The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland is Nicola Killean. She works with her team to protect the human rights of children and young people. She works to make sure the laws that affect your lives are fair. She challenges people in power to keep human rights promises they’ve made to you that make sure you have all you need to grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding.
The Commissioner helps you understand how valuable and important your rights are. That understanding means you can demand change when your rights – or the rights of others – are not being respected.
The Commissioner makes sure adults in Scotland know more about your rights so that they see where they need to make changes.
She puts you at the heart of her work, and will listen and learn from you.
The Commissioner’s role and powers are set out in the law of Scotland.
The Children & Young People’s Commissioner Website features a wealth of information & resources to promote learner voice & action. It can be accessed here:
7 Golden Rules for Participation
The 7 Golden Rules for Participation are a set of principles that anyone working with children and young people can use. They inform adults what children and young people’s participation should feel like.
They were developed through consultation with children and young people and research with professional adults reflecting the knowledge and experience of those working to promote participation.
They can help adults:
- understand what the United Nations means by participation, and
- understand what they should do when helping children and young people take part in decision-making.
They can also help children and young people learn about their participation rights under Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The following resources provide a scaffold on which we can build conversations & a deeper understanding:
