School of Social Work & Social Policy

Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ) adapts 'Rights Respecting' work for a younger audience 

We’re excited to announce that we’ve adapted our 2020 report calling for ‘rights respecting’ reform to Scotland’s youth justice system into a version for younger readers, giving them an understanding of the issues and challenges around Scotland’s youth justice system. 

‘Rights Respecting? Scotland’s approach to children in conflict with the law’ was launched at the University of Strathclyde’s Kilbrandon Lecture in January. The report is the first of its kind to translate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scottish specific actions to improve policy, practice and experience in youth justice, based on Scotland’s commitment to incorporate the UNCRC into domestic law by 2021.  

Launched today, the child-friendly version of the report was designed in collaboration with young people from the CYCJ and Staf led project Youth Justice Voices. 

Download the full version of the report and individual sections. We would be grateful if you could share this version of the report with the children and young people you know and work with. 

The child friendly version of the report is currently available in a digital format. Please get in touch with us if you think your organisation, or the child/young person you know, would benefit from having a hard copy. 

To mark the report’s publication, a ‘Rights Respecting’ Symposium on January 31 brought together a panel of youth justice leaders to discuss the key themes and challenges, learning points and next steps to be taken. A note of this event is now available. You can also read Claire Lightowler’s blog for her thoughts on keeping the momentum of rights respecting change going during the coronavirus pandemic. 

If you have any queries or feedback, please don’t hesitate to get in touch