We are excited to be starting a powerful new piece of work with our Health Rights Defenders, thanks to funding from Awards For All from the National Lottery Community Fund. Over the coming weeks, our Health Rights Defenders will be working with Media Education and Children’s Health Scotland to create a piece of media that […]
Children
SMS HUB: Cracking the Case at Mrs Peacock’s Mansion
Our latest SMS HUB session took a mysterious turn as young people joined us online to step inside Mrs Peacock’s mansion for an evening of clues, characters, and clever thinking. The session, “Mrs Peacock’s Feathers”, brought a classic Cluedo style mystery to life, giving young people the chance to work together, ask questions, and solve […]
Referrals Now Open: SMS Programmes Autumn & Winter 2026
We’re pleased to open referrals for our upcoming Self Management Skills (SMS) Programmes, taking place both in person this autumn and online over the winter. Our SMS Programmes support children and young people living with health conditions to build confidence, develop self management skills and connect with others who understand their experiences. We welcome self‑referrals […]
“Sometimes You Have to Be a Little Brave”: Volunteering, Voice and Seeing Ourselves on Stage
Elodie is ten. She’s thoughtful, creative, and clear about one thing: children deserve to be listened to when it comes to their health. She also knows how often decisions are made around children rather than with them, which is why she’s a Health Rights Defender. As a Health Rights Defender, Elodie gives her time, ideas and creativity to help adults understand what it’s really like to […]
A Prescription for Change: Putting Children’s Health at the Heart of Scotland’s Decisions
As Scotland approaches the 2026 Holyrood elections, there is an urgent need to refocus our national priorities. Children’s Health Scotland stands firmly alongside the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Scotland in calling for a bold and sustained commitment to improving child health. As Michelle Wilson, Head of Children’s Services at Children’s Health […]
All Hands on Deck! Pirate Adventure Delivers Powerful Boost to Kinship Families’ Health and Wellbeing
Families from across Scotland set sail on a day of laughter, movement and connection as Children’s Health Scotland launched its first Bear’s Big Adventure Day of 2026 — a swashbuckling pirate takeover at M&D’s Scotland’s Theme Park. Disguised as a day of pure fun, Bear‑ied Treasure delivered something far more powerful: inclusive, child‑led health‑related play […]
The end of the two‑child limit: A Gamechanger for Families, Health and Fairness
The abolition of the two‑child limit is a historic and long‑overdue moment for children and families across the UK. As the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has highlighted, ending the two‑child limit on child benefit payment is a “gamechanger for millions of children”, bringing to an end one of the most harmful and punitive policies […]
HEALTH RIGHTS POWER PACK | AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE ON CHILDREN’S RIGHTS | OUR NATIONAL HEALTH RIGHTS SURVEY
In 2026, Children’s Health Scotland is marking 50 years of children’s health rights — and we want to hear from the people who know best what it’s really like to grow up with a health condition and/or disability today: children, young people, and the educators who support them. That’s why we’re inviting schools across Scotland […]
MY HEALTH, MY RIGHTS: A NATIONAL SURVEY FOR SCOTLAND’S CHILDREN
For fifty years, Children’s Health Scotland has been listening to what matters most to children and young people about their health and their rights. Through five decades of stories, surveys, programmes, hospital visits, school sessions, and lived experience, one message has never changed: Children and young people know what they need — and their voices […]
SMS: Growing our Confidence Together
Our Self-Management Skills (SMS) programmes help children feel more comfortable together while beginning to explore Self-Management Skills. During our programme this week it has been wonderful to see confidence starting to grow as the children and young people settle into the group.
