Developing our next Manifesto: “Together, we have a powerful voice”

As we develop our next Children in Scotland Manifesto, our Head of Policy, Projects and Participation, David Mackay, discusses the importance of harnessing our collective voices to create a fairer Scotland where all children and young people can flourish.

It’s almost four years to the day since we published the last Children in Scotland Manifesto ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections. At the time, we were in the midst of the second national lockdown enforced to protect public health during the coronavirus pandemic – a pandemic that shined a light on some of the starkest inequalities in our society.

Our 2021-2026 Children in Scotland Manifesto aimed to bring hope in those hard times, outlining both the short- and long-term policy and legislative changes that would help us achieve our vision of Scotland where all children have an equal chance to flourish. We consulted with our members, partners and children and young people to create a manifesto that reflected their policy priorities and assured them that Scotland’s children’s sector was united in our efforts to create lasting change.

Since 2021, we’ve achieved important milestones in creating a better Scotland for children, young people and families. Perhaps most notably is the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots Law, enshrining children’s rights in all devolved legislation.

We have also seen key steps taken by the Scottish Government to Keep The Promise to Scotland’s care experienced children and young people as well as a renewed commitment from Scottish Ministers to reduce child poverty and the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment.

We know, however, there is still much to do to match rhetoric with reality.

Our members bring a wealth of experience in supporting Scotland’s children, young people and families. They do this by providing life-changing frontline public services, support and advocacy, policy expertise and legal knowledge. As we develop our next Children in Scotland Manifesto, we want to take this opportunity to hear directly from our members about what issues matter most to them and what they believe needs to change to improve outcomes for children and young people.

We know our members work in a variety of fields with unique strategic aims and ambitions. Our intention with the Children in Scotland Manifesto is to identify where these aims align and harness the power of our collective voice so we can create a fairer Scotland where all children and young people have the chance to thrive.

At this early stage in our Manifesto development, we’re inviting children’s sector organisations to share their views. This autumn, we are hosting two online Voices Forum discussion sessions with our members, and we currently have a live online survey supporting Children in Scotland members and our wider partners to contribute ideas.

This activity is part of wider conversations with children and young people, our staff and board and other key partners. We are also reviewing recent evidence from across the children’s sector.

In the new year, we’ll start to analyse these contributions and begin to write up the Manifesto. This won’t be an easy task, so we’ll be back in touch with our members as the Manifesto takes shape to ensure it reflects their views and experiences. We want to create a Children in Scotland Manifesto for 2026 – 31 that is clear and direct in our expectations of the Scottish Government. At Children in Scotland, our members are our greatest asset and it’s vital that they see themselves in our Manifesto.

We encourage all our members and sector partners to join us as we set out our stall for the next parliamentary term, to build on the progress we’ve achieved so far and continue to work towards a Scotland where all children have an equal chance to flourish. Together, we have a very powerful voice.