skip to main content
Accessibility
help

Being an Inclusion Ambassador

5 Jun 2025

Making friends, helping others and improving education for young people with additional support needs— Meg and Milo share why it is important for them to be members of the Inclusion Ambassadors. 

For other young people interested in making a difference, we have an exciting opportunity for new members to join our group and have their voices heard. Visit our dedicated webpage to find out more

Personal reflections from Issue 7 of Insight, our magazine for Children in Scotland members.

A portrait illustration of Meg from the Inclusion Ambassadors. Meg is surrounded by illustrated items referring to Meg's interests including a book, pens and pencils, a dartboard and an archery bow and arrow.
Illustration by Ellie Swartzentruber

Meg, Alva Academy

I first heard about the Inclusion Ambassadors after my school applied for the Success Looks Different Awards. We ended up winning and after the Inclusion Ambassadors visited our school to present us with the award, they asked if someone from Alva Academy would like to join the group – and I was keen to put myself forward!

Before this though, I had spoken out in my school about my experience of having dyslexia and how this has impacted my time at school. A teacher at my school asked a group of us with dyslexia if we wanted to help plan an assembly to mark Dyslexia Awareness Week. Well, this ended up with me – only in S1 – speaking to the whole school about my experiences.

My school has been great in supporting me, but I know lots of people don’t currently get the support that they need to succeed. Being a member of the Inclusion Ambassadors gives me an opportunity to help change this and help make sure that other pupils across Scotland can get the support that I’ve been able to get.

My favourite thing about being in the Inclusion Ambassadors is hearing about the experiences of other members from schools across Scotland. There are many things that are so similar between all of our experiences, but other things that make me think, ‘wow I can’t believe that’s been allowed to happen’.

Being a part of the Inclusion Ambassadors group has given me even more desire to help others – especially pupils like me who need additional support in school. Seeing what the Inclusion Ambassadors have achieved has taught me to dream big!

A portrait illustration of Milo from the Inclusion Ambassadors. Milo is surrounded by illustrated items referring to Milo's interests including handbags, coffee and a fashion magazine.
Illustration by Ellie Swartzentruber

Milo, Duncanrig Secondary School

Being an Inclusion Ambassador is something that I became interested in during my third year, so I decided to apply and luckily I got the role!

The first time I went to a meeting I was a bit nervous, but everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

We do activities like getting to know one another, finding ways to help promote more inclusion in school and to help people who struggle a bit more than others. We also do fun things when we meet up. We do creative things and have intellectual discussions on topics like what teachers can do to help students.

I enjoy helping to promote inclusion in schools. We had a call with people at the Scottish Parliament and gave our insights into what school is like for people who can struggle to keep up with work. We explained how we try to help by coming up with strategies and methods for students who have autism, dyslexia, ADHD and dyspraxia, helping them to get the qualifications for leaving school. We serve a role by supporting those who need a bit more help.

My hope for the future is to see an increase in additional support for learning as there are so many people who would benefit. We need to make people aware of the teaching methods that can help, while keeping it fun and entertaining! I am lucky to be part of a base with access to the mainstream. Every school should have this.

It is important for young people like me to be involved, to share our views and experiences. It’s difficult for people like teachers to understand if they’ve found learning much easier. As neurodiversity wasn’t as known about years ago, older people might not be as aware.

Join the Inclusion Ambassadors

We're looking for pupils in Scotland, aged 12-18, with additional support needs to join the Inclusion Ambassadors.

Find out more

About the Inclusion Ambassadors

Find out more about the work of the group

Find out more

Participation and engagement work

Find out more about how we embed the inclusion and participation of children and young people in our work

Click here for more

Five highlights from Children in Scotland's Annual Conference 2025

3 Jun 2025

Report by Calum Rosie, Communications Officer, Children in Scotland

Last week, Children in Scotland travelled to Glasgow for our Annual Conference 2025, an event that saw representatives from across the children and young people’s sector come together to learn from each other and build networks across the country.

We moved through to the west coast this year as a way to feel the influence from other parts of the country and to ensure the event stays fresh and sharp, which resulted in one of our most successful Annual Conferences ever. There were far too many brilliant moments to mention, but we’ve selected a small highlight sample of our favourite moments from across both days.

#SpaceforVoices

The conference slogan was ‘space for voices’, which summed up everything we wanted the conference to be: an event which allowed people to express themselves and discuss important topics with other members of the children and young people community. It was clear at the end of the two days, after hearing and participating in these discussions, that this was achieved.

