Human rights of children in Scotland: report - child friendly version

6. What will the new law do for children in Scotland?

The UNCRC Act gives children new protections in the law in Scotland. This new law says that the Scottish Government and public authorities must listen to children and protect their rights when making decisions.

The UNCRC Act also says that the Scottish Government should use a Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment – a tool that helps us think carefully about children’s rights - when making new laws or certain important decisions that might affect children.

Children can already go directly to public authorities if they are worried about their rights. The new law says that children can now also ask the Scottish courts to help them with these issues too.