Children's rights reporting

In 2023, the Observatory worked with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland to ask public authorities about their duty under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 to report on children’s rights.

Under Part 1 (section 2) of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, listed public authorities (including local authorities, health boards and other listed public authorities with responsibilities relating to children’s rights) have a duty to publish a report every three years on the steps they have taken to further align with the UNCRC within their area of responsibility.

Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014

The first three-year period ran between 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2020. In 2020, to recognise the impact of the pandemic on public services, the public authorities to which the duty applies were granted extensions on this reporting duty. The extension expired on 30 September 2022 and reports for the 2017-2020 period were then due as soon as practicable. Reports for the 2020-2023 period are now due as soon as practicable after 31 March 2023.

In January 2023, the Observatory worked with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland to send Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all listed public authorities to ask about their progress on the matter. The reports shared with us in response can be found on this page.

If you are aware of further reports which are not represented on this page, please get in touch with us at childrens.rights@ed.ac.uk and we will upload them here where we can.

Over the summer of 2023, an Edinburgh Law School Human Rights LLM student reviewed the reports shared with us and used them as the basis for her dissertation analysis of the listed public authorities' reporting duty under Part 1 (section 2) of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. You can read her analysis below. The views expressed in this work are not necessarily representative of the Observatory’s views or those of its members.

Children's rights reporting duty dissertation Gantous (574.52 KB / PDF)

The Improvement Service's UNCRC Implementation Project supports local authorities across Scotland to prepare for the incorporation of the UNCRC. Visit their page for more information and join their Knowledge Hub to become part of a community sharing information, learning and ideas.

The Improvement Service's UNCRC Implementation Project (external site)

Children's Human Rights in Scotland Knowledge Hub (external site)

Children’s Rights reports 2020-23

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Local authorities

North Lanarkshire

Document

North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan 2021-23 & Annual Report 2021-22 (438.08 KB / PDF)

Health boards

NHS Education for Scotland

Document

NHS Education for Scotland's Public Sector Equality Duty: Progress Report (April 2021-2023) (1.77 MB / PDF)

Joint reports

Aberdeenshire

Document

Aberdeenshire Children and Young People’s Rights Report and Action Plan 2023-2026 (2.27 MB / PDF)
Fife

Document

Fife Children's Services Plan 2021-23 (1.22 MB / PDF)

Document

Fife Children's Services Annual Report 2020-21 (1.46 MB / PDF)

Document

Fife Children's Services Annual Report 2021-22 (617.8 KB / PDF)
Glasgow City

Document

Glasgow Integrated Children's Services Plan 2020-23 (14.66 MB / PDF)
Shetland

Document

Building a Brighter Future Together for Shetland’s Children and Young People: Annual Report 2020-21 (4.96 MB / PDF)

Document

Shetland Children’s Plan 2021-2024 (4.16 MB / PDF)
South Lanarkshire

Document

South Lanarkshire Children's Services Plan 2021-23 (1.22 MB / PDF)

Other listed public authorities

Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Document

Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Children’s Rights and Corporate Parenting joint report 2020-2023 (1.54 MB / PDF)
Scottish Children's Reporters Administration

Document

Scottish Children's Reporters Administration's Annual Report for children and young people 2020-21 (2.83 MB / PDF)

Document

Scottish Children's Reporters Administration's Annual Report for children and young people 2021-22 (1.83 MB / PDF)

Document

Scottish Children's Reporters Administration's Rights, Inclusion and Corporate Parenting Strategy 2021 – 2023 (425.35 KB / PDF)

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Scottish Children's Reporters Administration's Rights, Inclusion and Corporate Parenting Report Card 2021 – 2022 (543.66 KB / PDF)

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Scottish Children's Reporters Administration's Keeping The Promise 2021-24 Route Plan (839.33 KB / PDF)
Skills Development Scotland

Document

Skills Development Scotland's UNCRC report 2017-22 (9.31 MB / PDF)

Children’s Rights reports 2017-20

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Local authorities

Aberdeen City

Document

Aberdeen City children's rights report 2017-20 (11 MB / PDF)
North Ayrshire

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North Ayrshire children’s rights report 2020/2023 (2.61 MB / PDF)
North Lanarkshire

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North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan 2017-2020 & Annual Report 2018-19 (581.17 KB / PDF)
Renfrewshire

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Renfrewshire children's rights report 2017-20 (162.36 KB / PDF)
South Ayrshire

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South Ayrshire children's rights report 2017-20 (8.33 MB / PDF)
South Lanarkshire

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South Lanarkshire Children's Services Plan: Annual Report 2019-20 (1.56 MB / PDF)

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South Lanarkshire Children's Services Plan: Annual Report 2018-19 (1.43 MB / PDF)

Health boards

NHS 24

Document

NHS 24 UNCRC report 2017-20 (531.98 KB / PDF)

Document

NHS 24 Corporate Parenting Progress Report and Action Plan 2020-23 (2.34 MB / PDF)
The State Hospital

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The State Hospital children's rights report 2017-20 (57 KB / PDF)

Joint reports

Aberdeenshire

Document

Aberdeenshire Children's Services Plan 2020-23 (6.3 MB / PDF)
Argyll and Bute

Document

Argyll and Bute Children’s Rights Report 2020-23 (1.24 MB / PDF)
Dumfries and Galloway

Document

Dumfries and Galloway Children’s Rights Report 2017- 2020 (490.18 KB / PDF)
East Ayrshire

Document

East Ayrshire Children and Young People's Services Plan 2020-23 (3.3 MB / PDF)
East Lothian

Document

East Lothian children's rights report 2017-20 (2.54 MB / PDF)
East Renfrewshire

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Children's Rights in East Renfrewshire 2018-21 (3.06 MB / PDF)
Edinburgh

Document

Edinburgh Children's Rights Report 2017-20 (931.97 KB / PDF)
Glasgow City

Document

Glasgow Integrated Children and Young People's Service Plan 2017-20 (1.26 MB / PDF)
Inverclyde

Document

Inverclyde Children’s Rights: Holding Report 2020 (703.24 KB / PDF)
Midlothian

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Midlothian Children's Rights Report 2017-20 (608.21 KB / PDF)

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Midlothian Children's Services Plan 2020-23 (1.48 MB / PDF)
Moray

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Moray Children's Services Plan 2020-23 (13.62 MB / PDF)
Scottish Borders

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Scottish Borders Children's Rights Report 2017-20 / 2021-23 (3.11 MB / PDF)
Stirling

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Stirling Children's Rights Report 2017-20 (2.81 MB / PDF)
Tayside

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Children's Rights in Tayside: 2017-2020 summary report (3.58 MB / PDF)
West Lothian

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West Lothian Children’s Rights Report 2017-2020 (2.3 MB / PDF)
Western Isles

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Western Isles childen's rights report 2019-22 (663.68 KB / PDF)

Other listed public authorities

Bòrd na Gàidhlig

Document

Bòrd na Gàidhlig Children's rights report 2017-20 (676.39 KB / PDF)
Children's Hearings Scotland

Document

Progressing Rights at Children's Hearings Scotland: a summary of our activities 2017-20 (1.85 MB / PDF)

Document

Progressing Rights at Children's Hearings Scotland 2017-20 (2.37 MB / PDF)
Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Document

Healthcare Improvement Scotland Children's Rights Report 2017-20 (1.83 MB / PDF)
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland

Document

Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland Children’s Rights Report 2017-2020 (1.79 MB / PDF)
Scottish Housing Regulator

Document

Scottish Housing Regulator's Corporate Parenting Plan and Children’s Rights Report 2020 (63.57 KB / PDF)
Scottish Legal Aid Board

Document

Scottish Legal Aid Board's UNCRC Progress Report 2017-2020 (242.27 KB / PDF)
Scottish Police Authority

Document

Scottish Police Authority's Children's Rights Report 2017-20 (537.89 KB / PDF)
Scottish Children's Reporters Administration

Document

Scottish Children's Reporters Administration's annual report for young people 2018-19 (6.5 MB / PDF)
Skills Development Scotland

Document

Skills Development Scotland UNCRC report 2017-2022 (9.31 MB / PDF)
sportscotland

Document

sportscotland's UNCRC 2018-21 (493.7 KB / PDF)
Scottish Social Services Council

Document

Scottish Social Services Council's children's rights report 2020-23 (2.54 MB / PDF)

This article was published on 2024-10-07