However, a second theme naturally emerged as the conference progressed, with many speakers and workshops highlighting the ‘Dark and Light’. It was widely acknowledged that the world is facing incredibly dark and difficult times, particularly the world’s children and young people, with the suffering in Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan all mentioned alongside the challenges facing Scotland’s children and young people and those who work with them.

But this was always contrasted with a feeling of hope that shone through from being in a room full to bursting with a huge variety of people all determined to work together to build a better world for our children and young people. Children in Scotland’s CEO Dr Judith Turbyne said: “We have to understand the darkness, but we can’t be paralysed by it”, and that “when we come together, we really can make a difference.”

Children and young people's voices

Championing the welfare of children and young people is why many of the organisations who attended the conference exist, with Children in Scotland being no exception, which is why we were delighted to see so much participation from children and young people themselves across both days of the conference.

The conference was co-chaired by two members of our young people’s advisory group, Changing our World (CoW). Abbie-Rosie and Shaun did a marvelous job of keeping the whole event running smoothly, while other members of CoW were on hand to represent their group and participate in various workshops throughout the day.

Many workshops featured children and young people in an active role, with representatives from Adoption UK in Scotland giving a brilliant contribution to their workshop, and Cyrenian’s Changemakers leading an eloquent and insightful panel calling for “action over words” and hoping to “ignite the spark of hope”.

It is essential that the voices of children and young people are heard while discussing issues affecting them directly, so it was fantastic to see them take centre-stage during this conference and express themselves so thoroughly and so effectively.

Making progress on key issues

A current focus for many working in the children’s sector in Scotland is on progressing towards The Promise, so it was no surprise to see it crop up several times across both days.

Fraser McKinlay, Chief Executive of The Promise Scotland, gave us an progress update, stating candidly that Scotland is “behind schedule”, but is “headed in the right direction” and is committed to “redoubling our efforts” to ensure that Scotland does indeed keep its promise to its children and young people.

Similarly, the UNCRC played an important role in proceedings, particularly during Director of Together Juliet Harris’ keynote speech, who called it “the glue that holds our commitment to babies, children, and young people together”, and stressed that “for these rights to mean anything we must see children and we must act with them.”

Artistic contributions

Universally agreed as conference highlights were our artistic contributors. Firstly, Dr Vanessa Collingridge gave a deeply insightful and personal speech about the power of music and its ability to influence our minds and bodies; this was paired with an mesmorising musical performance by her son Archie who then spoke about the impact music can have on mental health.

The second day Nadine Aisha Jassat spoke brilliantly about her experience growing up as a child of two cultures and the role that books and storytelling have played in her life. Her talk ended with the audience creating a word cloud featuring words of hope for children in Scotland today, which Nadine then skillfully turned into a poem on the spot; this poem was kept onstage for the rest of the day, with several other speakers interacting with and praising it.

A spotlight on self-care

In planning the conference, our events team were dedicated to the idea that it be a safe, inclusive and comfortable space for all, both attendees and contributors. To that end, several measures were put in place to help to encourage self-care, such as having a dedicated quiet room for anyone who needed a still space to recharge and reflect.

Additionally, the Enquire team set up a mindfulness area with soft, comfortable places to sit and chat, and activities that encouraged mindfulness such as making bead jewellery.

A very popular corner of the conference was dedicated, as always, to our friends from Pets as Therapy. Milo, Olive, Annie, and Zola provided a much appreciated energy of calm and acceptance, and seemed very happy to be repaid with lots of pats, cuddles, and the occasional biscuit.

Read more like this

Check out our blog for more commentary, membership news and more!

Click here to read

Insight magazine, Issue 7

The latest issue of our biannual member magazine, Insight, is out now

Click here for more

Enquire

Find out more about Enquire, the national advice and information service for additional support for learning

Visit the website

Reach

The website for young people offers advice and support on accessing their rights

Visit the website

Disposable vapes ban in Scotland: Children and young people call for further action

3 Jun 2025

Last Sunday, 1 June, a ban came into effect preventing the sale of disposable vapes in shops and supermarkets across the UK, a change that aims to positively impact children’s health and the environment.

While the ban has been welcomed by Changing our World (CoW), Children in Scotland’s children and young people’s advisory group, they continue to call on the Scottish Government to consider further recommendations to reduce the sale of rechargeable and refillable vaping products that are still available to purchase in shops.

