Wands at the ready! This October, children and young people from across Scotland were invited to step into the wizarding world for a truly magical SMS:HUB as we welcomed back our special friends from Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. For one enchanting hour, our young witches, wizards and magical […]
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Home Is Where Healing Happens: Why Hospital at Home Supports Children’s Healthcare Rights
A report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland highlights the growing impact of Scotland’s Hospital at Home programme, revealing that 340 babies and children received care through neonatal and paediatric Hospital at Home services between November 2025 and April 2026. Instead of spending days or weeks in hospital, many children were able to receive treatment, monitoring and […]
Health Rights Cannot Depend on a Postcode: Why the Latest RCPCH Findings Matter
On 23 September 2026, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) published new Scotland-focused findings from its State of Child Health 2026 report. The findings paint a concerning picture of children’s health across Scotland, highlighting persistent and widening inequalities linked to poverty and deprivation. Children living in Scotland’s poorest communities continue to experience […]
Building a Health Rights Aware Future: Children’s Health Rights Training with the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow
Every child and young person has the right to be heard, respected and involved in decisions about their healthcare. Yet through our On My Way report and the voices of our Health Rights Defenders, we know that children and young people do not always experience healthcare in a way that fully respects their rights. That […]
My Chicken, Much Like Health, Can Be Scary: What Children Told Us About Healthcare
What does healthcare feel like through the eyes of a child? At Children’s Health Scotland, we know that children and young people are experts in their own lives. Yet too often, conversations about healthcare happen around them rather than with them. That’s why we were delighted to bring children, young people, parents, carers and professionals […]
Not Just Friends. Not Just Volunteers. Health Rights Defenders.
“Before I joined Health Rights Defenders, I didn’t know other young people felt the same way I did about hospitals, appointments and having a health condition. Now I know I’m not alone, and together we’re helping other children understand their rights too.” — Health Rights Defender. For children and young people living with health conditions, […]
A Place to Belong: Creating Happiness Through Self-Management Skills
Happiness doesn’t always come from the biggest moments. It comes from the moments that matter. Sometimes it’s finding the confidence to join a conversation. Sometimes it’s meeting someone who understands what living with a health condition is like. Sometimes it’s discovering a new strength, trying something you never thought you could do, or simply having […]
More Than 1,100 Voices. One National Conversation. Scotland Has Spoken. Are We Ready to Listen?
What does it really mean for children and young people to experience their health rights in Scotland today? Over the past year, Children’s Health Scotland has been listening. Through our My Health, My Rights Survey, more than 1,100 voices have come together to create one of the most significant conversations about children’s health rights in […]
“Listen to Us”: Health Rights Defenders Partner with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland to Rethink Education
At Children’s Health Scotland, we are incredibly proud to celebrate the voices, creativity, and courage of our Health Rights Defenders who contributed to the powerful Storylines project led by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland.
Dear First Minister: Will you listen?
Sometimes the most powerful advocacy doesn’t come from reports, policy papers or presentations. It comes from children taking time to sit down, think carefully, and write from the heart.
