Youth work professionals play integral part

Children and Young People’s Commissioner Nicola Killean told youth work professionals that they are key to Scotland delivering its children’s rights obligations, and children must be protected from budget cuts.  

Speaking at the YouthLink conference today in Glasgow, she focussed on the power of listening and the essential role that youth workers play in supporting children to claim their rights.  

Commissioner Nicola said:  

“As youth workers, you play an integral part in ensuring children and young people can access their rights, including to good mental and physical health as well as their educational, social and recreational rights. Your work is particularly important to children and young people whose rights are most at risk. Your collective skill, understanding, energy and drive is critical in times as challenging as this.” 

While the Commissioner celebrated the incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law, she pointed to the delay and dilution of key recommendations from numerous high profile Scottish Government education reviews as a significant example of children’s views not being acted upon. She also urged the Scottish Government to ensure it involves children meaningfully in its next Child Poverty Action Plan. 

Commissioner Nicola said: 

“Children are the experts in their own lives. Children experiencing poverty must shape plans to tackle it and the organisations around them need to be able to provide them with any support to make their views known.” 

Youth workers can be key to children and young people’s voices being heard by decision-makers, and the Commissioner told the conference that their work must be properly resourced. 

She said: “Services and supports for children and young people should not be the first to feel cuts and budget squeezes. Children should not bear the brunt of budget cuts because they cannot vote, and they don’t hold economic power.   

“The Scottish Government needs to ensure that youth work organisations have the resources and budget security needed to support children. You are integral to a Scotland that respects, protects and fulfils children’s rights. The State has an obligation to use its maximum resources to ensure rights for children and young people.”