Since 2022, Changing our World have been sharing their concerns about the impact of vaping on children and young people and have been calling for changes to be made. This has included speaking directly to Scottish Government ministers and publishing an evidence paper on vaping with a number of recommendations including changing how vapes are promoted, packaged and displayed, as well as having better education on the health impacts of vaping, especially within a school context.

The group, which is made up of young people aged 8-25 with different backgrounds, ideas and experiences, also received the Healthcare Rights Award at the Scottish Children’s Health Awards in 2024 in recognition of their work on vaping.

At Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference, which took place in Glasgow last week, members of Changing our World discussed the ban with delegates working with children and young people across Scotland. While there was positive support regarding the environmental impact of the ban, there were clear doubts about how effective it would be in tackling youth vaping. While discussing concerns about the current age restrictions not being met, a member of Changing our World said: “I know young people who are able to buy vapes in smaller shops – if they now just start buying reusable vapes that won’t address the problem of young people becoming addicted”.

Children in Scotland’s Policy, Projects and Participation Manager, Chris Ross said:

“Changing our World have campaigned passionately on the issue of vaping and the announcement of the ban on disposable vapes last year was a positive signal that their voices were being heard by the Scottish Government. With the ban now in effect, it will be important to understand if it is effectively tackling the issue of youth vaping.

"From discussions with CoW members, we remain concerned that vaping will continue to negatively interact with young people’s rights, including their right to health, education and privacy. With the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) now part of Scottish legislation, it’s more important than ever that young people’s views are listened to and acted upon.”

While Changing our World has concluded that a total ban would be the most effective measure for addressing the challenges still posed by rechargeable and refillable vapes, they also recommended the following:

  • Vaping products should be less visible in shops, similar to the current regulations around displaying cigarettes
  • The packaging of vaping products should be regulated and only permitted to be plain, making the products less eye-catching or appealing to children and young people
  • Personal and Social Education (PSE) in primary and secondary schools should cover vaping, with current resources adapted to become more relevant.

With the Scottish Government committed to reducing youth vaping, Children in Scotland would like to see children and young people invited to be more fully involved in developing future solutions, using recommendations from groups like CoW to put practical, impactful legislation in place.

Latest news

Catch up on the latest news from across the children’s sector

Click here for more

Changing our World

Find out more about the work of our children and young people's advisory group.

Click here for more

Participation and engagement work

Find out more about how we embed the inclusion and participation of children and young people in our work

Click here for more

Creative experiences with long-lasting impact

Member blog

2 Jun 2025

CEO of Impact Arts, Fiona Doring, discusses the different ways that creative experiences can positively impact children and young people throughout their lives.  

Impact Arts is running an urgent appeal for Outdoor Creative Play, its free summer programme for children in Govan facing poverty and hardship.

To find out more, visit their website.

Impact Arts has developed a ‘life journey through the arts’ framework which means that we offer a range of creative projects and experiences for children and young people at different stages of their lives.

  • Our work includes one-to-one art therapy for primary aged children who are struggling with a range of life events and difficult emotions and need support with developing coping strategies and confidence.
  • For older children, we have small group projects that are designed to use a creative approach to confidence building for school non-attenders, aimed at successfully re-engaging them with education.
  • And for young people who have left formal education, we deliver a range of accredited employability projects that aim to remove barriers while developing core employability skills and securing onward progressions.
  • Aside from these areas of work, we deliver bespoke projects such as Project Drag which works with LGBTQ+ young people and explores identity and the history of Drag.

Community connections built from creative experiences

By using creative engagement to achieve our impact, we build self-expression, opportunities to have a voice and community connections into all of our delivery.

Taking part in arts activities is therapeutic and above all else it’s fun, so young people want to participate and remain engaged. Most of our work is delivered over multiple days and multiple weeks as it takes time to achieve meaningful and long-lasting impact.

Much of our impact is built from the trusted relationships that young people develop with our talented team of artists and art therapists and the wraparound support that we put in place which ensures we work closely with a range of partners to offer holistic support.

Art for everyone

We are always at pains to say that our projects are for everyone! You do not need to be skilled at an art form to take part as everyone has the ability to tap into their creative side in some way. Our artists are skilled at encouraging even the most reluctant to have a go and to find an area that is of interest to them.

Every day, we are excited to see just how creative young people are when they are given the space, encouragement and materials to play, to get messy and to have fun exploring their creativity!

