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

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

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

"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

Making children’s rights real: Juliet Harris answers Changing our World’s questions

8 May 2025

Our children and young people’s advisory group, Changing our World, sent their burning questions to Juliet Harris, Director of Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights), to learn more about her keynote address and how she will be preparing for Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference later this month. Here's what Juliet had to say:

What are you going to be talking about at the conference?

I’ll be talking about how we’re making sure Scotland’s new children’s rights law brings real change to the lives of babies, children and young people. I’ll be sharing stories that show it needs to be about more than just words - we need action! I’ll also talk about how adults can work with babies, children and young people to make sure their rights are respected every day, everywhere - so that Scotland becomes a place where every baby, child and young person grows up in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.

Why are you passionate about this subject?

I’m passionate about children’s rights because involving babies, children and young people doesn’t just help them feel valued and included - it helps to make Scotland (and the world!) a better place, shaped by their brilliant ideas. And it’s really fun too!

Do you have any on the day rituals to prepare for presenting a speech?

Before a big presentation, I try to speak with children or young people to see if they have any ideas that could help make it better. I also think about how I’d explain it to someone in my family who doesn’t always understand why children’s rights matter - if I can find a story that helps them get it, I know it’s a good one to share. And on the day itself… I always hold a pen while I speak! I never use it to write but having it in my hand somehow helps me feel a bit less nervous.

Juliet Harris will be presenting a keynote address on making children's rights real at Children in Scotland's Annual Conference on 28-29 May. To join us, please visit our conference hub.  

About the author

Juliet Harris is Director at Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights)

Learn more

Annual Conference 2025

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

Find out more

#CiSAC25 blog

Breaking the stigma: Advocating for young people in Fife

Read the blog

#CiSAC25 blog

Protecting young people from the trauma of homelessness

Read the blog

Changing our World

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

Click here for more

Breaking the stigma: Advocating for young people in Fife

#CiSAC25 blog

7 May 2025

Working to support young people impacted by substance use, the team at the CluedUp Project know only too well of the harm stigma can have on children and young people. To raise awareness of the importance of challenging stigma, CluedUp Project will present a workshop at Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference promoting inclusive practice across the sector.

Here, Stevan Sutherland, Team Leader at the Fife-based charity, discusses the different ways stigma impacts young people’s lives and explores the benefits of taking a whole family approach to tackle the problem.

We support young people who are affected by substance use. These young people and their families have previously experienced and continue to experience stigma. Substance use issues alone can be stigmatising with lots of pre-conceived notions and misconceptions fuelled by mainstream media. However, we support young people who often have much more complex needs and are at risk of or already do face multiple forms of stigma.

Challenging stigma

It is important for professionals working in the children's sector to challenge stigma because it can severely impact children, young people and their families. Young people and their families have shared personal stories about their experiences of stigma which have had a range of negative consequences. It has affected their attendance at school, relationships with professionals, health and wellbeing, substance use issues and engagement with services and ultimately has affected them achieving positive outcomes. These issues left them feeling misunderstood, isolated, embarrassed and afraid.

Crucially these findings have come from young people and families who were experiencing multiple forms of stigma across various aspects of their lives. Sometimes there was just a lack of awareness that certain attitudes or words were stigmatising, so having the confidence to challenge it can help educate others and raise awareness.

How the sector can support children and young people

It is important for professionals working in the children's sector to challenge stigma because it can severely impact children, young people and their families. Young people and their families have shared personal stories about their experiences of stigma which have had a range of negative consequences. It has affected their attendance at school, relationships with professionals, health and wellbeing, substance use issues and engagement with services and ultimately has affected them achieving positive outcomes. These issues left them feeling misunderstood, isolated, embarrassed and afraid. Crucially these findings have come from young people and families who were experiencing multiple forms of stigma across various aspects of their lives. Sometimes there was just a lack of awareness that certain attitudes or words were stigmatising, so having the confidence to challenge it can help educate others and raise awareness.

