Our Priorities & Campaigns

Our belief that childrens rights, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), must be protected in law, policy, and practice is at the foundation of everything that we do. We continue to influence and support implementation of the UNCRC in Scotland and work to #KeepThePromise.

Our current campaigns and priorities focus on driving change towards a Scotland where:

No child grows up in poverty

What we want to see:

• A fairer social security system that meets families needs and treats them with dignity and respect.
• An increasing Scottish Child Payment, in line with rising costs.
• The government take action to tackle the debt crisis and put an end to public debt recovery that pushes families into poverty.
• An end to school meal debt and for free school meal eligibility to be extended to all low-income families.

There is better and more support for children and families who need extra help

What we want to see:

• More and better accessible support for families living with disability, affected by addiction, impacted by domestic abuse, or trauma.
• More help for parents and their children to keep families together.
• Safe, nurturing, and loving homes for all children unable to live with their families.

All children and young peoples human rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled

What we want to see:

• UNCRC is implemented and embedded across Scotland.
• Children and young peoples voices are at the heart of policy development and decision making.
• Children, and young people can and know how to challenge when their human rights are not being met.
• The rights of unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children and young people arriving in Scotland are upheld.

You can find out more about the UNCRC in Scotland from the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland.

A Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) is a tool that helps people understand how a proposed law, policy or decision might affect children’s human rights. Aberlour is committed to using CRWIAs in our work. Find out more in our organisational statement on Children’s Rights and Well-being Impact Assessments

Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment guidance:

• Introduction to children’s rights: training tool
• Children's Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment guidance