CYS Research and knowledge exchange

Funded by: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) United Kingdom Research Initiative (UKRI). Mobile Arts for Peace Large Grant

The research team is led by Dr Laura Wright (University of Edinburgh), with Professor Kay Tisdall and others.

Learn more about Mobile Arts for Peace (MAP)

For more information, contact Laura Wright.

Email Laura Wright

Funded by: British Academy Early Career Network Grant 2023 (BAS2023-54)

The research is led by Dr Sarah Ward (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Maureen McBride (University of Glasgow).

Following recent health, socio-economic and climate crises, youth activism has become critical in generating social change. However, activists from disadvantaged backgrounds experience multiple barriers to participation. This pilot project explores the barriers/enablers that support disadvantaged youth activists’ involvement in social movements for change. By exploring lived experience, we aim to build towards a larger grant application by a) shaping a collaborative research design, and b) building collaborative relationships with youth activists.

Funded by: The Economic and Social Research Council

The research team is led by Professor Jane Callaghan (University of Stirling) and involves a number of academics and other stakeholders. At the University of Edinburgh, it involves Professor John Devaney (CoI), Dr Claire Houghton (CoI), Kay Steven (Former Research Fellow), Dr Fiona Morrison (CoI), Professor Kay Tisdall (CoI) and Dr Camille Warrington (Senior Research Fellow).

CAFADA learns from promising innovations in social care, for social work, police and criminal justice, and in domestic abuse and children’s organisations in Scotland and England.

Project website

For further information, please contact us.

Email Dr Fiona Morrison

Email Professor Kay Tisdall

Email Professor Jane Callaghan

Funded by: The Froebel Trust

This project sets out to understand what happens when Froebelian-inspired pedagogies are critically and comparatively discussed, then translated by teachers in dialogues across diverse early childhood education (ECE) sites.

Three videostimulated interviews will take place with teachers across three geographically and culturally diverse countries – Scotland, United Kingdom, and New Zealand – which share links to Froebelian philosophy. Interviews will be based on previously generated footage of a day-in-the-life of two teachers across each of the three ECE sites.

Dialogic methodology will be used to examine the opportunities and tensions that exist when pedagogies are opened up for scrutiny through dialogue. We are interested in discovering the potential for these dialogues to enhance teachers’ pedagogies and the educational experiences of 2–5-year-old learners in these ECE sites.

The insights generated from this inquiry will support teachers to explore, apply and account for the influence of philosophies on pedagogies in local ECE contexts, benefiting from the ‘outsider’ perspectives of teachers and researchers from diverse cultural and philosophical contexts for learning.  A Routledge e-book and video companion will invite teachers across the globe to critically explore their own philosophically informed pedagogies for localised ECE through this dialogic route.

Research co-leads:

Dr Caroline Guard, Kingston University, London

Dr Lynn McNair, University of Edinburgh

Prof Elizabeth-Jayne White, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Researchers:

Luke Addison, University of Edinburgh

Vanessa Paki, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Dr Bridgette Redder, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Funded by: The Froebel Trust

Froebelian Futures is a partnership with Cowgate Under 5s and the University of Edinburgh.

Programme Director and Co-Director:

• Dr Lynn McNair
• Simon Bateson

Other University of Edinburgh members are:

• Luke Addison
• Catriona Gill
• Dr Kristina Konstantoni
• Dr Marlies Kustatscher
• Dr Maggie Morrison
• Professor John Ravenscroft
• Professor Kay Tisdall
• Jane Whinnet

This three-year programme aims to strengthen and deepen child and community-centred early years practice across Scotland, based on the foundational principles of Friedrich Froebel.

Visit the Froebelian Futures website  ​​​​​​

Funded by: Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada

The research team is led by Tara Collins (Toronto Metropolitan University) and involves a large number of children and young people, academics, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders. At the University of Edinburgh, it involves Dr Patricio Cuevas-Parra, Professor Kay Tisdall and Dr Laura Wright as part of the management team and our partners the Children's Parliament.

