Children’s sector policies and resources

The UNCRC is a legally binding international agreement which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion, or abilities and applies to all children in the UK, from birth to age 18.

The rights set out in the Convention have been categorised as rights to provision, rights to protection and rights to participation.

The UNCRC contains 54 articles: 42 of those articles cover all aspects of a child’s life and outlines what children need to give them the best chance of growing up happy, healthy and safe, while articles 43-54 explain how governments and international organisations will work to ensure children are protected with their rights.

The Articles should be considered the following:

• Universal – Everyone under 18 has the human rights contained in the UNCRC.
• Inalienable – These rights cannot be taken away.
• Indivisible – They are of equal importance.
• Interdependent – They depend on each other to provide a single framework that is essential to upholding the rights of children.

General Principles of the UNCRC

There are four articles in the UNCRC that are seen as special. They are known as the ‘General Principles’ and they help interpret all the other articles:

• Rights should be applied without discrimination (Article 2)
• Best interests of the child to be a primary consideration (Article 3)
• Right to life, survival and development (Article 6)
• Right to express a view and have that view taken into account (Article 12).

For more information/guidance:

Visit the UNCRC website >

UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 – part 2: statutory guidance >

Taking a children’s human rights approach: guidance >

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland’s simplified UNCRC articles >

Incorporating the UNCRC into Scots law

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill received Royal Assent on 16 January 2024.

Read more in-depth information from Together Scotland on the incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots Law

Getting it Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) is a commitment to provide all children, young people and their families with the right support at the right time. This is so that every child and young person in Scotland can reach their full potential. The GIRFEC approach has been tested and developed across Scotland since 2006. It is based on research evidence and the experiences of practitioners, families, and children.

With the UNCRC as its foundation, GIRFEC provides Scotland with a consistent framework and shared language for promoting, supporting, and safeguarding the wellbeing of children and young people. This national approach is to improve outcomes and support the wellbeing of children and young people by offering the right help, at the right time, from the right people. It enables services to work in partnership with children, young people and their families and places their views at the centre of planning and decision-making.

The GIRFEC approach is:

• Child focused – ensures children, young people and their families are at the centre of decision-making and the support available to them
• Based on an understanding of the wellbeing of a child in their current situation – Taking into consideration the wider influences on a child or young person and their developmental needs when thinking about their wellbeing
• Early intervention – Aims to ensure needs are identified as early as possible to avoid bigger concerns or problems developing
• Joined-up working – It is about children, young people, families and services working together in a coordinated way to meet their needs and improve their wellbeing.

September 2022 saw the publication of refreshed guidance to clarify existing policy commitments, introduce several changes and highlight the importance of collaborative working. The STTS Project produced a GIRFEC Refreshed Policy Statement Summary outlining the above.

Scottish Government GIRFEC Resources >

Wellbeing sits at the heart of the GIRFEC approach and are also informed by the UNCRC rights and requirements.

The approach to considering children’s wellbeing should be rights-based, strengths-based, holistic and adaptable enough to take account of stage development and the complexity of each child or young person’s individual life circumstances. Therefore, practitioners and organisations should consider each of the eight wellbeing indicators (SHANARRI) (as listed below) in collaboration, with children or young people and their family.

The eight wellbeing indicators are as follows: Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included (SHANARRI).

In practice, the eight indicators can be interconnected and overlapping. When considered together, they give a holistic view of each child or young person. They enable the child or young person, and the adults supporting them, to consider strengths, as well as any obstacles they may face to growth and development.

This statutory guidance clarifies how the eight wellbeing indicators (SHANARRI) are used in assessing the wellbeing of children and young people and will explain what wellbeing is in the context of the Act.

GIRFEC, Assessment of Wellbeing 2022 >

The Scottish Government’s GIRFEC wellbeing resources on SHANARRI >

The Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF) is a £500 million investment over the life of this Parliament (2022-2026) to support the whole system transformational change required to reduce the need for crisis intervention and to shift investment towards prevention and early intervention. The Scottish Government’s ambition is that by 2030 at least 5% of all community-based health and social care spend will be on preventable whole family support measures.

The funding is focused on supporting capacity building at local and national level, supporting the scaling up of existing transformational practice and demonstrating positive impact for families.

The following evaluation reports have been published since the WFWF introduction:

Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF): year 1 – process evaluation – interim report >

Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF): year 1 process evaluation – final report >

The STTS Project in partnership with TSIs in Dundee, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire published Whole Family Wellbeing Fund case studies of ‘Positive Planning’.

STTS Whole Family Wellbeing Fund Case Study (Dundee) >

STTS Whole Family Wellbeing Fund Case Study (Glasgow) >

STTS Whole Family Wellbeing Fund Case Study (North Lanarkshire) >

The second tackling child poverty delivery plan due under the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 which outlines the action for period 2022 to 2026.

Best Start, Bright Futures sets out a vision for Scotland, the changes that are needed to achieve this, and the actions needed to deliver that change. The plan outlines Scotland’s offer to families in order to tackle child poverty head on.

Best Start, Bright Futures: tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022 to 2026 >

Plan 24-30 launched on 20 June 2024 on a dedicated website. It is Scotland’s plan to #KeepThePromise by 2030, setting out a route map on what needs to happen, who must act, and by when.

Scotland’s ambition is that every child and young person should grow up safe, loved, and respected. This is fundamental to the human rights of all Scotland’s children and young people and is made clear in the UNCRC.

The conclusions of Scotland’s Independent Care Review set out the changes that need to take place to achieve this aim for care experienced children and young people. Scotland’s promise is that these conclusions will be implemented in full by 2030.

The Independent Care Review listened to care experienced children, young people, and families and developed the following:

• A series of detailed reports outlining a vision for how Scotland should care.
• An evidence framework which set out in detail the research backing the promise, and which addressed the gaps care experienced people identified.

The foundations of the promise are built on what care experienced people said needs to change in Scotland, therefore the promise is underpinned by five foundations and together they give Scotland a clear starting point when thinking about what matters.

The five foundations are:

• Voice – Highlighting that children and young people must be listened to and involved in decision-making about their care.
• Family – Highlighting that where children are safe in their families and feel loved they must stay and families must be given support together to nurture that love and overcome any difficulties.
• Care – Recognises that when it is not possible for children and young people to remain with their family, children must stay with their brothers and sisters, wherever it is safe to do so and belong to a loving home, where they are able to stay for as long as needed.
• People – Children and young people must be actively supported to develop relationships in the workforce and wider community, who in turn must be supported to listen and be compassionate in their decision-making and care.
• Scaffolding – Children, young people, families, and the workforce must be supported by a system that provides help, support, and is accountable.

A more in depth description of the five foundations can be found here.

For more information and guidance from The Promise Scotland resources and reports.