A whole family approach to tackling stigma

We provide a comprehensive, youth friendly substance use support and information service to young people aged 11 to 26 years in Fife, also targeting the wider issues of general wellbeing and lifestyle. Our service provides education, prevention, early intervention and diversion for young people affected by their own or someone else’s substance use.

The Stigma toolkit that we developed with families was from our Making it Work for Families (MIWFF) partnership. MIWFF is an innovative whole family partnership approach to supporting families. We are engaging with families in the Kirkcaldy and Levenmouth area, with a young person in P7, S1 or S2 in the household, offering a range of engagement activities to meet families’ needs. We deliver this with three other third sector providers in Fife - Fife Gingerbread, Citizen and Advice Rights Fife and Fife Intensive Rehabilitation Support Team. We are continuing to develop the partnership this year with a focus on the sustainability of delivering it within current funding challenges.

Clued-up will be presenting a workshop at Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference on stigma and promoting inclusive practice. Stevan will be part of a panel discussing the impact of stigma on children and young people. Stevan said:

“I am looking forward to meeting colleagues working with children and young people, hearing about experiences from the work that they do and hopefully stories from young people themselves. I find that real stories and experiences can be very powerful and inspiring as well as networking and making new contacts”

Visit the hub for Children in Scotland's Annual Conference here

About the author

Stevan Sutherland is Team Leader at CluedUp Project

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

Our services

We offer a range of services that provide support, advice and representation for children and families

Click here for more

Breaking the habit: social media use among young people

Excerpt from Insight magazine

24 Apr 2025

In the spring issue of our member magazine Insight, published in March 2025, experienced voices shared their perspectives on social media use among young people and keeping children safe online. Discussions in the news this week have raised further alarm bells regarding the addictive and harmful nature of young people spending too much time online.

Here, Jordan Daly, Co-Founder and Director of Time for Inclusive Education (TIE), shares his perspective on this important issue, exploring what urgent action is needed and highlighting a new tool to help school staff to counter disinformation and online hate.

Children and young people are increasingly exposed to hate, extremism, and disinformation on social media platforms. Data from Ofcom shows that a quarter of children aged five to seven and 80% of 16- and 17-year-olds have active TikTok accounts. In 2022, Statista reported that children aged four to 18 in Britain spend an average of 114 minutes daily on the app.

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) conducted a study of TikTok, analysing 1,030 videos from 491 accounts. They found 312 videos promoting white supremacy, 90 promoting anti-LGBT content, 58 promoting misogyny, and 273 glorifying extremist ideologies. This was being amplified by algorithms designed to boost sensationalist or emotive content to increase engagement.

The effects of this are evident in Scottish schools, where teachers have expressed concerns about the role of online platforms in spreading hate. In 2024, we led focus groups with over 200 pupils between S3 and S6 across Scotland. They shared their experiences with the extreme hate they encountered online, particularly misogyny, homophobia, and racism.

Pupils were worried about the “normalisation” and “minimisation” of online hate, where harmful content is reduced to jokes or trolling. This not only desensitises young people to prejudice but also contributes to an increase in prejudice-based bullying in schools. The young people also struggled to discern what was true online and discussed encountering harmful conspiracy narratives.

This is an urgent issue. With social media platforms removing fact-checking services, schools and teachers need the right tools to help pupils navigate online spaces safely, free from information manipulation and division.

To address this, we’ve partnered with ISD to combine our expertise in anti-prejudice education and counter-extremism strategies. Together, we have launched the ‘Digital Discourse Initiative’ in Scotland. This includes a free online professional learning module to help teachers and school staff counter online hate, identify disinformation, and support the development of critical thinking and digital media literacy.

The course, developed with experts, covers social media, disinformation, and online hate. It provides evidence-based strategies for schools to address these issues and includes a case analysis on radical misogyny and the ‘Manosphere’ created by Zero Tolerance.

