Children and young people: policy context
The Scottish Government’s Getting it Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach overarches everything that Government and public and voluntary services do that impacts on children and young people. It is the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of children and young people.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) forms the basis of GIRFEC, as part of the Scottish Government’s vision of a Scotland where children’s human rights are embedded in all aspects of society.
The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act (2014) embeds key elements of GIRFEC in statute and furthers the Scottish Government’s ambition for Scotland to be the best place to grow up by putting children and young people at the heart of planning and services, and ensuring their rights are respected across the public sector.
Action on child poverty in Scotland is underpinned by the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 and the Scottish Government’s Best Start Bright Futures: tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022 to 2026. The Act requires local authorities and territorial health boards to publish local child poverty action reports on an annual basis. Further information on the policy context for tackling child poverty is presented in our Income and Employment section.
Other policies relating to children and young people include:
- Maternal and child health
- Early education and care
- Keeping the Promise implementation plan (2022)
- Supporting disabled children, young people and their families (2019)
- Scotland’s Public Health Priorities (2018)
- Mental health strategy 2017-2027 (2017)
- Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative (established 2016)
- Children and Young People (Scotland) Act (2014)
- Play Strategy for Scotland: Our Action Plan (2013)
