The Rights Detectives – Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) Member Organisations and Scottish Government Human Rights Bill Team.
The Rights Detectives are six children and young people aged 11-17 from across Scotland. They form one of three ‘Lived Experience Boards’ set up by Scottish Government who are helping to shape a new human rights law – a Human Rights Bill for Scotland which will bring extra human rights into law in Scotland for disabled people, black and minority ethnic people and women and girls – as well as the right to a healthy environment.
Whilst the Detectives have their own views about the Bill, they wanted to find out more about what other children and young people think by carrying out special investigative missions for Scottish Government. Each mission involves investigative research with other children and young people to help make sure what matters to children is included into this new law.
To support the Detectives in their role, Together established what was already known about children and young people’s experiences of their rights. This was achieved through mapping previous Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament engagement with children and young people between January 2020 and June 2022, as relevant to the development of the Human Rights Bill. If you click the link here you can access the mapping report.
How young people shape the Detectives
The Rights Detectives project was developed based on feedback from the children and young people involved. Based on this feedback, it seemed appropriate to take a co-design approach, creating the conditions to enable the work of the Detectives to evolve and be fully shaped by themselves, as the project developed. During their induction, Detectives took part in training to help increase their knowledge and understanding of human rights. The Detectives identified the groups of children and young people they wanted to talk to, codesigned session plans and resources, and co-delivered the Investigation workshops. They also influenced how they shared their findings with Scottish Government.
How young people’s views have been used in decision-making
The Detectives findings were written up as full and child-friendly reports which were submitted to the Human Rights Bill Team at Scottish Government. The Detectives work has helped to shape the Bill Team’s thinking and also the content of the public consultation which will launch in the first half of 2023, in addition to the wider work of the Bill.
What young people said
“I’m so glad I’ve been part of the Rights Detectives, as everyone has been really nice and I’ve become more confident to speak out, as I haven’t always been able to do that.”
“I hope the work of the Rights Detectives will change Scotland’s thinking about rights which will make the country better for everyone.”
“I like getting other young people involved, and hearing their views and advocating for what they think, to help the detectives with their research.”
Contact info to find out more:
For further information about the Rights Detectives and likes to their reports to Scottish Government please see - Detectives and links to their Rights Detectives | Together Scotland or contact Together by email at info@togetherscotland.org.uk.
