The incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law in Scotland earlier this year was a landmark moment for all children and young people, including babies. Yet how babies experience their rights feels complicated and complex.
On the 6th March 2025, Starcatchers invites you to a day of exploration, discussion and learning in partnership with Children in Scotland, and Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) to start a conversation about what babies’ rights could look and feel like in Scotland. We will look at a range of topics and themes, built around a programme of opportunities to share and ask questions that will help us visualise a Scotland where babies are included in policy and decision-making. We will focus on the role the arts can play in helping babies experience their rights, as well as the role of parents, carers and adults in the realisation of those rights.
The event will see contributions from the following speakers, and you can view the full conference timetable here.
Dr Caspar Addyman
Gerison Lansdown
Dr Rachel Drury & Dr Cara Blaisdell
Dr Ruth Boycott-Garnett
The Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Nicola Killean
Anna Westall (Children in Wales)
Katie Spendiff (Welsh Government)
Amy Woodhouse (Parenting across Scotland)
Cheryl Brown & Jackie Davidson (Midlothian Sure Start)
Dr Sharon Skehill (NCCA, Ireland)
Rachel Colles & Fiona Ferrier (Dirliebane Theatre Company)
Juliet Harris & Jacqui Dunbar (Together, Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights)
Dr Judith Turbyne (Children in Scotland)
Rhona Matheson and Heather Armstrong (Starcatchers)
We look forward to welcoming you to this conference and continuing the journey to making Scotland the best place for children to grow up.
We would like to thank our funders Creative Scotland and the Independent Human Rights Fund, and Cattanach for their continued support of this work.
Photo credit: Starcatchers and Dirliebane Theatre Company’s Laaaunch!. Photography by Ben Winger.