The Golden Rulesfor Participation a

re a

set of principles designed to help

anyone working with, and for, childr

en

and young people. Their purpose is

to

remind adults of what participation m

eans

from the point of view of children and you

ng

people, and to encourage children a

nd young

people to think about what they need

from adults to support

them to participate.

They have been developed by Scotlan

d’s Commissionerfor

Children andYoung People through c

onsultation with children

and young peoplefrom across Scotlan

d.They are also informed

by research, reflecting the knowledge

and experience ofthose

working to promote participation.

There are two cards for each Golden

Rule. Every Golden Rule

has a list of key things to consider abo

ut children and young

people’s participation. Each Golden R

ule also prompts,‘Things

to think about’ for children and young

people, and adults, to

encourage discussion and reflection.

The cards have been developed to s

upport children and

young people’s participation individ

ually or in groups.They

can be used as prompts for discussio

n, decision makingor as

part of a wider children’s rights prog

ramme of work. They can

also be used withadults for training

and professional

development purposes.

For more information about the Golden

Rules, and further ideas on

how to use the cards,please go to www

.sccyp.org.uk/resources

Understand my right

s

A chance to be involv

ed

Remember – it’s my c

hoice

Value me

Support me

Work together

Keep in touch

I should begiven

information about my

rights.

I need to understand

why it is important tha

t I am

listened to, and have

my views

taken seriously.

Rememberthat I have

a right to

have a voice today, no

t just in thefuture.

Adults working with m

e should

also learnabout child

ren’s rights, and

why it is important to

truly listento me

when making decisio

ns that affect me.

It should be made cle

ar to adults

working with me that

my participation

in all decisions that a

ffect me ismy

right. Thisis their res

ponsibility.

Understan

dmyrights

Children andYoung People:Things to Think About

What right do you haveunder Article 12 of theUnited NationsConvention on the Rightsof the Child (UNCRC)?

Adults:ThingstoThinkAbout

HowmuchdoyouknowabouttheUnitedNationsConventionontheRightsoftheChild(UNCRC)?

I may needextra help,

and I

should begiven this.

Use activities that are

fun and creative and s

uit my

abilities and interests

.

Always treat me fairl

y and don’t

judge me.

Make me welcome, w

hile also

thinking about my ag

e, ethnicity,

ability, language, cul

ture, religion,

where I live, and any

thing elsethat is

important.

I am different, we are all di

fferent.

Recogniseand celebr

ate this.

Achanceto

beinvolved

Children andYoung People:Things to Think About

We are all different.How would you makesure that everyonecan take part?

Adults:ThingstoThinkAbout

Whatwillyoudotomeettheindividualneedsofchildrenandyoungpeopleyouworkwith?

Give me the chance to

take part in a way tha

t is right

for me, notyou.

Remember that it is m

y choice to

participate.

I may choose not to ta

ke part,

make surethat it is ok

ay for me to do

this at anypoint that I

want or need to.

Rem

ember–

it’smychoice

Children andYoung People:Things to Think About

Why do you think somechildren and youngpeople might choosenot to take part?

Adults:ThingstoThinkAbout

Howcanyoumakesureyouhavegivenchildrenandyoungpeopleyouworkwithrealchoices?

Involvemeright from

the start.

Remember that I sho

uld be able

to say what I think ab

out thingsin

my day to day life, as w

ell as bigger

things in my school, c

ommunity

and country.

Showme that you are

listening to

me, and are taking m

e seriously.

If I take part, please u

se what I tell you to

help you make decisi

ons.

Make surethat you us

e the things I have

said to make my life

better andchange the

things

that need to be chang

ed.

If you do not use the t

hings thatI have said

to

make changes, please

explain tome why no

t.

Tell me how importa

nt my voice is.

Don’t ignore me beca

use it is toohard for yo

u to

hear whatI have to sa

y.

Valueme

Children andYoung People:Things to Think About

How do you makedecisions togetherwhen different peoplethink different things?

Adults:ThingstoThinkAbout

Howcanyoumakesurechildrenandyoungpeopleknowtheirviewshavebeentakenseriously?

