Children in Scotland was commissioned by the Scottish Government to explore the nature and type of impact children and young people’s participation has had on national and local policy making in Scotland. We are committed to ensuring that children and young people (CYP) have a say in all matters that affect them, in accordance with their rights as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Over recent years we have worked with diverse Scottish Government directorates and teams to support children and young people’s engagement in policy making.

The research conducted for this project identified that children and young people are engaged in policy making in Scotland in a variety of areas. By using a case study approach, we were able to look in depth at children and young people’s engagement in six different policy areas: police powers; child rights; domestic violence; children’s hearings; sex education; and human rights.