GIRFEC Story: Bringing health rights to life in schools

The health and wellbeing of children and young people lies at the heart of the work of Children's Health Scotland.

The health and wellbeing of children and young people lies at the heart of the work of Children’s Health Scotland, who are the only charity in Scotland dedicated to informing, promoting, and campaigning on the healthcare needs and rights of all children and young people with health conditions. Key areas of work include:

• Health rights. This works involves inspiring children, parents, and carers with knowledge and understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and health rights, and defending these rights, when necessary. They also work alongside young volunteers to ensure their voices are at the centre of their work and of health rights development and promotion in Scotland

• Health and wellbeing support. This involves working directly with children and young people with long-term health conditions through self-management skills Programmes. The charity also delivers tailored self-management skills Programmes in schools and through bespoke NHS partnership Programmes.

• Care experience support. This work involves supporting foster and kinship carers and those they love and care for.

All the work of Children’s Health Scotland incorporates rights and their work aligns with the principles of Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC), ensuring positive outcomes for every child they engage with.
Rhianne Forrest, an Officer at Children’s Health Scotland who works across their health and wellbeing, health rights and care experiences services, shares some of the recent activities they have been taking forward in schools.

“We know that when children understand their health rights and outcomes within health settings, they’re more empowered and likely to seek or voice the care they need. For example, one of our initiatives in schools is the playbox sessions with younger children. These interactive sessions feature boxes filled with medical items such as casts, x-rays, stethoscopes, and even play syringes (with an emphasis on safety, of course). The idea is to demystify these items, reducing fear and anxiety by explaining their use, like how syringes are used to take blood samples.”

Rhianne works closely with Eilidh Findlay, a coordinator with Children’s Health Scotland. Together they make learning more engaging by reading stories and sharing experiences about Teddy, a character who “has a broken leg.” They guide the children through Teddy’s journey – calling an ambulance, visiting the hospital, and staying with a grown-up. This way, if the kids ever find themselves in a similar situation, they’ll know what to expect.

They also conduct health rights assemblies, walking students through the European Association for Children in Hospital charter, which aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It’s vital that young people know their rights – like having a grown-up stay with them in the hospital or being able to ask questions if they don’t understand something about their health. Sessions are tailored to meet specific needs. For example, if a school requests a session on stress management, especially around exam time, they combine information on their rights with practical stress management techniques. This is where their Health and Wellbeing Service comes into play, ensuring students feel supported and informed.

A recent success was a five-week programme at Denny High School called “Why Weight?” in partnership with NHS Forth Valley. This programme introduced students to the dietetics department, particularly those struggling with anxiety and school attendance. The supportive work provided by the programme led to positive outcomes, with students reporting overwhelming benefits.

At Children’s Health Scotland, they believe in learning through play, which is a fundamental right. Play helps children navigate the world, test out scary situations, and feel comfortable and confident. Their health-related play activities are always a hit, with children loving the games and the opportunity to build relationships with their classmates, seeing how these activities help them feel less alone and more socially included.

All the programmes are designed by children and young people for children and young people, incorporating their feedback to ensure effectiveness. The impact has been significant: 100% of participants reported progress in their goals, 80% felt more confident, 70% had higher self-esteem, 90% felt better able to communicate, and 60% felt more empowered to talk about their health and wellbeing. Most importantly, 100% felt more socially included, reducing feelings of isolation.
All the school sessions are free and tailored to fit the specific needs of each school. They strive to build strong relationships with schools, ensuring they can rely on Children’s Health Scotland as a valuable resource. Rhianne is full of ideas for more programmes, always keeping a child-led, positive learning approach at the forefront.

A highlight of the year is Scottish Children’s Health Week in September, led by Children’s Health Scotland. In the lead up to the week, they have recently launched the My Health, My Rights Charter – Children’s Health Scotland (childrenshealthscotland.org). Developed by children and young people with our support, this Charter highlights their ten most important health rights, promoting the message that every child has the right to the best possible health. Whilst working on the Charter, the young volunteers working with the charity wanted to name their group and they called themselves Health Rights Defenders. With our support they developed their ten most important health rights. We then reached out to schools to consult them on these rights and worked with the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, gathering feedback on the rights. Children and young people provided drawings and words to make up the Charter. One of the Charter Rights is ‘A right to be me – a right to be exactly who we are and have a right to have our accessibility needs met so we can truly be us. Everyone is different and no one should feel that they can’t be themselves.”

Children’s Health Scotland launched the Charter on 16 July 2024, a memorable a day that will shine in Scotland’s history for children’s rights. The charity is now excited to see the continued growth of health rights awareness in schools and continue to support professionals in engaging with children and young people about their rights and making those rights a reality and of course valued, protected and respected.

To get in touch with the Children’s Health Scotland Team, you can email enquiries@childrenshealthscotland.org