SFA and Scottish FA give evidence now on rules for child footballers. Our Head of Legal: “The underlying issue here, and it always has been, is that the clubs principally view these children as economic assets...SFA has made rules which are in the interests of clubs and not of the children.”

New research by our office, SAMH & YoungScot shows not enough is being done on mental health. The Scottish Government accepted Youth Commission on Mental Health Services recommendations, but 6 years on, lack of transparency means young people feel little progress & change. Read more: bit.ly/3KhwSUD

From Scotland to Geneva! Our Young Advisor Robert took children’s voices to the UN on the #RightToEducation, speaking as 1 of only 5 children invited globally 🌎 — a first for UN treaty-drafting. What was it like? Read his blog: bit.ly/3IdsYvB

Tomorrow @parliament.scot debates the SPCB Landscape Review and we welcome the Committee’s report and scrutiny which has reasserted the value and ongoing need for the office of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. Read our full briefing: www.cypcs.org.uk/resources/sp...

Good to see @blairmcdougall.com introducing a 10 minute bill to remove crown immunity from SPS. Our office has been calling on UK and Scottish govts to progress this since 2022. Statements here: shorturl.at/TaPWJ shorturl.at/z5SeO

Today is the first anniversary of UNCRC incorporation into Scots law. Having children’s rights in law is a huge milestone but it’s just one step. We’ll keep holding people in power to account so every child in Scotland can have their rights respected, protected, and fulfilled.

We've responded to the Scottish Parliament's Education, Children & Young People Committee's Call for Views on Daniel Johnson MSP's members bill on restraint and seclusion in schools in Scotland. www.cypcs.org.uk/resources/re...

Important piece in yesterday's Sunday Post showing why legislation on restraint is so crucial. We've been calling for statutory provision for 5+ years now. Good to see the govt (finally) offering its support. Huge credit to the parent campaigners who've driven this. @bethmorrison.bsky.social

Children have the right to education – but too many Care Experienced children are being let down @cypcs.bsky.social asked Who Cares? Scotland to look at education & what must change Their findings echo their own report - system doesn’t work for all #UNCRCScotland buff.ly/mQgwYYA

Thanks to the 6000 + children who joined us for our #InternationalDayofPlay assembly today with e-Sgoil. Special thanks to the amazing children from Windsor Park who shared what they like to do to exercise their right to play, rest & relax😎. ENJOY! Read more: bit.ly/3HC61l5

📣 JUSTICE is looking for its next two Legal Fellows, generously funded by @Linklaters LLP! Fellows assist our legal team on key projects -researching legal reform, reviewing draft legislation, and supporting third-party interventions. Learn more here: bit.ly/3GYpMTB

Important new research on deaths in custody and detention in Scotland. Fundamental concerns about investigations, learning & accountability and lack of support for bereaved people. @thesccjr.bsky.social. ://www.sccjr.ac.uk/news_item/new-study-reveals-record-numbers-are-dying-in-scottish-prisons/

UK Commissioners call for equal protection for all UK children. Scotland was first to ban physical punishment; as did Wales. Children in England & N Ireland are still not protected. All children deserve the same protection from violence as adults. Statement: bit.ly/4jAwgXh

Young Advisor Robert blogs on e-Sgoil's Study Support. Our report makes recommendations to improve the education system, including urging Scottish Government to invest more in virtual school models. Robert reveals how he benefited from Study Support. Blog: bit.ly/4lWaTRO Report: bit.ly/3RsP6mt

Young footballers deserve protection from exploitation But the organisation with the power to investigate and take action against clubs is reduced to writing a letter This is nowhere near good enough

Teens experiencing homelessness whose school attendance is disrupted will still qualify for EMA from 2025-26 — a vital step after our report exposed the link between homelessness and education. But with 10,360 kids in temp housing, there’s more to do. #HousingEmergency 🔗 shelterscotland.org/EMA25

📃 Our new report shows what must change in education to make rights real for every child. Our recommendations include support for the workforce, like this innovative work in @highland.gov.uk & @moraycouncil.bsky.social. Well supported adults means better supported children. Report: bit.ly/3RsP6mt

📢 Commissioner: “Education reform’s glacial pace and wrong focus fails children.” ALL children have the right to an education that develops their personality, talents and abilities. 📘 Read our new report calling for substantial, urgent reform: bit.ly/3RsP6mt

Deeply concerning and sadly reflects what we've found in our own work in this area. For instance see our children's rights report on hotel-type accommodation from 2023 which draws on work by Prof Helen Ball from @durhamanthropology.bsky.social

🌟 Thank you to the thousands of children who joined our assembly today! 🎉 We loved celebrating #InternationalDayOfHappiness with you, exploring the right to good mental health in the #UNCRC and sharing what makes us smile. Keep laughing! 🤣

🚍 Our Young Advisors have been in schools with us, hearing directly from children about their experiences of education. What they found? Young people want & have ideas for change — & they must be involved in education decision-making. 🎬 Watch the full film: bit.ly/4laRDzF

Here are the #10KeyMessages of the @coe.int European Committee of #SocialRights review on the #costofliving #crisis. They address: #minimumwage #energy #food #socialprotection #housing #PWD #olderpersons #children #participation #poverty #socialexclusion rm.coe.int/prems-022125...