Bringing creative arts to deprived communities in Govan

We’re planning to deliver a free 5-week summer programme of Outdoor Creative Play in Elder Park, for up to 60 children from the Govan area of Glasgow. Govan is one of Scotland’s more deprived communities and nearly 40% of children there are living with the effects of poverty. The programme will be led by experienced artists who are skilled in encouraging children to take part in a wide range of creative outdoor activities, from imaginative role playing to building sculptures and dens from found objects. We will also provide free meals to ensure children are well fuelled for getting active in the park!

We are grateful to have received funding from Glasgow City Council towards this project and are now fundraising for the remaining costs which will help to ensure the project is properly resourced and the children can have the best possible experience.

Getting children exploring their local green spaces

The long summer holidays can be a challenge for many families; in terms of the financial pressures of providing activities for children, ensuring children can safely spend time outdoors and trying to break the cycle of relying on electronic devices.

We hope that our Outdoor Creative Play project will encourage children to let loose with their imaginations and realise there is huge potential for play within their local green spaces. By providing nutritious meals, we want healthy living to be at the heart of the project so that not only are children being encouraged to stay active but they are encouraged to eat healthily too.

We anticipate new friendships being formed too as this project will bring children together from a number of local primary schools and hopefully some of those friendships and the activities they have learned will carry on beyond the summer holidays.

About the Author

Fiona Doring is CEO of Impact Arts

Click here for more

Impact Arts Summer Appeal

Impact Arts is running an urgent appeal for its summer programme for deprived communities in Govan.

Find out more

Protecting young people from the trauma of homelessness

Lara Balkwill is Policy and Public Affairs Officer at the Rock Trust

Learn more

A vision for a fully inclusive Scotland

Celine Sinclair is Chief Executive of The Yard

Learn more

Our membership offer

Be part of the largest national children's sector membership organisation in Scotland

Click here for more

£26m funding boost for Cashback for Communities

Sector News

27 May 2025

Projects supporting young people at risk of being drawn into criminal activities are to receive up to £26 million over the next three years.

The Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities programme uses money recovered from seized criminal assets to provide crucial support to young people who may be at risk of becoming involved in offending or antisocial behaviour.

Successful projects in the programme’s next stage (2026-2029) will deliver a range of activities and support for those aged 10 to 25, to help tackle some of the underlying causes of antisocial behaviour and criminal activity. Projects will also provide access to trusted adults who young people can confide in.

Since 2008 CashBack for Communities has invested £156 million and supported around 1.4 million young people across all 32 local authorities in Scotland.

Visiting a project based at Glasgow’s Easterhouse Sports Centre, Minister for Victims and Community Safety Siobhian Brown said:

“CashBack for Communities is inspiring. It turns the proceeds of crime into life-changing opportunities for the thousands of young people who take part in projects across Scotland every year.

“Over the course of the next three years of the programme, we are providing £26 million to organisations to deliver diversionary and support work with children and young people. By learning new skills and boosting their confidence, it helps young people in our communities who are at risk of becoming involved in crime be diverted from that path and realise their potential.

“Since its inception more than a million young people have received support to turn their lives around, with opportunities provided into employment, education or volunteering. CashBack’s success is also testament to the work of law enforcement partners in disrupting organised crime groups – bringing them to justice and seizing their ill-gotten gains, using them to deliver a successful programme across the country.”

More information on the Cashback for Communities programme is available here. Applications for funding open on 12 June 2025.

Latest news

Catch up on the latest news from across the children’s sector

Click here for more

Annual Conference 2025

Making Space for Voices: Join our Annual Conference in Glasgow on 28 and 29 May 2025

Find out more

Plans to revoke under 22 bus passes is ‘stigmatising' young people, says Scottish Youth Parliament

The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) has responded to the Scottish Government’s plans to use suspension of concessionary bus cards for under 22 year olds as a punishment for anti-social behaviour, the SYP saying ‘young people shouldn’t be singled out and stigmatised’.  

In the recently published Programme for Government, the Scottish Government outlined plans to ‘ensure a safer Scotland’ by temporarily or permanently revoking the under 22 travel scheme for children and young people found to be engaging in anti-social behaviour while using the card. The PfG stated the government was looking into whether any legislative change would be required, and creating a behavioural code for the scheme. 

SYP has spoken against this measure, arguing that removing access to free bus travel could restrict children and young people’s access to support services and education, and that focus should be on prevention of anti-social behaviour through providing accessible services like youth work.  

