The National Children’s
Charter for School Age
Childcare in Scotland
The Project
In November and December 2022, A Place in Childhood (APiC) and Scottish Government visited five schools and one young carers group in Dingwall, Conon Bridge, Dundee, Alloa, Mid Yell, and Aberdeen. The goal was to co-create local children’s charters for school age childcare in each area. We picked these places to represent the different types of areas and experiences across Scotland – from big cities to remote rural communities. In total, 125 children between the ages of 4 and 12 took part, from a range of family backgrounds.
Approach
The next step was to go from a local charter for each place, to a National Charter to guide school age childcare across all of Scotland. To do this, APiC invited a team of four or five
representatives from each of the six groups to a National Children’s Charter Workshop in January 2023. In the workshop everyone discussed and improved a draft National Charter that drew together everything that was the same in their local charters. They added more thoughts and ideas, to make it even better and able to meet the needs of all children across the country. They also thought about guiding principles for
childcare.
Outcome
The Charter will be used to guide future decision-making on the Scottish Government’s new system of School Age Childcare, currently in development.
Further reading about Our Projects
Teenagers call for joined-up action on Anti-Social Behaviour in their Communities
by Anna Gaffney | June 7, 2023 | Research | 0 Comments
Today we publish a new research report on Teenagers and Public Space. This lays our teenager’s views on how to tackle anti-social behaviour from their perspective, and improve places so that they meet the needs of young people.
Exploring Urban Design with Young People Through Cities: Skylines. Part 2: What Makes a 20-Minute Neighbourhood?
by Anna Gaffney | February 17, 2023 | Climate and environment, Urban planning | 0 Comments
In December 2022, we worked with Sustrans Scotland and the Edinburgh & Lothians Developing Young Workforce team to deliver a session on urban design at Tynecastle High School. This second blog in a two part series explores outputs from the session where we used the game Cities: Skylines.
Exploring Urban Design with Young People Through Cities: Skylines. Part 1: Why and How
by Anna Gaffney | February 10, 2023 | Climate and environment, Urban planning | 0 Comments
In December 2022, we worked with Sustrans Scotland and the Edinburgh & Lothians Developing Young Workforce team to deliver a session on urban design at Tynecastle High School. This first blog in a two part series explores how and why we used the game Cities: Skylines.
We’re Supporting the CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S MANIFESTO: Will you?
by Anna Gaffney | November 1, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
Today we launch The Children and Young People’s Manifesto Scotland with our Young Consultants from #ScotYouthandCOVID3. Will you help them get the word out and involve as many children and young people across the country as possible?
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: Learning from Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers and Refugees
by Jenny Wood | July 1, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Project updates, Research | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, we detail the experiences and needs of young people who are refugees or asylum seekers and have been separated from their families. We also note what they need to be incorporated into the Children and Young People’s Manifesto for Rights in Recovery.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: A Fair and Motivating School System, Part 4
by Jenny Wood | May 31, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Project updates, Research | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, the third in a 4 part series, our Young Consultants outline how they feel extra-curricular opportunities and transitions between schools and into employment should change in Scotland’s education system.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: A Fair and Motivating School System, Part 3
by Jenny Wood | May 30, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Project updates, Research | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, the third in a 4 part series, our Young Consultants outline how they feel assessments should change in Scotland’s secondary education.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: A Fair and Motivating School System, Part 2
by Jenny Wood | May 30, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Project updates, Research | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, the second in a 4 part series, our Young Consultants outline how they feel the curriculum and delivery of learning should change in Scotland’s secondary education.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: A Fair and Motivating School System, Part 1
by Jenny Wood | May 26, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Project updates, Research | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, the first in a 4 part series, our Young Consultants outline the principles they think are central to a fair and motivating Scottish education system.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People. Young Carers Part 2
by Jenny Wood | May 23, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Research | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, the second of two, we detail the experiences and needs of Young Carers. This blog focuses on the experiences of young carers living across Highland, and what both they and young carers from Edinburgh need us to incorporate into our Manifesto for Children and Young People’s Rights in Recovery.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People Young Carers, Part 1
by Jenny Wood | May 19, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Research | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, the first of two, we detail the experiences and needs of Young Carers. This blog focuses on the experiences of Edinburgh’s Young Carers to incorporate into our Manifesto for Children and Young People’s Rights in Recovery.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: Learning from Primary School Children
by Jenny Wood | May 5, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, we detail the needs to incorporate into our Manifesto for Children and Young People’s Rights in Recovery for children in primary school.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: Learning from Families Outside
by Jenny Wood | April 28, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, we detail the Asks to add to our Manifesto for Children and Young People’s Rights in Recovery for children and young people who have family members in prison.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: Long Covid Kids Manifesto Asks
by Jenny Wood | April 20, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, we detail the needs to incorporate into our Manifesto for Children and Young People’s Rights in Recovery, for children and young living with Long Covid.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: What it’s like to live with Long Covid
by Jenny Wood | April 13, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, we detail the experiences of children and young people living with Long Covid.
