The Forces Children’s Rights Charter was created by children and young people themselves.
In the words of Cadence, a young person who helped shape it: “This is more than a document; it’s a representation of our ideas, stories, and vision for the future. It’s a message that Forces kids deserve fairness, recognition, and support.”
Here you can pledge your support for Forces children’s rights and find practical guides on how to respond to its call in your professional life.
“The Forces Children’s Rights Charter wasn’t written for Forces children. It was written by us.”
Children and young people from Armed Forces families turned their experiences into ten clear commitments for the adults in their lives. These provisions are rooted in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which was incorporated into Scottish law in 2024.
Everyone has a role to play in ensuring Forces children have their rights respected, protected and supported.
Children and young people are asking for adults to uphold these principles in all walks of life, including the military, education, social work, research, third sector funding and political decision-making.
Learn moreSign up below to pledge your support for the Forces Children’s Rights Charter.
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By bringing the Forces Children’s Rights Charter in your day-to-day life, you will:
Drive meaningful change. The Charter identifies concrete measures that can be implemented across systems to ensure children’s safety, wellbeing and growth.
Fulfil a shared vision. Upholding the Charter will help realise the ambitions of the Armed Forces Covenant and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (which was incorporated into Scottish law in 2024).
As a Forces Children’s Rights Defender, you’ll:
Embed the Charter into your daily life and your organisation’s policies, processes and practices, ensuring children’s rights are considered throughout.
Advocate proactively by speaking up for the needs of Forces children and implementing the Charter in initiatives across your sector.
Support the meaningful engagement and participation of children and young people in decision-making, in line with the Charter’s call that their voices are taken seriously.
By embracing and defending the Forces Children’s Rights Charter, you will contribute to:
Better-informed decisions, where the unique aspects of Forces life are understood.
Greater support that enables children and young people to access the help they need.
Empowered communities, where rights are respected and Forces children and families feel seen, heard and valued.
If you work with children and young people directly, here are some resources for introducing the Charter and starting a rights-informed dialogue with learners of all ages.