SYP in particular is asking First Minister John Swinney to ‘ensure children and young people are involved in this decision and that all action takes a children's rights-based approach.’ 

Islay Jackson, MSYP for Glasgow Anniesland, said the proposal creates a ‘stigma that singles out young people’, asking ‘how are we supposed to look up to decision makers that wrongly accuse us and remove a service that can revolutionise a young person’s life?’ 

Matthew Gordon, MSYP for Glasgow Kelvin, stated:

‘We need to protect everyone on buses but scapegoating young people is absolutely not the way to do it.’ 

Hamish Nott, MYSP for Inverness and Nairn, said:

‘I am worried that implementing this removal from U22s is shifting the blame for anti-social behaviour completely onto young people.’  

Visit the Scottish Youth Parliament website 

Latest news

Catch up on the latest news from across the children’s sector

Click here for more

Annual Conference 2025

Making Space for Voices: Join our Annual Conference in Glasgow on 28 and 29 May 2025

Find out more

Learn with us online and in-person

Browse our range of training and events

Click to find out more

From Denver, Colorado to Larkhall, South Lanarkshire: Reflections from a study visit

21 May 2025

Sandra Mitchell, Resolve Mediation Manager, reflects on the time she spent with a group of students from the US exploring best practices in supporting children & young people with additional support needs in education. 

During a fantastic adventure in 2022 when I attended the National Symposium on Dispute Resolution in Special Education in Denver Colorado I met Amy Kilpatrick, Assistant Professor of the Elementary & Special Education dual certification programme at Hood College in Maryland. As we chatted and connected we started to discuss an exciting idea which became a reality this year. 

Our initial idea was to offer a learning exchange as we could see there were so many opportunities to analyze and compare service models between Scotland and the USA. We talked for hours about various aspects of inclusion practices, family-professional partnerships, child plans, assessments processes and how on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, our key focus and priority is getting the best outcomes for the children and families. 

Working alongside colleagues in the Children in Scotland events team and with amazing support from the South Lanarkshire Education team -  special mention to Alex McLeod, Inclusion Officer - a plan and programme began to emerge as Amy and her colleague, Professor Tricia Strickland, rallied students at varies stages in the teacher training program to join a study visit to Scotland. 

In March 2025, with a full plan and program in place we welcomed Amy, Tricia and six very excited students, some who had never travelled outside the USA, to Edinburgh for a week of cultural and learning experiences and opportunities. 

Day one was a ‘Welcome to Scotland’ at our Edinburgh offices.  This foundation day provided an overview of the education landscape in Scotland, Additional Support Needs (ASN) and Early Years provisions together with policy and best practice for schools, children and families across Scotland. Our Children in Scotland colleagues spent time with our visitors sharing their knowledge and expertise of the sector. We then had the pleasure of a very insightful presentation from newly qualified ASN primary teacher Scott Mitchell, who shared his teacher training and working experience both in the Scottish islands and a large mainstream primary school on the mainland. There were lots of questions and discussions alongside tasting Irn Bru and eating Tunnock's teacakes! 

Day two we were picked up by our minibus driver, Dougie - a great guide as well as driver! Dougie shared lots of Scottish stories as we hunted for Highland cows driving to the central belt of Scotland.  

We arrived to a very warm welcome at the South Lanark council offices in Hamilton where Claire Bissett, Inclusion Manager, led a session with input from the wider central team responsible for supporting children with ASN and child protection. This session provided an overview of how South Lanark Council’s vision and values are embedded into practice, the policy and operational framework used to support this, and the communication and relationship building with children and their families. Once more this opened lots of questions from our visitors who also shared their own experiences of placements back home in the US. 

We were treated to a lovely lunch which featured lentil soup and shortbread - another new experience for our US friends. 

We then went on to an enthusiastic welcome at our first site visit, the Early Learning Unit, a nursery in Hamilton. We had a great experience meeting the children and watching them engage in various activities; we then heard from an educational psychologist and teachers for the deaf and visual impaired, along with the nursery practitioners. We heard how wellbeing assessments are used to prompt a discussion with parents about the most suitable pathway for individual children and how these multidisciplinary assessments play a pivotal role in children’s transitions in particular. 

The children and staff had worked together on a ‘Scotland meets the USA’ project which included a brilliant hand printed Scottish flag along with a ‘taste of Scotland’ table where tattie scones had to be explained! 