Think carefully about

how

to communicate with

me in a

way that Iwill under

stand,

and don’t give up unti

l I do.

Check withme that I

understand, and don’t

assume that I do.

Remember that I mig

ht need

somebodyto speak w

ith me, orfor me,

at times.

Giveme achance to a

sk questions.

Answer mehonestly.

Support me to say wh

at I think in

ways that suit me bes

t.

Supportm

e

Children andYoung People:Things to Think About

Sometimes it is hard tosay what you want to say.What kind of help canother people give you?

Adults:ThingstoThinkAbout

Howdoyouchangethewayyoucommunicatetosuitthedifferentneedsofchildrenandyoungpeople?

I can learnfrom you, you

can learn fromme, we can

learn

from each other.

It is important that w

e

respect each other.

Check thatwhat you th

ink I said

is what I actually said

.

Respect that we will s

ometimes

disagree, and make ti

me whereit is

okay to talk about thi

s.

Be honestwith me ab

out what

differencemy voice w

ill make, and be

clear about what is po

ssible.

Work

together

Children andYoung People:Things to Think About

How do adults showrespect to you? Howdo you show respectto adults?

Adults:ThingstoThinkAbout

Whatdoyouthinksharedrespectbetweenchildrenandadultslookslike?

Explain tome what

decisions or changes h

ave

beenmade, or not ma

de, and why.

Give me achance to a

sk you

questionsabout this.

Agree withme how we

will keep

in touch about what is

happening.

Tell me how to contac

t you if I

want or need to.

Tell me what you will

do next.

Keep

intou

ch

Children andYoung People:Things to Think About

How would you likeadults to let you knowwhat is happeningand why?

Adults:ThingstoThinkAbout

Whatarethethingsyoucandotomakesurethatchildrenandyoungpeopleunderstandwhysomethingshappen,andsomethingsdon’t?

Scotland’s Commissioner for

Children andYoungPeople is a

person.His name isTamBaillie.

Hepromotes and safeguards

children’s and youngpeople’s rights.

He works to makea difference in

children’s and young people’s lives by

:

• Speaking out if children and young

people are not getting a fair deal

• Asking people in power, like those in

council, government and parliament

to consider how new laws and rules

affect children andyoung people

• Helping children and young people

learn about their rights

He works for everyone under 18, or up

to

21 if they have ever been ‘looked afte

r’ or

in care.

What are children’s rights?

Children’s human rights are protected

by

an international lawcalled the United

Nations Convention on the Rights of t

he

Child (often calledthe UNCRC for sho

rt).

There are 54 articles - or rights - in the

UNCRC.

The UK and therefore Scotland, like m

ost

of the countries inthe world, has sign

ed

up to this law.

This means that theScottish

government has agreed to do all it can

to

make sure childrenand young people

have all their rights,which include:

• The right to have asay in the

decisions that affect them

• The right to live ina safe home and

have enough foodto eat

• The right to not bediscriminated

against because ofgender, sexuality,

religion or race

• The right not to beabused, and that

includes bullying

How to contact the

Commissioner

You can get in touch with Tam and his

team by:

Phone: 0131 558 3733

Young People’s

Freephone: 0800 019 1179

Email: inbox@sccyp.org.uk

Tweet:@RightsSCCYP

Post:Tam Baillie, 85Holyrood Road,

Edinburgh, EH8 8AU.

If you are a child oryoung person,

anything you tell Tam and his team is k

ept

private, unless we think you are in dan

ger.

What is Scotland’sCommissioner for

Children andYoung People?

This document

has been given the

stamp of approvalto

confirm that it is short

and easy to understand.

K.I.S.S.stands for‘Keep It Short and S

imple’. Young people from

Rowallan House inSouth Lanarkshire

were asked to helpusmake sure

that ourGolden Ruleswerewritten in

away that we can all understand

– plain English. Rowallan House is a c

are home offeringa service to

young peoplewithvarying needs.

Once theGolden Ruleswere read by t

he young people, theywere

‘K.I.S.S.’stamped to say that they are

easy to understandwith no big

words or long sentences. This is in line

with theNational Plain English

campaign, but a bitmore fun!