Rebecca Spillane

A beautiful day to be in @orkneycouncil.bsky.social supporting them to progress their work on children's rights!

I've had a fantastic morning with @eastayrshire.bsky.social today as they gathered their #UNCRC champions together to continue to develop their approach to children's rights across the authority #ChildrensRights

Sir Geoff Palmer, Scotland's first black professor, dies aged 85 Sir Geoff moved to the UK from Jamaica as a teenager and became known as both an academic and a human rights advocate.

A chat with Geoff was always inspiring & thought provoking. May he rest in peace.

BBC News - 'Intellectual giant' Sir Geoff Palmer dies aged 85
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Graphic that says "1 in 5 children are living in poverty" - with the 1 and 5 numbers emphasised in large, bold, red text

New figures reveal 240,000 children in Scotland are living in poverty; a staggering and heartbreaking 1 in 5.

We acknowledge this is a welcome drop from 23% to 22%, but for what is a Scottish Government priority, more - much more - is needed! #HousingEmergency

🔗 shelterscotland.org/1in5-Poverty

Cuts to disability benefits would undermine government plans to tackle child poverty, warns charity Reported cuts to disability payments risk undermining wider government efforts to reduce child poverty, new analysis by Child Poverty Action Group shows.

Reported cuts to disability support risk undermining wider government efforts to reduce child poverty:

- 870,000 children live in families receiving PIP
- 290,000 of these children are already in poverty

More here: cpag.org.uk/news/cuts-di...

Aberlour | Child Poverty and the Public Debt Crisis: A National Conference Aberlour is co-hosting a national conference with the University of Glasgow's Centre for Public Policy, focusing on tackling child poverty through public debt reform this Debt Awareness Week.

📣Child Poverty & the Public Debt Crisis: A National Conference
📅 Mon 17 March, UofG

Keynotes: @sa4dunfermline.bsky.social, @moragtreanor.bsky.social, @cypcs.bsky.social, @sallyannkelly1.bsky.social🧵

Register for our conference with @aberlourcharity.bsky.social!

www.aberlour.org.uk/about-us/pol...

Babies are born communicating - we just don't always listen. A brilliant start to the @starcatchersuk.bsky.social Voice of the Baby event in Stirling to this morning! #UNCRC #BabyVoice

In Their Own Words: Children's Experiences in Temporary Accommodation YouTube video by ShelterScotland

Temporary accommodation isn’t a home.

When one child's sister is forced into an electricity cupboard, another is terrified of violence, and a third suffers damp conditions, it’s clear: 10,360 kids in Scotland deserve better.

We owe them our fight. #HousingEmergency www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhlh...

A hugely important report on children's right to education has been published by @auditscotland.bsky.social focused on the need for a fundamental review of additional support for learning in Scotland.
#Article29 #UNCRC
audit.scot/news/fundame...

Statement: Commissioner responds to Audit Scotland report on additional support for learning Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, warns that too many children are being failed by an education system that does not uphold their rights. Responding to Audit Scotland’...

Children tell us they don't get the support they need to learn. Too many are failed by a system that doesn't deliver their rights. @auditscotland.bsky.social report reveals scale of unmet need is unknown. The Scottish Government must commit to full-scale education reform.

Response: bit.ly/4kbbRbX

The Glasgow school teaching pupils to 'dream in Ukrainian' Children displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine are learning in their native language.

Beautiful.

#Ukraine❤️
#NewScots

📢Keynote speaker announcement📢
@cypcs.bsky.social Nicola Killean will deliver a keynote speech at our #DebtAwarenessWeek conference in partnership with @uofgpolicy.bsky.social. Places are very limited. Register today: aberlour.org.uk/about-us/pol...

Deaf pupil wins legal fight for sign language interpreter in class Niamdh Braid sued Fife Council to get a sign language interpreter to help with her learning.

BBC News - Deaf pupil wins legal fight for BSL interpreter
www.bbc.com/news/article...

At least 40 children reportedly killed in three days across Sudan

“Sadly, it is rare that more than a few short days go past without new reports of children being killed and injured.” -
UNICEF Sudan's Annmarie Swai.

The rights of children in Sudan must be respected and protected. The violence must end NOW.

Statement: unicef.link/40FQxCm

An update on AI at JRF Reflections on JRF’s AI for public good programme - what we've learnt so far, and what's next for this topic.