The children presented each of our visitors with a little handmade tartan bag pinned with a USA and Scottish flag containing a Tunnock's caramel log – a moment that will be cherished by all. 

Tricia, Amy and the students spent Wednesday visiting various landmarks in Edinburgh including the Scottish Parliament, Mary Kings Close and Greyfriars’s Bobby. 

On Thursday Dougie picked us up again and we headed to Victoria Park School in Carluke, an establishment that supports children with significant complex needs and multiple health needs. Once more we were overwhelmed with the welcome, and the time and effort the staff had given to share their happy and inclusive environment which supports many children and their families. We were able to watch therapists working with children, meet parents and speak with staff who support a wide range of complex needs children. A calm, kind and nurturing atmosphere radiated here generated by the skilled and caring staff team. (We must also mention the double biscuits and homemade tablet, prepared by staff, which the US visitors and our bus driver enjoyed!) 

In the afternoon we went on to Hareleeshill Primary School in Larkhall, a primary school with an ASN base. This visit demonstrated how the education department and staff integrate support and learning for children with ASN by establishing ASN bases within mainstream schools. These bases benefit from higher staff levels and lower-class numbers. It was an opportunity to see how inclusive practice occurs in the school and the strategies in place to encourage integration and interaction in the school community. We spent time in various classrooms witnessing teachers working with various levels of needs and saw the adaptations they continuously create to meet each child’s needs.  

After our classroom visits Claire, Alex and the school staff led a session for students to consolidate and reflect on their learning, the visits and the roles of professionals they had met. This was a great opportunity to ask questions, challenge preconceived ideas, share insights and further explore good practice and to round up a few days that were memorable, informative and insightful in so many ways. 

The visit was a great success with the students taking home valuable learning to share with peers and ideas to implement in their school placements. This and many cans of Irn Bru, homemade tablet, shortbread and Tunnock’s galore helped all the visitors fall in love with Scotland! 

The study visit could not have happened without Alex, Claire and their colleagues from South Lanark and we all felt very privileged to meet wonderful children and dedicated staff, and experience the positive ethos in the establishments in South Lanarkshire which underpins and enriches the children’s education journey. 

Annual Conference 2025

Making Space for Voices: Join our Annual Conference in Glasgow on 28 and 29 May 2025

Find out more

Read more like this

Check out our blog for more commentary, membership news and more!

Click here to read

Insight magazine, Issue 7

The latest issue of our biannual member magazine, Insight, is out now

Click here for more

Enquire

Find out more about Enquire, the national advice and information service for additional support for learning

Visit the website

Reach

The website for young people offers advice and support on accessing their rights

Visit the website

New eLearning modules support pupil support staff to #KeepThePromise

20 May 2025

As part of Children in Scotland’s ongoing commitment to keeping The Promise, we have developed and are delivering a Pupil Support Staff Learning Programme with the intention of creating stronger support for care experienced learners.

Work on the programme began in 2023 by speaking with care experienced children and young people to find out what improvements in support they would like to see, and pupil support staff in order to ascertain what learning opportunities would benefit their professional development.

Since then, we have delivered a range of accessible training, including our recently launched free eLearning modules. The modules are designed to build knowledge of The Promise, as well as understanding of the experiences of care experienced children and young people, with the advanced modules designed to help advocate for care experienced children and young people more widely.

We also deliver dedicated training dates, both online and in person, which began last November. Our in-person events have taken place across the country, with the final session taking place in Glasgow this Thursday. These events have been extremely valuable additions to the modules, and give an opportunity to discuss learning with others in the pupil support community, and to ask any questions that have arisen while working through the training.

We are incredibly proud of the hard work put into this programme and are looking forward to working with pupil support professionals to further our commitment to keeping The Promise. If you want to learn more about the current work and progress on The Promise, Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference 2025 will have plenty of workshops and speakers focusing on The Promise, such as Independent Strategic Advisor on The Promise Fiona Duncan, and tickets are still available on our conference hub. 

Pupil Support Staff eLearning modules

The free eLearning modules looks to improve support for care experienced learners in schools.

