A new Forces Children Scotland blog, highlights concerns that children labelled as ‘vulnerable’ are too often excluded from decisions about their own lives and calls on practitioners to balance protection with genuine participation.  

The blog, written by Together’s Director Juliet Harris, highlights that children who most need their voices heard are often the least likely to be asked for their views. She reflects on findings from the State of Children’s Rights Report 2026, which shows how children across Scotland, including those from Armed Forces families, are influencing decisions about services, community spaces, and support systems when adults create safe and meaningful opportunities for participation. 
 

Harris stresses that vulnerability should never be used, intentionally or not, as a reason to limit a child’s agency. Instead, she says practitioners must hold two truths at once: some children need protection, and those same children still have insights, preferences, and experiences that should shape the decisions affecting them. Meaningful participation, she points out, strengthens rights, improves services, and ensures children are treated as active agents rather than passive recipients of care.  

Read the full joint blog ‘Vulnerability should not eclipse agency’