In 2023, @yasminibison.bsky.social launched our 'AI for public good' work

Unlike our other policy programmes, we were positioned as an explorer, posing thought-provoking questions and gathering audiences to generate new ideas in response

🔎 Read our reflections:
jrf.org.uk/ai-for-publi... 1/2

Thanks for sharing this! I really like the reflection on how using a sociotechnical lens to understand the changing dynamics of poverty will be increasingly important

Imagination meets tender moments Welcoming reknowned Early Years consultant and author Dan Wuori to Scotland on his spring tour or the UK.

📣Imagination meets tender moments

Anam alba & @suzannezeedyk.bsky.social delighted to co-host a day with @danwuori.bsky.social in North Lan on the 1 March

As trust, language & body awareness develop, babies have lots of stories to share with us

Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/imaginatio...

The homes that children deserve: Housing policy to support families | IPPR Children need a firm foundation on which to build their lives, namely a secure and warm home which meets their needs and those of their family. But it must

🏘️ | NEW REPORT: A combination of welfare reforms, rising numbers of children in the private rented sector and a lack of investment in building social housing has led, and will continue to lead, to increasing child poverty, unless the government acts.

www.ippr.org/articles/hom...

88% of low-income households who receive disability benefits were going without the essentials in the 6 months to Oct 📢

59% had to take out a loan to cover the cost of essentials. 53% were in arrears.

Our COL tracker: www.jrf.org.uk/cost-of-livi...

Anushka Asthana on @itvpeston.bsky.social

ICYMI!

The first legal case under the UNCRC Act has been decided!

The High Court in Edinburgh ruled that the Lord Advocate’s power to prosecute children falls within the scope of the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024

Read our article here: www.togetherscotland.org.uk/news-and-eve...

Understanding Children's Human Rights A Guide for the Public Sector in Scotland

Stuck at home because of the storm? Why not learn more about children's rights and their legal protection in Scotland by visiting our web resource with a wide range of resources available to support you! #UNCRC #ChildrensRights #Scotland
storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8cf8...

The Children & Young People's Commissioner Scotland official account is now on Bluesky. Please give it a follow! @cypcs.bsky.social

Children’s Rights Conversations: Homelessness in Scotland Following up on our previous Children’s Rights Conversation webinars, the Improvement Service is pleased to host an event focused on Children’s Rights and Homelessness.

Being homeless has a significant impact on children's lives. Join us for our next Children's Rights Conversation where we will focus on #ChildrensRights and #Homelessness in Scotland. Speakers include Mhairi Snowden, Shelter and Cyrenians. To register for your free place visit ow.ly/24S250UIlSH

Great to hear these young people talk about their rights and which ones surprised them #UNCRC

As part of our Aberdeen Gender Inequality & Poverty Project, our Training Lead was at Grampian Women's Aid today exploring the impact of DA on women's financial independence.

We want to thank the session's participants for their contributions and Grampian Women's Aid for facilitating the space💫

Chart showing economic activity status among working-age parents, by year: UK

Since the mid-2000s the employment rate of single mothers has risen from 52 to 66% & the fraction of mothers living with a partner who are doing paid work has risen from 69 to 77%
This increase in parental employment has changed the labour market profile of parents in poverty https://buff.ly/4iZATds

A new fantastic role at the Scottish Human Rights Commission for a UNCRC Legal and Policy Co-Ordinator is open until the 20th of January! Find out more here! #UNCRC #JobOpportunity
www.scottishhumanrights.com/about/opport...

We are thrilled Elisa Morgera, #UN Special Rapporteur on #ClimateChange & #HumanRights will deliver the @uon-hrlc.bsky.social annual lecture on 30/01 (17:30 BST).Her talk on #intersectionality & the #humanrights implications of #climatechange will be a must for colleagues working on these issues.

Our first #UNCRC webinar of 2025 will focus on Transitions for Disabled Children and Young People with NHS Education for Scotland. To find out more and register to attend visit forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

Careers Do you want to help build a more equitable and just future, free from poverty? Join us and use your skills to make a real difference.

New year new job? Why not apply for one of our roles 🔽

- Principal Policy Adviser (Macroeconomic and Fiscal)
- Senior Policy Adviser (Work)
- Senior Policy Adviser (Housing)
- Senior Policy Adviser (NI office)
- Senior Analyst (NI office)

Apply here: jrf.org.uk/careers.