Children’s Rights Report 2026-2029 Summary Version
Who are we?
We are the Scottish Housing Regulator.
We:
- Check that public sector housing services provided by Councils and Housing Associations in Scotland are doing a good job
- Make sure that public sector housing services in Scotland provide safe and well looked after homes
- Step in if something isn’t right
- Stand up for people who live in social housing (provided by Councils and Housing Associations), people who are homeless and other people who use housing services including Gypsy/Travellers and factored owners.
What is our goal?
Our main aim is to protect and support people who live in social housing, people who are or might become homeless, and people who use housing services. This includes children and young people.
What are children’s rights?
Children’s rights are rules that make sure all children are safe, healthy, treated fairly, and able to grow and learn.
All rights are important but, in our role, we can focus most on:
- Best interests: adults should think about what is best for children
- Right to be heard: children should be able to share their opinions
- Right to a good home: every child should have a safe home
Why housing matters
Having a safe home helps children and young people feel secure, do well at school, stay healthy, and build friendships.
What do we do?
We check public sector housing organisations by collecting information, making sure they meet standards, take action if there are problems, and studying important issues.
What have we done recently?
We have spoken to young people, improved communication, trained staff, added a new child-friendly complaints process and carried out studies around homelessness and housing quality.
Listening to young people
Young people told us to keep things simple and clear in our work and in this report. We used their ideas to improve our Children’s Rights Report.
Challenges
Some families are experiencing homelessness, some children stay in temporary housing for too long, and services are under pressure.
What will we do next?
We will keep learning, listen to the views of young people, work with others, focus on children most at risk of not realising their rights, and share clear information.
The big message
Every child and young person should have a safe home, be heard, and be treated fairly. We will do all we can within our role to help.
Further Information
For further information please see the full version of our Children’s Rights Report 2026-2029.
Contact us:
Email: shr@shr.gov.scot
Phone: 0141 242 5642