Young advisors

Our Young Advisors

The Young Advisors are a group of young people from all across Scotland. They help to make sure children and young people’s voices are heard and taken seriously in the work of the Commissioner.

Their ages range from 12 to 17. And they have a variety of interests and experiences but they all care about children’s rights. They are all Human Rights Defenders.

The Young Advisors meet roughly once a month. This is a mix of online and in person meetings. The in person meetings usually take place in the Commissioner’s office in Edinburgh. They also focus on children’s rights and what is impacting on children and young people’s lives right now.

Sometimes the Young Advisors take part in campaigns, opportunities and events across Scotland. Sometimes across the world. They also work with us to communicate about the human rights issues that matter to them.

Mental Health Investigation

In 2021, our Young Advisors met to consider how to use the Commissioner’s investigation powers to highlight an issue that was important to them. Mental health was identified as an area of serious concern which affects increasing numbers of children and young people. The decision to focus on mental health was also informed by the impact of increased levels of stress and anxiety experienced by children and young people during and post Covid-19.

The Mental Health Investigators chose to focus their investigation on school counselling as it is an important part of the Scottish Government’s response to Scotland’s mental health crisis, and plays a critical role in early intervention. It was also clear that looking at counselling provision in schools across Scotland could provide a useful picture of levels of need and challenges around delivery which might inform work in other areas. From that point onwards, the Mental Health Investigators were involved in leading every aspect of decision-making throughout the investigation.

Their report was published in 2023 and presented to the Scottish Parliament.

Lewis and Grace, Young Advisors waiting to go on national radio at the BBC to talk about our investigation into mental health.

Resource: Research and Publications  

Mental Health: Counselling in Schools

In response to the growing concern over the mental health of children and young people, a new group of Young Advisors in 2021 decided to focus their investigation on school counselling as part of the Scottish Government’s response to the crisis. The Mental Health Investigators identified a lack of crisis services and community-based interventions, and believed that school counselling could provide a useful picture of levels of need and delivery challenges. They were involved in leading every aspect of decision-making throughout the investigation, from planning to analysis and recommendations. The report they produced identifies both good practice and areas for improvement in the delivery of counselling services in schools across Scotland.