25 Calls to change children’s lives for the better

25 Calls was a campaign marking the 25th anniversary of Children in Scotland. Launched in autumn 2018 and running for 18 months until March 2020, it brought together voices from across the sector to propose how children could experience greater equality and strengthened human rights.

This took the form of 25 calls focusing on policy, practice, legislation and changes in social attitudes, published in our magazine, online and shared at an anniversary networking event in Edinburgh. We then published multiple responses to the calls from partner organisations and individuals in support of the campaign.

From summer 2020, four blogs were published as part of the '25 & Up' series, revisiting calls on the topics of family support, the role of the arts in children's lives, the impact of poverty, and the need for a strengthened children's sector workforce.

Through the campaign:

• 93 organisations and individuals endorsed and published response blogs on our website and in our magazine
• 70 MSPs added their names to a Holyrood motion supporting the campaign
• Two local authorities used the 25 Calls campaign as the basis for updating their equalities policies.

Some of the calls link to and inform our policy work and our Manifesto for the 2021-26 Scottish Parliament.

Information about the campaign, media coverage, a short film from members of our children and young people's advisory group, and links to all the calls, follow-up blogs and a special edition of the magazine featuring the 25 Calls, can all be found on this page.

October 2018:

We are in a unique and exciting position as the national membership organisation for the children’s sector in Scotland, and our 25 Calls campaign is our roadmap for a future where children rights are protected.

The calls cover four themes: