Our State of Children’s Rights 2017 report sets out promising rights-based practice taken by public bodies across Scotland. The report consists of a wide range of case studies from our members that illustrate how a rights-based approach can make a significant difference to children and young people’s lives and improve the quality and effectiveness of public services. The report should act as an inspirational and encouraging tool for public bodies to draw from when exploring how to embed children and young people’s rights into their own policy and practice.

Public bodies will play a key role in addressing the many challenges ahead, such as tackling child poverty and the educational attainment gap, and mitigating the impact of austerity and Brexit. To overcome these challenges there needs to be a genuine commitment to taking a rights-based approach among all those working with and for children and young people. This State of Children’s Rights report sets out the promising approaches we have already seen, in the hope and expectation that it will inspire similar work across Scotland to ensure the rights of all children and young people are protected, respected and fulfilled, at all times.