europe shared recommendations on Visibility, Accessibility, Engagement, and Powers. The adults pledged to take action based on these recommendations. Helen hopes to see tangible results from the conference’s recommendations in the future.

This Refugee Week, a group of young unaccompanied asylum seekers and refugees called Young People’s Voices, in collaboration with Guardianship Scotland and the Scottish Refugee Council, have created a series of animations to share their perspectives on their rights and what matters to them. These animations highlight both the positive aspects and the challenges they face in Scotland. They emphasise the importance of supportive adults, good quality education, and the difficulties of living with limited financial resources, including staying in hotel accommodations. Their aim is to raise awareness and improve the systems and support available for young asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland by sharing their experiences and meeting with key decision makers. Their message is clear: they want their stories and experiences to be heard and understood.

Discover the exciting new initiative by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and Scouts Scotland, empowering children as young as four to earn their Rights Challenge Badge. Engage your Squirrels and Beavers with fun activities, promoting awareness of children’s rights and fostering their voices within the community. Join thousands of young Scouts on this educational journey, building dens, creating slime, and designing human rights shields. Learn, play, and become true human rights defenders. Get involved today!

Let’s Explore Our Rights” teaches young children about their human rights. The book which features iconic Scots landmarks is aimed at children aged up to five. It was beautifully illustrated by Corinna Campbell and takes readers on a journey to discover rights like having a safe home, being healthy, learning, and playing. The book will support early years practitioners to spark first conversations about human rights with very young children. The book was created in response to requests from early years practitioners.

The Commissioner’s office has published a toolkit explaining how, why, and when we can use our powers of strategic litigation.

Our Young Adviser Lewis was really brave when he agreed to compere our 18th birthday at the Scottish Parliament in April. At first, Lewis was ready to pull out, but he went ahead and delivered a fantastic event with jokes, applause, and improvised deviations from the script. Now, Lewis finds himself more confident, taking a lead more often and being able to stand up and be heard. As part of our Human Rights Day celebrations, Lewis writes on overcoming his fears and the benefits of leaping into the unknown. Thank you to Lewis for hosting a fantastic event.

As Covid-19 measures were lifted, we created an engagement programme for the Commissioner, Bruce and the team to meet and work with as many children and young people as possible. We have been on the road again, this time hitting three more stops. This is just one part of us ensuring their voices are front and centre in all the work we do. Read more to get a flavour of what children and young people told us about the issues of poverty, health and having their opinions heard.

Commissioner Bruce Adamson and Kevin Browne-Macleod, our Participation Officer, visited Shetland, attending schools, youth clubs and projects over three days in February. 

As we launch Listen, Engage, Have Fun: Guide On Involving Children in Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) and Child Rights Impact Evaluation (CRIE), Information Officer Gillian Munro blogs on the importance of children’s participation.

Our roadshow left the mainland and rolled into Shetland in February. We focused on listening to care experienced children and young people, a group whose rights need special care and protection. Commissioner Bruce Adamson and Nicola Vallance-Ross, our Head of Corporate Services, took part in Who Cares? Scotland’s Festival of Care in Lerwick. 

A badge teaching Cubs and Scouts aged eight to 14 about human rights has been introduced by the Commissioner’s office and the Scouts.

To celebrate International Day Of Persons With Disabilities, one of our Young Advisers has written a blog about upholding disabled people’s rights.

To celebrate World Children’s Day, one of our Young Advisers has written a blog about the importance of empowering young people to participate.

To mark World Children’s Day and the importance of listening to young people, 14-year-old Lewis blogs for us on how he overcame his fears and addressed a webinar hosted by our office and Together.

The Commissioner’s office is hitting the road to chat to as many children and young people as possible and find out what matters to them. First stop: Aberdeenshire!

Our young adviser Chloe’s been volunteering for the charity Homeless Network Scotland since January, and we were lucky to have her make us this video about her experiences.

For International Youth Day our Young Adviser blogs on food and poverty in Scotland.

On Human Rights Day, 16-year-old Jodi – one of our young advisers – writes about the lessons she’s learned over the last few months.

This week our office is hosting the ENOC Conference, a Europe-wide event for children and young people’s commissioners.

Katrina Lambert of our Human Rights Defenders Action Group outlines key things adults can do to help young citizens bring about real change.