Engagement with children and young people
The Scottish Government has made a welcomed commitment to full incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law.
The UNCRC requires national and local governments, as duty bearers, to respect, protect and fulfil children's rights. Article 12 of the UNCRC expresses that every child has a right to express their views and have them given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity. It follows, therefore, that Children's Services Plans are informed and shaped by the experiences and opinions of the children, young people and families who use local services (Scottish Government, 2016).
NTSG and engagement with children and young people
The NTSG project is working to support third sector organisations to amplify and embed the views of children and young people throughout the children’s services planning process. We have a post dedicated to supporting the third sector and partners to include children, young people and their family’s voices in strategic planning. We are also facilitating this through training programmes, tailored locality work, developing and sharing tools and resources.
Case studies
Linked to the project’s ‘engaging’ theme, a series of case studies has been developed in collaboration with third sector partners across Scotland. Each case study looks at examples of third sector engagement practice with children and young people in line with the National Standards for Community Engagement. They provide a snapshot of different methods and models of engagement used to encourage children and young people to shape children’s services planning in their local area.
Over the series we want to gather case studies from across Scotland to reflect the breadth of existing demographics. Using these case studies, we also highlight how the voices of specific groups of children, some ‘seldom heard’, feed into the children’s services planning process.
Resources
Explore resources to support profession learning and the practical implementation of participation
Click hereEvidence Bank
Explore our collection of direct quotes from children & young people on a diverse range of subjects
Find out more