Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, outlines her plans to support the recent progress on children’s rights, and why she’s feeling positive.
While issues such as poverty, education and mental health are as significant as ever to Scotland’s young people, there is an unmistakably upbeat tone about the country’s new Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Nicola Killean. And a key part of that positivity stems from the fact that Nicola simply loves working with children and young people.
‘INCORPORATION OF THE
UN CONVENTION ON
THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
WILL GIVE CHILDREN AND
YOUNG PEOPLE MORE
POWER TO CHALLENGE
THINGS WHEN THEIR RIGHTS
HAVE NOT BEEN REALISED’
‘I have been very lucky that I have spent almost all my career working with children and families within communities. I trained as a teacher and I worked in a nursery as my first job,’ says Nicola, who took up her post as Children and Young People’s Commissioner in August 2023.
‘I think one of the most pivotal early roles that I held – and I always go back to this when I think about where I am now – is that, for my second job I went to work with a children’s integrated services team. That was a multidisciplinary team of professionals based in a school, but we were responsible for working with children and young people and families across the area.
‘It was a really important role for me because it was about enhancing and extending opportunities for children and young people generally,’ Nicola continues. ‘But the second part of the role was specifically to work alongside social workers and family support workers and community practitioners to develop ways to support children and families. I suddenly became connected to young people who were having really difficult lives, and, for me, it was my moment of absolutely understanding the purpose of the type of work that I wanted to do.’
CONSULTING THE YOUNG
With a background and keen interest in music, in 2007 Nicola became director and chief executive of Sistema Scotland. The charity uses music to support and nurture relationships among children and young people in Scottish communities.
‘At Sistema Scotland, I witnessed at a community level the hugely negative impact of poverty and inequality, but also the protective and nurturing and sometimes transformational impact that could be had by professionals who built really quality relational practice alongside those children,’ says Nicola.
‘I think all of that has led me to where I am now. My hope as commissioner is to see what is possible when professionals come together with families to really build on their strengths, and also when they identify what is preventing children and young people from enjoying all of their rights.’
To guide Nicola and her office on this journey, they launched their strategic Our Plan 2024-28 in April. Thousands of children and young people were involved in the plan’s consultation period and helped to shape the resulting strategy.
| HEARTBREAKING POVERTY Despite Nicola’s sunny disposition and positivity, one story from the consultation process for Our Plan 2024-28 makes her visibly emotional. ‘I was struck by how children responded in their own words to the impact that poverty was having on them,’ says Nicola. ‘One question we asked was: “If you were commissioner, what would you do?” One young person responded by saying: “Would it be possible to put things in food banks that you don’t need to heat?”. ‘That really had an effect on me. When children are living in poverty, we know about the impact that has on all their rights, but also we have to understand about how much they worry about their families.’ You can download of a copy of Our Plan 2024-28 |
‘It’s so important for this role that children and young people shape our priorities,’ says Nicola. ‘We reviewed more than 130 consultations that had happened over the last five years in Scotland – specifically with children and young people – and we looked in detail at what young people had said. Then we sense checked all that with children and young people through digital engagement, and then went in person and online to have conversations with children and young people whose voices aren’t always heard and whose rights are most at risk,’ Nicola explains.
‘Children and young people told us that there were some really critical areas in their lives where things are not as good as they should be, specifically in areas like poverty, education and mental health. We’ve shaped our plan based on that.’
IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING
Nicola points out that listening to children and young people doesn’t just make practical sense, it is also a keystone of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). With the convention due to become a fully integrated part of Scottish law on 16 July – including giving the Children’s Commissioner new powers to bring and intervene in legal cases – it is an exciting time for those promoting young people’s rights in Scotland.
‘Incorporation of the UNCRC will give children and young people more power to challenge things when their rights have not been realised,’ says Nicola. ‘It will continue the culture change that has been happening.
‘Even as I go around the country now, meeting with young people, meeting with decision makers and meeting with practitioners, everybody is talking about how we can embed good participation into our work, what it looks like, and how we ensure that children and young people have their views heard,’ says Nicola.
There are health policy areas where Scotland clearly leads the way, but in other areas there is much to do. ‘Scotland was the first place in the UK to ban smacking, and we were the first place to bring in the right to free period products,’ Nicola points out. ‘So, we have got some progressive areas that we should be proud of – but there is a huge amount still to do. We’ve still got one in four children in Scotland living in poverty, which is our biggest human rights crisis.’
‘MY HOPE AS COMMISSIONER
IS TO SEE WHAT IS POSSIBLE
WHEN PROFESSIONALS
COME TOGETHER WITH
FAMILIES TO REALLY BUILD
ON THEIR STRENGTHS’
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Key to addressing that crisis, Nicola says, is the work of CPs. ‘Children and young people are always telling us they want support where they are, in their communities. I think that CPs are vital in building those closer relationships and understanding holistically how children are experiencing their rights, how their lives and the complexity of different systems are interacting, and where there are gaps for families.
‘I know there are multiple challenges,’ Nicola acknowledges. ‘As frontline staff, CPs see the day-to-day impact of poverty on families. And, of course, there is a pressure on services and resources right now. But governments have a duty to use the maximum extent of available resources to ensure children’s rights, and supporting CPs to deliver key services for children and families is an essential part of this.
‘So, overall, I do feel positive. But my positivity comes from my firm belief that change is possible.’
ALL ABOUT NICOLA
Nicola lives in Glasgow with her family and their dog, Teddy. She was awarded an OBE in 2020 for services to music, children and community cohesion.
What would people be surprised to learn about you? As a child, I had a very small partial eye transplant.
What do you do to relax? I love being outdoors in the fresh air, walking, cycling.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Look back to see how far you’ve come before you look forward to take on the next challenge.
What do you enjoy most about your work? Working with children and young people! It’s both incredibly fun and inspiring.
What did you love to do when you were young? I really loved music as a child – that was big part of my growing up.
Audio Exclusive! Click here to hear more from Nicola in our exclusive audio interview, including details of her strategic plan, why young people are her real boss, and a thank you to CPs.
Image | Nicola Killean
