The Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland

Get involved: Help us plan for the future

Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland Nicola Killean must make a four-year Strategic Plan to outline what issues the office will focus on. We’re asking children to tell us about important issues to shape our work.  

Young children explore their rights in Gaelic with new book  

Discover a new illustrated Gaelic book on human rights for very young children, titled “A’ Coimhead air ar Còraichean (Let’s Explore Our Rights),” introduced by Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Nicola Killean. This beautifully illustrated book takes little ones on a journey to understand their rights, such as having a safe home, the right to be healthy, learn, and play. It’s available in Gaelic and English, and an audio/video version has been recorded. Empower children with knowledge about their rights from an early age. Learn more about this valuable resource that’s now available in Gaelic and how it’s making an impact.

Housing children in hotels violates human rights and is “dangerous, exacerbates trauma, and can damage health”, says Children’s Commissioner 

Children in Scotland who are homeless or seeking asylum must not be housed in unsuitable accommodation such as hotels, hostels, B&Bs, cruise ships or barges because their human rights may be violated, according to a new report by the Children’s Commissioner.

Is incorporation of the UNCRC still worth it? Yes it is.

Commissioner Nicola Killean stresses the importance of incorporating the UNCRC into Scots law, emphasising the potential for a transformative culture shift that prioritises children’s rights. Nicola delves into the bill’s accountability measures and highlights ongoing support from children and young people. Despite concerns, Nicola concludes that the UNCRC (Incorporation) Bill is crucial for promoting and safeguarding children’s rights in Scotland.

Meet the new Children and Young People’s Commissioner 

New Commissioner Nicola Killean introduces herself to children and young people, talks about her role, and asks for some help…

Our 2022/23 Annual Report: Our last with Commissioner Bruce Adamson 

Today our office publishes our 2022/2023 Annual Report. It covers 1 April, 2022, until 31 March, 2023 and is Commissioner Bruce Adamson’s final report before he left office. We are emerging from the pandemic, and life has returned to more “normality” for children and young people, but we know many of the impacts of Covid will stay with us. Children whose rights were already most at risk were disproportionally impacted by the pandemic and the recovery must be rights-based to tackle this.