Children have the right to protection from all forms of abuse or harm, in all aspects of their lives. Statement: Commissioner supports Daniel Johnson's Bill on restraint and seclusion in education settings and urges the Scottish Government to go further. bit.ly/3FDgH1R

Fantastic to see Daniel Johnson MSP’s Restraint & Seclusion Bill introduced to the parliament. The result of years of campaigning by so many people. Huge credit to all who fought so hard for it. It’s important now that parliamentarians and govt support its principles and make sure it progresses.

A disproportionately high number of kids in poverty live in a household with a disabled person. Stripping essential support will be damaging to disabled people and risks undermining the government’s child poverty strategy. Government can’t cut its way to better living standards for all.

Unambiguously clear from the UN #CESCR. The two-child limit and benefit cap should be reversed. There’s a lot more in the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ recommendations to the UK govt. Here’s my brief comment for @hrw.org in @mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Good to see @katysclark.bsky.social picking up our joint letter on restraint and asking Scottish Govt via PQ if it will ensure the statutory framework across all settings is coherent and consistent.

Temporary accommodation isn’t a home. When one child's sister is forced into an electricity cupboard, another is terrified of violence, and a third suffers damp conditions, it’s clear: 10,360 kids in Scotland deserve better. We owe them our fight. #HousingEmergency www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhlh...

Delighted to have the opportunity to respond to @shelterscotland.bsky.social report on children’s views of temporary accommodation. UNCRC incorporation presents an opportunity to recognise the wide ranging rights impacts and to demand a coordinated response from government.

This is brilliant to see. Judges writing to children directly to explain decisions serves a range of purposes, all linked to better realisation of their rights in the legal process. Wouldn't it be great to see something similar in Scotland...

A massive shift in the #UNCRC Committee today with the departure of several members, including the wonderful Ann Skelton and Mikiko Otani who have both led it so brilliantly at different points during the last 8 years. Chapeau and gratitude to them both for all they have done for #childrights!

Children tell us they don't get the support they need to learn. Too many are failed by a system that doesn't deliver their rights. @auditscotland.bsky.social report reveals scale of unmet need is unknown. The Scottish Government must commit to full-scale education reform. Response: bit.ly/4kbbRbX

See our joint letter, with EHRC, SHRC and the Promise calling on Scottish Government to act urgently and decisively to protect children from unlawful and excessive restraint in all settings.

Record number of children died crossing Channel last year, says UN 🔊This is a wake-up call to all politicians in Europe that more should and could be done to prevent the unnecessary loss of lives. #SafeRoutesNow!

Great to meet LSA colleagues to discuss opportunities for child rights strategic litigation on housing and homelessness.

We were happy to co-sign this letter alongside @unison.org.uk and colleagues at @refugeecouncil.bsky.social, urging the UK Government to reconsider the devastating decision to ban refugees who have taken dangerous journeys from seeking British citizenship. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

Article by @neilmackay.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social outlines brutal reality facing Scotland's disabled people: this needs to be heard & better understood by the people of Scotland including our First Minister and full Scottish Cabinet and Prime Minister and full UK Cabinet.

❤️ Valentines Day with some of our Young Advisors, starting work on developing our new Impact Framework @cypcs.bsky.social 🔎Exploring the question, how would you know if we were doing our work well? Looking forward to testing our ideas with others too. #impact #quality #participation

Child poverty is the visible tip of an iceberg of rights failures in the UK. The UK government is falling short on a wide range of social and economic rights. My letter with @justfairuk.bsky.social’s director Jess McQuail in today’s @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/society/2025... @hrw.org

On denying refugees citizenship, I’m choosing my response really carefully. It’s cynical. This issue has been pushed on GBNews the last weeks, because the new Borders Bill actually repealed unused Tory legislation that imposed the requirement to remove anyone who arrives irregularly. #r4today

The UK is set to deny citizenship to certain refugees simply for having been forced to take dangerous journeys to reach safety. ❗This policy will prevent at least 71,000 refugees from obtaining British citizenship, ECRE member @refugeecouncil.bsky.social estimates. www.bbc.com/news/article...

It’s #SaferInternetDay – the internet can help children realise their rights but can be harmful too. Children must be protected from scams, bullying & misinformation & decision-makers need to put them at the heart of shaping digital change. Statement: bit.ly/419sgpC

Our statement on Skye House reports. "My office – alongside families, campaigners & charities – has demanded for years that the Scottish Government introduces legal protection for children on the use of physical restraint & seclusion in all situations where children are in the care of the State."

Hugely concerning reports of abuse made by former child patients at Skye House. Thorough investigation required, but another example of why ScotGov must put in place consistent legal protections for children against unlawful & excessive restraint (recommended by Mental Health Law Review in 2022).

BBC News - Deaf pupil wins legal fight for BSL interpreter www.bbc.com/news/article...

“You have to talk to someone about it. It won’t help hiding it away.”  As we near the end of #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek, we share what children have told us about mental health, some of our rights work with young people on this & what else we have coming soon: bit.ly/4gxE8qb

Read our latest @parentingscotland.bsky.social membership spotlight "We know the power that UNCRC holds and we hope it can & will be used to push for better lives for all children, young people, & families." Click here to read more: bit.ly/4jFm3Js