Policy and influencing

We listen, gather evidence and apply and share learning, influencing policy and practice relating to children, young people and families in Scotland. Our participation and engagement work to capture the views of children and young people ensures that these views are at the heart of policy developments, along with learnings from our membership and the wider sector network.

Our wide range of policy activities aim to influence practice and creating positive change for children.

Our policy positions are the result of:

• Direct participation and engagement with children, young people, and families.
• Consultations with our members.
• Our role as co-secretariat of the Cross-Party Group on Children and Young People.
• The work of our Member Forum and Children’s Sector Strategic and Policy Forum.
• Evidence gathered through our work, including project work and our direct services.
• Our partnerships across the whole of the children’s sector.
• Our relationship with local and national governments.

Consultations and calls for evidence

Children in Scotland take an active role in responding to Scottish Government Consultations. We encourage input into our consultation responses from our members and from children and young people themselves.

Our Policy and Participation Team manages our responses on a priority basis, so that we can contribute to shaping policy and planning on the issues that matter most to our members. Where possible, we aim to publish our consultation responses in advance of the closing date and send these directly to our members.

If you are a member, you have the opportunity to get involved. The more people who feed into our responses, the louder our voices will be and the bigger impact we can have on policy and legislation affecting children and families.