Our Vision for an Inclusive and Effective National Planning Framework 4
by Jenny Wood | April 12, 2022 | Climate and environment, Urban planning | 0 Comments
We recently submitted a response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on their draft National Planning Framework 4. Read a summary here of how we think it could become more child-friendly.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: Learning during Crisis
by Jenny Wood | January 21, 2022 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Research | 0 Comments
In January 2022 we embarked on phase 3 of our #ScotYouthandCOVID project. In this blog, we detail the experiences of children and young people during the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what it’s been like to learn during this disruption.
Event: Children, Young People, and The National Planning Framework 4
by Jenny Wood | January 12, 2022 | Climate and environment, Events, Urban planning | 0 Comments
Play Scotland and A Place in Childhood are inviting representatives of organisations that work with children and young people to a discussion on planning, to help inform responses from the sector to the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) draft, released by Scottish Government in November 2021. We are holding three events 19th, 21st and 22nd February
Minecraft – a creative sandbox for engaging children and young people in urban design
by Anna Gaffney | November 15, 2021 | Climate and environment, Urban planning | 0 Comments
In June 2021, we had the absolute pleasure of working with Sustrans Scotland, St Paul’s Youth Forum, and St Philomena’s Primary School (in north-east Glasgow), on a pilot placemaking project to engage local children using game Minecraft. Working with a team of 10 budding young designers, we alternated between site visits, group discussions, and using Minecraft to explore designs for a new public square in neighbouring Langdale Street. The Minecraft world included a faithful rendering of the local area, with local landmarks and many of the children’s homes.
We’re looking for a Treasurer
by Anna Gaffney | September 28, 2021 | People | 0 Comments
Launching our COVID-19 research report with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland
by Sean Peacock | July 28, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
Today we launch our #ScotYouthandCOVID2 report with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. The repot tells the story of our Virtual Participatory Action research project on children and young people’s experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic so far. Read all about it here!
Hearing Children’s Voices in Policymaking: Lessons for the new Scottish Government policy roundtable
by Anna Gaffney | July 13, 2021 | Events, Policy and legislation, Research | 0 Comments
In this blog, Dr Jenny Wood and Dr Maureen McBride reflect on a policy roundtable on hearing children’s voices in policymaking.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: A Strategy to turn our Asks into a Scotland-wide Manifesto
by Anna Gaffney | June 3, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
This blog presents the strategy, constructed with our Young Consultants on the #ScotYouthandCOVID2 project, to turn their Asks to the Scottish Government into a manifesto for as many children and young people as possible. Key themes include representation, communication, cooperation & collaboration, being heard, and considering timelines.
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: Our Asks to the Scottish Government
by Anna Gaffney | May 28, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
COVID-19: In Conversation with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland
by Sean Peacock | May 21, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: Our Post-Pandemic Vision
by Sean Peacock | April 30, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
COVID-19 for Children and Young People: New Experiences and Best Practice
by Anna Gaffney | April 23, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
In workshop 4 of #ScotYouthandCOVID2 we reflected together with our Young Consultants on how the project had gone so far, anything new that had emerged over the Easter Holidays, and within each taskforce group looked at how we might learn from best practice for developing recommendations to the new Scottish Government administration. The findings relate to wellbeing, remote schooling and the return to school buildings.
COVID-19: Communication and Relationships Matter for Children and Young People
by Sean Peacock | April 2, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
COVID-19: growing challenges for youth one year into the pandemic
by Sean Peacock | March 26, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
COVID-19 and the big changes for children and young people since June 2020
by Jenny Wood | March 19, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People | 0 Comments
A Place in Childhood has a new chair and trustees!
by Sean Peacock | March 11, 2021 | People | 0 Comments
Announcing STAGE 2 of Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People!
by Jamie McKenzie Hamilton | February 26, 2021 | Covid-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People, Project updates | 0 Comments
Child-friendly planning: RTPI Scotland webinar
by Anna Gaffney | January 13, 2021 | Events, Policy and legislation, Uncategorized, Urban planning | 0 Comments
In November 2020, our Dr Jenny Wood spoke at RTPI South East Scotland Chapter event on child-friendly planning. You can watch the event again here.
Celebrating a new book by APiC’s co-founders on Place, Pedagogy and Play
by Sean Peacock | November 10, 2020 | Outdoor learning | 0 Comments
APiC co-founder Jenny Wood on why we should listen to children when designing urban space
by Sean Peacock | November 6, 2020 | Urban planning | 0 Comments