ICCRP project

Children’s Parliament

Contact us

Funded by: World Vision International

The research team is led by Professor Kay Tisdall (University of Edinburgh) with Dr Karina Padilla Malca.

Funded by: RSE Network Grant.

The grant is led by Professor Kay Tisdall (University of Edinburgh), with Professor Jennifer Davidson (Strathclyde University) and Dr Fiona Morrison (University of Edinburgh).

Learn more about the Research Network

Funded by UKRI & GCRF

Partnership between:

• Childhood and Youth Studies, Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh
• The Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa
• The International Center for Research and Policy on Childhood at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CIESPI/PUC-Rio) Brazil
• Bethlehem University
• University of Eswatini, Eswatini

This international research project aims to identify and develop safe, inclusive participative pedagogy that is implementable in fragile contexts and sustainable for governments, communities and families.

Project website

Email us for further information

We are a collaborative of Scottish organisations working to drive implementation of children’s human rights in Scotland, with local impact and global learning.

Visit the website of The Observatory

On 4th February 2021, the webinar ‘Implementing Children’s Rights in Scotland – Developing Systems of Child-Friendly Complaints, Remedy and Redress’ held an in-depth discussion in light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) Scotland Bill.

The webinar was chaired by Bruce Adamson (Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland). Speakers included:

• Fiona Morrison (University of Stirling)
• Máire McCormack and Kay Tisdall (University of Edinburgh)
• Andy Sirel (JustRight Scotland)
• Ursula Kilkelly (University College Cork)
• Katie Boyle (University of Stirling)
• Rosemary Agnew (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

The seminar was hosted by:

• Childhood and Youth Studies' Research Group, University of Edinburgh
• Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, University of Stirling
• Observatory of Children's Human Rights Scotland​​

Watch the webinar

• PowerPoint slides of the webinar
• Webinar briefing
• Our blog highlighting key learning from the webinar: Embedding Systems of Child-Friendly: Complaints, Remedy and Redress in Scotland

Find out more about the consultation​​​​​  

The Children (Scotland) Bill

In April 2019, the First Minister made a commitment to pass a law within the next two years that will incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law. From May to August 2019 the Scottish Government held a consultation on how a new Act could incorporate the UNCRC into the law of Scotland.

• Download Prof Tisdall's submission to the consultation 

Kay Tisdall wrote a profile of Scottish childhood policy, for the British Academy’s Childhood Programme. 

• Read the profile  

Ruth Friskney, Fiona Morrison and Kay Tisdall gave evidence to the Justice Committee (Scottish Parliament) on the Children (Scotland) Bill. 

• Read the report  
• Download the Children (Scotland) Bill Evidence  

This contribution is connected with the following research projects:

• Children’s Participation in Family Actions
• Improving Justice in Child Contact

Scottish Women's Aid, Children 1st, Professor Kay Tisdall (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Fiona Morrison (University of Stirling) submitted a joint briefing on the Stage 2 debates of the Children (Scotland) Bill in June 2020. A copy of the briefing is available below.

• Download the Stage Two Children (Scotland) Bill joint briefing 

Scottish Women’s Aid (with input from Yello!, an expert group of young people who have experienced domestic abuse and the family courts), Children 1st, Professor Kay Tisdall (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Fiona Morrison (University of Stirling) submitted a joint briefing in advance of the Stage 3 debate on the Children (Scotland) Bill on the 25th August. A copy of the briefing is available below.

• Download the Stage Three Children (Scotland) Bill joint briefing   

Dr Fiona Morrison (University of Stirling), Máire McCormack and Professor Kay Tisdall (University of Edinburgh) submitted a briefing to the Equality and Human Rights Committee in response to a call for views on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill on the 16th October 2020. A copy of the briefing is available below.

• Download the Equality and Human Rights Committee briefing  

Evidence submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls report on violence against women and children in custody cases.

 Further Information about Custody Cases ​​​​​

 Download Dr Fiona Morrison and Prof Kay Tisdall's response to the UN's Call for Evidence