Support materials: Additional reading and resources
To support further learning and practice, the following resources offer a range of guidance, research, and tools focused on children’s rights and participation. These materials have been developed by national organisations and provide valuable insights for anyone looking to strengthen their understanding and facilitate youth voice with children and young people.
Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland: 7 Golden Rules for Participation
The 7 Golden Rules for Participation are a set of principles that anyone working with children and young people can use. They inform adults what children and young people’s participation should feel like. They were developed through consultation with children and young people and research with professional adults reflecting the knowledge and experience of those working to promote participation.
Children and Young Peoples Commissioner Scotland: 'This is our lives, it matters a lot.'
Since late 2023, thousands of children and young people have told the Children’s Commissioner what they think and feel about education in Scotland. Many children and young people said that they feel their experience of education could be much better. They are clear that the current education system often falls short of delivering their rights. The Putting children's rights at the heart of education report summarises what children and young people have said about education, and what needs to improve in response.
Children in Scotland: The Participation and Engagement of Children and Young People: Our Principles and Guidelines
Support meaningful engagement with children and young people within their own work and organisation but they may be useful for other organisations that are similarly engaging or thinking of engaging with children and young people. The principles and guidelines are underpinned by the UNCRC and they cover key themes including planning and coordination, feedback and evaluation.
Children’s Parliament: Dignity in School
Children’s Parliament is working with partners to build the capacity of schools to take a children’s human rights approach and put the UNCRC into practice. By adopting a rights approach, schools help to make rights real for children by ensuring that their dignity is upheld.
Scottish Government: Advice and Guidance on Decision-making: children and young people's participation
The taking a children's human rights approach report outlines guidance to provide information and resources to support public authorities and other organisations to implement a children’s human rights approach was issued by Scottish Government:
Scottish Youth Parliament: The Right Way
‘The Right Way’ is a project run by the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) and funded by the Scottish Government’s Children’s Rights Unit. It aims to support and challenge officials and decision-makers, as duty bearers, to work to ensure young people’s Article 12 right is respected.
The Improvement Service: UNCRC Incorporation Guide
The UNCRC Incorporation Guide includes a range of resources and guides to support local authorities to learn more about children’s rights and UNCRC incorporation.
Together Scotland: Children's Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework
The Children's Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework is for individual practitioners who want to build or reflect on their children’s rights knowledge and take a children’s human rights approach to their practice.
Together Scotland: State of Children’s Rights Report 2024
Every year, Together Scotland publishes the State of Children’s Rights in Scotland report which aims to monitor implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Scotland. Each report takes a different approach to looking at whether enough is being done to fulfill the human rights of children living in Scotland.
What to do when you (really) can do nothing at all and how to do better in children’s participation
Professor Laura Lundy shares a new infographic developed to show what meaningful participation by children, could and should look like.