Find out more

Annual Conference 2025

Making Space for Voices: Join our Annual Conference in Glasgow on 28 and 29 May 2025

Find out more

Learn with us online and in-person

Browse our range of training and events

Click to find out more

Insight magazine, Issue 7

The latest issue of our biannual member magazine, Insight, is out now

Click here for more

Enquire

Find out more about Enquire, the national advice and information service for additional support for learning

Visit the website

Reach

The website for young people offers advice and support on accessing their rights

Visit the website

"If you are passionate about equality, solving issues, and making a measurable difference, then Changing Our World might be the perfect opportunity for you"

20 May 2025

 Changing our World is our children and young people’s advisory group. The group sits at the heart of our work and by sharing their experiences, thoughts and passions, members make a real difference on key issues impacting the lives of children and young people across Scotland.

It is an exciting time for the group as we look for new members —an opportunity that only occurs every two years. Current member, Anna, has kindly shared her experiences of being part of Changing our World to help inform any other young people thinking of applying.

I have been a member of Changing Our World (CoW) for almost six years now, and my involvement in the group has been nothing short of incredible. Throughout my time in CoW, I have been given the opportunity to take part in a wide range of really valuable experiences.

First of all, I have been lucky enough to meet a variety of other Scottish young people from a range of different backgrounds, as well as different areas of the country. Working in the advisory group with my peers has been enlightening as each member has something different and useful to offer to the group and our projects. The contributions we make to the charity, in my opinion, support us to feel as though we are part of something bigger, hopefully improving the lives of children and young people in Scotland. The staff at Children in Scotland these past six years have played a hugely important role in assisting us in having our voices heard. They have encouraged us to share our views and have supported us incredibly to ensure we are comfortable to offer our viewpoints and opinions.

The opportunities I have been able to participate in as a result of being a member of Changing Our World have been invaluable to me. These experiences would likely have passed me by had I not been a member of CoW. From attending group meetings and zoom calls, to speaking with the key decision makers in the country, we have had countless opportunities to express our feelings on key issues that we would like to improve. I have attended meetings with MSPs to discuss key concerns for Scottish young people. On other occasions I have had the opportunity to sit in on interview panels for Children in Scotland and support in the decision-making process for positions within the charity.

Co-chairing Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference was another exciting experience I value. Additionally, I was able to take part in the planning and organisation of political hustings for Scottish elections, both for Children in Scotland itself and for other similar Scottish charities. These opportunities allowed me to converse with Scottish political party leaders and MSPs and have my voice heard by them, and more importantly have made me feel as though I can help my peers who have not been lucky enough to participate to also have their voices heard through me, and through Changing Our World as a group.

For any young person in Scotland that meets the age criteria and is interested in joining the group, I would fully recommend applying to join Changing Our World. If you are passionate about equality, solving issues, and making a measurable difference in our country and world, then Changing Our World might be the perfect opportunity for you. In the group we have focused on how we would tackle concerns ranging across a number of key focus areas including education, exams, period poverty, climate change and much more. For the young people in Scotland that are passionate about changemaking and having their say, then you might just be the perfect fit for Changing Our World.

Anna is currently a member of Changing our World. 

If you are interested in getting involved, check out our information sheet, and direct any questions to pshirazi@childreninscotland.org.uk

 

Become a member of Changing Our World

Download our info sheet to find out more about the application process. Apply before 14 July 2025.

Download now

Changing our World

Learn more about our children and young people's advisory group

Click here for more

Annual Conference 2025

Making Space for Voices: Join our Annual Conference in Glasgow on 28 and 29 May 2025

Find out more

Latest news

Catch up on the latest news from across the children’s sector

Click here for more

Exploring the third sector’s role in Children’s Services Planning

14 May 2025

Every three years local authorities, health services and other organisations in a locality work together on a Children’s Services Plan which looks at how to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families. Children in Scotland’s Supporting the Third Sector (STTS) Project has been examining the role of the third sector in this process, looking at how to develop a structured approach to collaboration. Having recently published a learning report about the work, Assistant Policy Officer, Hannah Priest, reflects on the findings.   

As we move into 2025, Health and Social Care Partnerships across Scotland are turning their attention to the next cycle of Children’s Services Plans for 2026 – 2029. This will mean engaging with children, young people and families, and other partners to shape services to meaningfully respond to local needs. 

Part 3 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 requires local authorities and relevant health boards to develop a Children’s Services Plan every three years. Crucially, the legislation also calls for collaboration across Community Planning Partnerships, including with third sector organisations. The third sector has a vital role in providing services to children, young people, and families in their communities. As a result, the third sector has key insights into the needs of the local population and is therefore uniquely placed to identify what support is most effective in meeting those needs.  

