Children and young people across Scotland are still waiting for their rights to become reality. They are waiting for support, care, and access to services that help them live healthy, fulfilling lives. These experiences remind us that there is still work to do. By coming together, listening to young voices, and taking action, we can create a Scotland where every child receives the support they need, when they need it, and where no child is left waiting on their rights.
For too many, this means missing school, feeling isolated, and struggling to be understood.
But this is a moment for change.
A moment to come together.
A moment to speak up.
A moment to say, loudly and clearly:
We will not accept a Scotland where children and young people are still waiting on their rights.
💬 Listening to Children and Young People
- “I just want to feel normal again.”
- “I’ve been waiting so long for help.”
- “I feel like no one is listening to me.”
These are the real voices of children and young people across Scotland.
Through their lived experiences, they have helped shape the My Health, My Rights Charter, setting out what matters most to them when it comes to health, care, and support. Yet through the Waiting On Our Rights work, the message is clear:
Too many children and young people are still not receiving the care and support they need, when they need it.
🎥 Take the Oath in 4 Simple Steps
1. Introduce Yourself
Say your name, age (if you’d like) and who you are — your role, organisation, or simply someone who cares.
2. Start with a Child’s Voice
Choose a quote that resonates with you, for example:
- “I’ve been waiting so long for help.”
- “I feel like no one is listening to me.”
- “My health is stopping me from going to school.”
- “I just want to feel normal again.”
You might begin with:
As a Health Rights Defender, I hear you.
3. Make Your Pledge
Full Oath:
I am a Health Rights Defender.
I will listen to children and young people.
I will stand up for their right to health.
I will challenge the barriers they face.
I will not accept a Scotland where children and young people are still waiting on their rights.
I will act so that every child is heard, supported, and able to access the care they need, when they need it.
This is my Oath.
Short version:
I pledge to be a Health Rights Defender and stand up for children and young people who are still waiting on their rights.
4. Send Us Your Video
📧 Email your video to: enquiries@childrenshealthscotland.org
We will share your video as part of a national movement calling for change.
You have until 25 September 2026 to take part in our Health Rights Defender Oath.
⚖️ Their Rights Are Clear — But Not Yet Realised
Children’s health rights are not optional.
They are protected through:
- The UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) — which guarantees every child the right to the highest attainable standard of health
- GIRFEC (Getting It Right for Every Child)— Scotland’s national approach, placing children’s wellbeing, voice, and rights at the centre of all services
- The EACH Charter (European Association for Children in Hospital and Healthcare)— ensuring children and young people receive respectful, child-centred healthcare
These frameworks set out what should happen.
But for many children and young people, the reality does not yet match the promise.
Rights on paper are not enough — they must be experienced in practice.
💙 A Message from Children’s Health Scotland
Helen Forrest, Chief Executive of Children’s Health Scotland, said:
Thousands of children and young people across Scotland are still waiting on their rights — waiting for care, waiting to be heard, and waiting for the support they need to live healthy, full lives. That is simply not good enough.
The Health Rights Defender’s Oath is an opportunity for all of us — professionals, children and young people, MSPs, local authorities, and NHS staff — to stand together and make a clear, public commitment to change.
Protecting children’s rights is not the responsibility of one sector alone; it is a shared responsibility across our entire nation. We must do better to respect, protect and fulfil every child’s right to health.
We are calling on the Scottish Government, and on everyone with a role in children’s lives, to take this oath and be part of the action needed to ensure that no child is left waiting on their rights.
🌟 Become a Health Rights Defender
Change happens when people come together.
We are inviting everyone across Scotland to take part:
- Children and young people
- Families and carers
- Professionals
- MSPs and decision-makers
- Local authorities and NHS staff
By taking the Health Rights Defender’s Oath, you are making a clear promise:
To listen.
To stand up.
To act.
To help ensure that every child’s right to health is respected, protected, and fulfilled.