Online hate and disinformation are growing, increasingly targeted at marginalised communities with dehumanising narratives and dangerous rhetoric that can lead to violence, bullying, and discrimination offline.

As a user of social media platforms, I can see that they feel more divided, more extreme, and more toxic than they did just a few years ago. I can also see the real-world consequences of this. If you feel that way too, remember that children and young people are using the same platforms that we are.

Experts are warning that disinformation and polarisation threaten democracy. Education is an essential defence.

Teachers and school staff can access the Digital Discourse Initiative professional learning for free via digitaldiscourse.scot

For further information on Time for Inclusive Education’s work and to access school services, visit tie.scot

This is an excerpt from an article published in Issue 7 of Insight.

Members can access the full issue, find out more here. 

Not a member? Click here for more information about membership

Non-members are also invited to subscribe for just £10 per year. To find out more about a digital subscription, email Sophie: sward@childreninscotland.org.uk

About the Author

Jordan Daly is Co-Founder and Director of Time for Inclusive Education

Click here for more

Digital Discourse Initiative

Learn more about the work of Time for Inclusive Education and The Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Learn more

Insight magazine, Issue 7

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

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

Protecting young people from the trauma of homelessness

Member blog

24 Apr 2025

For over 35 years, Scottish charity the Rock Trust has been advising, educating and supporting young people to build the personal skills and resources required to make a positive transition to adulthood. However, with recent figures showing over 10,000 children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland, the charity’s work has never felt more urgent.

Ahead of presenting a workshop at Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference next month, Policy and Public Affairs Officer at the Rock Trust, Lara Balkwill, explains how a pilot project is working to prevent young people from entering the cycle of homelessness and experiencing the trauma that comes with it.

Today in Scotland we are facing a very real homelessness crisis; with over 10,000 children living in temporary accommodation, and 16–24-year-olds making up 21% of the homeless population, despite making up just 13% of the Scottish population. We can all agree that Scotland’s children and young people deserve so much better.

And at Rock Trust we are more committed than ever to achieving our mission to end youth homelessness in Scotland. We are doing all we can to ensure that young people under 25 across the country can access youth-specific services and support when they need it. And if we can do this then we can help young people to avoid, resolve and move on from homelessness. We also know that investing in prevention as early as possible is critical if we are going to prevent young people entering the cycle of homelessness and experiencing the trauma that comes with it.

Introducing Upstream Scotland

In November 2023, we launched our three-year pilot of Upstream Scotland, our schools-based prevention programme, which we believe can help to stop young people in Scotland from becoming homeless by preventing it from ever happening in the first place.

Inspired by the successes of our international Upstream partners, we are running Upstream Scotland in seven schools across four local authorities: Edinburgh, Perth & Kinross, West Lothian and now Fife.

Whilst at Rock Trust we normally support young people from 16, we know that effective prevention work needs to start even earlier - and so our Upstream pilot is currently working with children in S3-S5, aged from 13 upwards.

What is the survey showing us already?

Over 2,000 young people have completed our survey this year, with results showing;

  • Over 7% are at risk of youth homelessness
  • Over 6% are at risk of family homelessness
  • Over 25% are reporting high levels of conflict at home

We also know that many of the young people who are at risk are flying under the radar - Upstream is successfully spotting the very real support needs of young people who aren’t in touch with other services. On top of this, over half of the young people who have been offered support have accepted it - young people are keen to engage with person centred 1:1 support, recognising the benefits it can bring them.

How are we supporting young people?

Our expert project workers are delivering a broad range of emotional and practical support, as well as referrals and signposting to relevant local services. And whilst it is still early days for the pilot, our Upstream project workers and education partners are already noticing signs of improved wellbeing and are supporting young people to reach their personal goals.

One project worker shared; “Watching the young people grow in confidence and resilience has been really rewarding. From completing prelims, applying to college or getting a part time job each young person has worked really hard towards their goals.”

We look forward to sharing more evidence and case studies of Upstream Scotland enabling young people to reach their goals and improve their outcomes as the pilot goes on.

