Research Network on Children’s Human Rights

The Network aims to bring together research expertise with both the lived experiences of children and young people and Scottish policy-makers, practitioners and civil society.

It will:

• Mobilise knowledge and foster spaces to grapple with complex challenges inherent in implementing children’s human rights; and
• Identify progress and challenges in implementing children’s human rights and how to address gaps in particular practices and systems.

We have published a blog delving into the purpose and expected activities of the Network.

Get in touch with us via email at or sign up below to get added to the Network’s mailing list and receive updates on the Network and our work.

Email the network

We have set up an email distribution list for the Research Network, using the service Jiscmail. It is being used as a vehicle for all news regarding the Research Network as well as a  space for mailing list members to share research, information and opportunities with each other, for example:

• Sharing recent research relevant to children’s human rights
• Crowdsourcing requests for research, researchers, resources, data, etc.
• Finding research partners, whether in academic, third sector or public services, for research projects, fundraising etc.
• Highlighting relevant events, trainings, job ads, etc.

To join the distribution list, you can email us or sign up directly at the link below.

The Observatory has been working with the Improvement Service and other partners on the complex implementation challenge of public financing for children’s rights, also known as children's rights-based budgeting.

The Observatory and the Improvement Service hosted on 6 November 2024 a seminar on public financing for children’s rights, which gathered senior level finance staff from local authorities, health boards and other public bodies, Scottish Government and other interested stakeholders. 

The seminar was chaired by Prof Graeme Roy, Professor in Economics, Glasgow University. Speakers included:

• Prof Jo Ferrie, Professor of Sociology, Glasgow University. 
  • Prof Ferrie's speaking notes
• Alberto Musatti, Social Policy Specialist (Public Finance), UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia
• Prof Neil Craig, Professor of Public Health Economics, Glasgow Caledonian University 
• Rebecca Spillane, Project Manager – UNCRC Implementation, Improvement Service. 
  • Rebecca Spillane's speaking notes
• Martin Booth, Executive Director of Financial Services, Glasgow City Council

Most of the seminar was recorded. Collated slides, including a summary of the group discussions, can be downloaded below. 

Public Financing for Children’s Rights November 2024 slides (slides will download locally)

The Research Network is hosting a Participation Working Group. If you are interested in being involved, get in touch with us. 

In collaboration with the Children's Rights European Academic Network (CREAN, who funded the seminar) and the Children and Young People Thematic Hub, on 5 December 2024 the Observatory hosted a Seminar on Children’s Rights Research with Young Children: the potential and challenges of participatory methods.

The seminar shared practical examples of participatory research methods with young children, from Brazil, Greece, South Africa and Scotland.

A recording of the plenary presentations and other materials will be shared as soon as possible. 

• Children's Rights European Academic Network
• Children and Young People Thematic Hub

We held another hybrid event on the afternoon of Wednesday 13th November 2024 in Edinburgh, with a focus on accountability for children's human rights in light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. 

After a welcome from Head of School Prof Carol Campbell and Prof Kay Tisdall, Minister Natalie Don-Innes MSP (Minister for Children, Young People and the Promise, Scottish Government) gave opening remarks.

Minister speaking notes

This was followed by a video created for the event by the Children’s Human Rights Defenders.

CHRD video

Professor Simon Hoffman (Professor of Law at Swansea University and Welsh Observatory of Children’s Rights), gave a lecture on Wales's experience of UNCRC incorporation and implementation.

Prof Hoffman speaking notes

Juliet Harris, Director of Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights), updated attendees on the #RightsOnTrack campaign. 

RightsOnTrack slides

The event ended with a panel on implementation and accountability after the UNCRC Incorporation Act, chaired by Prof Jennifer Davidson, Executive Director of Inspiring Children’s Futures, joined by:

• Ellie Craig MSYP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament
• Rosemary Agnew, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
• Councillor Tony Buchanan, Chair of COSLA Children and Young People board
• Pamela Murray, Child Health Commissioner NHS Lothian

The Research Network hosted a second event in-person on 1st February 2024, at the Scottish Universities Insight Institute in Glasgow. Using the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the state of children's rights in the UK as a framework for discussions, the day saw a variety of researchers sharing their work on panels and taking part in lively exchanges.

We were delighted to host the launch of the new Research Network on Children’s Human Rights on Thursday 22^nd June 2023 - you can see a recording of the plenary sessions on the link below.

One of the Network’s first steps is to map existing, current and proposed research on children's human rights, that relates to Scotland. Please help us in this work by filling out the form below.

The information you provide us will be used by the Observatory to create a Research Network on children’s human rights and to support its aims to mobilise knowledge and foster spaces to grapple with the complex challenges raised by the implementation of children’s human rights. 

We are using information about you because you have given us your consent to do so. We will hold the personal data you provided us for 2 years . After this period, we will send a communication to you querying whether we can continue to hold your personal data. You may also contact us at any time to request your personal information to be deleted.  If you have additionally opted into our mailing list, please note that you can opt out of it at any time, by emailing childrens.rights@ed.ac.uk.

Your information may be shared with the core membership of the Observatory, who form the steering committee of the Network.

Please note we do not use profiling or automated decision-making processes. 

If you have any questions about this privacy notice, please contact us at childrens.rights@ed.ac.uk. 

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