David Mackay
Head of Policy, Projects and Participation
David joined Children in Scotland as Policy Manager in April 2019 and was promoted to Head of Policy, Projects and Participation in October 2023. During his time at Children in Scotland, he has overseen a wide range of short- and long-term participation and engagement projects and has led significant elements of Children in Scotland’s policy work including the development of our Manifesto for 2021-2026.David’s policy and project work at Children in Scotland has focused on a broad range of topic areas including mental health, education, family support, Brexit, the environment and the creative arts. He is passionate about children and young people’s participation and has delivered a range of engagement projects supporting those furthest from their rights to share their experiences and ideas to drive change and improve outcomes. Examples include projects working with children and young people with care experience, young people with additional support needs, and early years projects working with parents and carers with infants and very young children.David has significant experience of multi-agency working, bringing together contacts from health, education, local authorities and third sector organisations. During his time in the Early Years team at Scottish Book Trust, David managed the organisation's early intervention family support programme and led on audience development work.
Between 2019 and 2023, David was a panel member for the children’s hearings system in Edinburgh.