What next?

Throughout our pilot, Upstream Scotland is being independently evaluated by the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research at Heriot-Watt University, and our first-year evaluation has recently been published - check out the executive summary here

We are adapting and learning throughout the pilot, to ensure Upstream Scotland is the best prevention tool it can be. Currently we are looking at whether a whole family approach to support should be explored, as we know that family conflict is a key driver of youth homelessness.

What does the future of Upstream Scotland look like?

We believe Upstream Scotland has the real potential to be an impactful prevention tool in every school across Scotland. We believe that each evaluation will strengthen the argument as to why every school should have access to prevention programmes like Upstream Scotland- so watch this space or get in touch!

Interested in learning more or rolling out Upstream in your school or area? 

About the Author

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

Learn more

Upstream project

Find out more about Rock Trust's project preventing youth homelessness

Learn more

Annual Conference 2025

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

Find out more

The role of enrichment on improving school attendance

Rachael Powell is Public Affairs Assistant at the Centre for Young Lives

Read now

A vision for a fully inclusive Scotland

Celine Sinclair is Chief Executive of The Yard

Read now

Putting a spotlight on babies’ ‘voices’

David Mackay is Head of Policy, Projects and Participation at Children in Scotland

Read now

From 'artivism' to action: projects empowering young people to protect their planet

#EarthDay2025 blog

22 Apr 2025

In celebration of #EarthDay2025, the global campaign that encourages people around the world to work together to help safeguard the planet, we are taking the opportunity to highlight some projects that are empowering children and young people across Scotland to connect with their environment and make a positive difference.

Whether its developing global citizen skills, inspiring the next generation of climate change leaders or supporting young people to explore the outdoors, these projects are working with children and young people in empowering, inclusive and exciting ways.

Art for Action: The Open University in Scotland and Highland One World

The Open University in Scotland and Highland One World are partnering on the Art for Action project which is encouraging children from Scotland’s Highlands and Islands, Nigeria, and Kenya, to think about how society should be responding to climate change and how to express their views through the medium of art. The young participants’ artivism aims to provide a new perspective on issues such as climate change and sustainability.

We are delighted to be hearing more about this fantastic project at our Annual Conference on 28-29 May in Glasgow.

Click here to learn more about the workshop

Learning through Landscapes: Climate School 180

Helping educators to inform and inspire the next generation, Learning through Landscapes’ Climate School 180 project is supporting schools to provide quality climate change education in their settings.

Schools can apply to receive training and advice directly from the Learning through Landscapes team on how to develop a whole-school approach to climate change. The final round of the project is open for applications from schools until 9 May. Click here to learn more 

Innovative toolkit supporting Learning for Sustainability

Pupils across Scotland have access to an innovative new toolkit which equips them with the ability to improve the environmental impact of their school grounds.

Developed by NatureScot in collaboration with teachers and pupils, the Nature Discovery Map Scotland toolkit enables pupils to assess their school grounds, discover what nature exists and plan how to make improvements to encourage nature to flourish in the future.

Click here to find out more about the toolkit

Inclusive community play for all Scotland’s children

A project in East Lothian is highlighting the importance of making outdoor play inclusive for all families. Supported by choose play and Thrive Outdoors, children and teenagers with additional support needs have been developing ideas to influence the design of a new play space with the aim of ensuring all Scotland’s children are able to play, learn and thrive outdoors.

Learn more about the project during Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference

Junior Rangers: Cairngorms National Park

We were delighted to feature an inspiring project led by the Cairngorms National Park in our recent issue of Insight magazine. Since 2009, the Junior Rangers project has given almost 1,000 young people the chance to experience nature and advocate for their environment while developing new skills. The project recently won the Youth Action Award at RSPB Scotland’s Nature of Scotland Awards.

Click here to learn more about the project

Read more like this

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

Click here to read

Annual Conference 2025

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

Find out more

Insight magazine, Issue 7

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

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