Date: 26th July 2016
Category: Disabled children

The Keep Safe initiative has now been launched in both Dundee and Edinburgh. The aim of the Keep Safe initiative is to ensure that disabled people - including children and young people - can enjoy ordinary day to day life and activities free from the fear of abuse or intimidation.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category: Child poverty

Together has welcomed Nicola Sturgeon's announcement that Scottish Government are bringing forward the new Child Poverty Bill which aims to set out a new approach to tackling deep-rooted causes of poverty and inequality.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category: Child justice system

Proposed new powers to stop & search children for alcohol could 'have long-term negative effects', the Law Society for Scotland has warned.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category:

The Scottish Government has published its Education Delivery Plan which sets out requirements to close the attainment gaps over the next five years.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category: Armed conflict

In May, Child Soldiers International sent an open joint letter - supported by Together - to the Ministry of Defence, calling for the armed forces to stop recruiting children under the age of 18. The MoD have recently responded.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category: Right to life, survival and development

New research from Girlguiding UK shows that girls become less confident as they grow older and become more aware of the barriers they could face at work. The research is based on a UK - including Scotland - survey poll of girls and young women.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category:

'SRE: Shh... No Talking' highlights that sex and relationships education (SRE) is inadequate or absent in many schools across the UK (including Scotland). The report was published following a survey of over 900 young people aged 16-24.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category: Civil Rights and Freedoms

The Joint Committee on Human Rights has published a report that urges the UK Government to reconsider its counter extremism strategy. Echoing recent recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the JCHR calls for rigorous and transparent reporting about the operation of the Prevent Duty in schools.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category: Right to life, survival and development, Civil Rights and Freedoms

The Child Rights International Network - a global research, policy and advocacy organisation - have suggested that young people in the UK might benefit from advice and support when it comes to making sense of a post-referendum Britain.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category: General principles, Incorporation

The Joint Committee on Human Rights is considering the progress made by the Government in implementing the United Nations Guiding Principles on business and human rights, by means of the National Action Plan published in 2013 and revised in May 2016.

Date: 26th July 2016
Category: Refugee , migrant and asylum-seeking children

Unaccompanied migrant children are being systematically let down, says the EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee in a new report. In 2015, 88,245 unaccompanied children applied for asylum in the EU and at least 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children are estimated to be missing.

Date: 13th July 2016
Category: Disability, Basic Health and Welfare

This report, 'Living at the Sharp End: CAB clients in crisis', looks in detail at the causes of gaps in income, particularly with regards to the benefits system; the impact of gaps in income on CAB clients; and the adequacy of existing crisis assistance provided by statutory agencies.

Date: 13th July 2016
Category: Care Experienced children

This publication links school and social work data to present information on the attainment, post-school destinations of looked after young people who leave school, and the school attendance and exclusion rates of all looked after children.

Date: 12th July 2016
Category: Mental health

This report presents research carried out by Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) in early 2016. The aim of the research was to better understand young people's experience and awareness of mental health services and information.

Date: 12th July 2016
Category: Best interests of the child

Newly published vision and values have been adopted by the Children's Hearings Improvement Partnership (CHIP).

Date: 12th July 2016
Category: Inclusive education

The most recent figures on attainment and leaver destinations indicate that school leavers with Additional Support Needs (ASN) are more than twice as likely to be unemployed (15.1%) than those with no ASN (6.3%) nine months after leaving school.

Date: 12th July 2016
Category: Mental health

New figures have been published indicating that 6 out of the 14 Health Boards are failing to meet their targets (max 18 week wait) for access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Date: 12th July 2016
Category: Disabled children

The government has now scrapped the rules that previously stopped payment of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) when a child (under 18) was in hospital.

Date: 12th July 2016
Category: Civil Rights and Freedoms

Under-18s in the UK have protested against not being able to vote in the recent referendum on EU membership. The older demographic came out ahead of young voters who were overwhelmingly in favour of remaining part of the EU.

Date: 12th July 2016
Category: Respect for the views of the child, Best interests of the child

From July 5-7th 2016, the children's rights community in Europe gathered in Brussels to answer the question "Why Europe needs to invest in children". From this conference, children and young people have published a declaration entitled "Doers should start speaking, speakers should start doing".