Supporting the third sector 

Through the Supporting the Third Sector (STTS) Project, Children in Scotland are working to support the third sector to be fully integrated within Community Planning Partnerships, and to be recognised and to contribute as equal partners within strategic planning of local children and family services.  

Over 2024 – 2025 the STTS Project engaged in intensive support in three localities with a focus on third sector participation in Children’s Services Planning processes. We were able to work closely with Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway, and Glasgow, to support their use of the ‘How good is our third sector participation in children’s services planning?’ self-evaluation tool. In each locality we worked collaboratively with representatives from the Third Sector Interface and Health and Social Care Partnership or local authority to support effective engagement of stakeholders in Children’s Services Planning processes.

What is the tool? 

The ‘How good is our third sector participation in children’s services planning?’ self-evaluation tool was developed in collaboration with the Scottish Government, and was published at the start of 2024. It aims to provide Children’s Services Planning Partnerships (CSPPs) with a structured approach to local discussions which considers different aspects of third sector participation across key strategic tasks in development, delivery, and reporting on Children’s Services Plans.  

We have recently published a learning report that focuses on the intensive locality support work delivered in 2024-25, discussing the learning and recommendations from Children in Scotland and our colleagues from these localities. Having been involved in this exciting piece of work in each locality I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on some of the learning highlighted in this report which stood out to me, specifically on the importance of relationships.  

Building strong cross-sector relationships 

We have heard from our TSI Children’s Service Network that building and maintaining cross-sector relationships is imperative to successful and meaningful collaboration. As identified in our recent Survey Report 2024, there are challenges to maintaining and building relationships due to the high turnover of staff resulting in loss in contacts and having to rebuild understanding of the third sector’s role and contribution, along with challenges of stretched capacity.  

At the beginning of this process it was identified quickly that strong pre-existing relationships were key to gaining buy-in. Where these relationships are not in place, there may be additional steps required to develop them before undertaking the self-evaluation process.  

In addition we found that developing a shared trust and understanding amongst participants from all sectors, with a joint commitment to our values and a constructive, improvement-focused approach to discussions, alleviated concerns of challenging dynamics due to perceived power imbalances between third and statutory sectors. This allowed for rich discussions between participants reflecting on their practice, identifying barriers and potential actions, alongside recognising what currently worked well in the locality.  

It was also great to have the ability for all the sessions to be held in person. Whilst we recognised that this is more challenging to achieve in some areas, we found that the in-person element along with our approach allowed for discussions to flow openly and honestly without risk of jeopardising relationships and allowed for participants to network and build new cross-sector relationships. The feedback we received from the members of the core project team reflected that the work has already helped build strong relationships between third sector organisations and statutory partners.  

We believe that recognition of the importance and value of stakeholders’ experiences of the children’s services planning process has been vital to understanding how these processes work in practice. Being aware of power imbalances, engaging constructively with experiences shared, and having a safe space to reflect on these processes, have all led to a range of learning about the structures and system responses which can be considered to tackle barriers to third sector participation and lead to better outcomes for children, young people and their families.  

The above is only a small portion of the learning gained from this piece of work. The report explores further the localities’ experiences using the self-evaluation tool and provides guidance to those who may wish to use it in their own locality. Part of the aim of producing this report is to provide our colleagues within the TSI Children’s Services Network and our statutory partners some guidance and examples of how the toolkit can be implemented in their areas and the impact the engagement can have on their relationships across sectors and approach to children’s service planning. You can read about the learning and practical examples in the report which is available on the STTS Project’s Resources page.  

We will be continuing to build on this work, developing further resources, opportunities and providing continued locality support though the STTS Project over 2025-2026. If you would like more information regarding the locality work, the self-evaluation tool or about the STTS Project itself please contact Hannah Priest at hpriest@childreninscotland.org,.uk or you can email STTSProject@childreninscotland.org.uk 

Hannah Priest is Assistant Policy Officer at Children in Scotland 

About the author

Hannah Priest is Policy Officer and Assistant Policy Officer at Children in Scotland

Meet our team

Learning report

Read the Learning Report on 2024-2025 Intensive Locality Support published by Children in Scotland

Read now

STTS newsletter

Keep up to date on new reports, research and opportunities by signing up to the fortnightly newsletter.

Sign up

Annual Conference 2025

Making Space for Voices: Join our Annual Conference in Glasgow on 28 and 29 May 2025

Find out more