Engaging with children

In this pilot project, the team worked in partnership with Children in Scotland to talk with children and young people about their administrative data.

Children’s rights are central to everything that we do with children’s data, and we want to make sure that children and young people have a say in how their data is used and communicated.

The research

Every day, information is collected about the services that children and young people use, such as school and healthcare. This information can be used to help researchers and policymakers understand how to make children and young people’s lives better.

In recent years we have seen an increase in engagement with individuals whose data is being used for research purposes, but it is important that this engagement is not only with adults, but also includes children and young people’s views and perspectives.

In the context of our research looking at children’s lives and outcomes, and a commitment to embed a children’s rights approach across all public service delivery in Scotland, this project focuses on facilitating and exploring appropriate engagement with children and young people with administrative data, and administrative data research.

This pilot project involves engagement with a group of children and young people from across Scotland with a range of ages, experiences, needs, and interests. Running from December 2021 to April 2022, the five workshops included conversation on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and discussions on:

• What is data? 
• How is administrative data collected? 
• How is this data stored, and who can access it? 
• How is administrative data used, and why? How should children and young people be told about how their data is used? 

Project aims

This pilot project had two key objectives: 

1. To inform the conduct of ADR Scotland researchers in how they use and communicate in relation to children and young people’s administrative data.
2. To pilot and develop a process of engagement with children and young people around administrative data in Scotland. 

Research team

Robert Porter and Morag Treanor.

Publications, outputs and media coverage

• Nov 2021 - NEWS - Engaging children and young people
• Apr 2022 - BLOG - Getting rights right or on the rights track
• Apr 2022 - VIDEO - UNCRC Overview Public
• Apr 2022 - FULL REPORT - Engaging children and young people
• Apr 2022 - SUMMARY REPORT - Engaging with children and young people
• June 2022 - NEWS - Report launched on engaging with children and young people
• March 2023 - NEWS - New comic on children's rights and data
• March 2023 - ADR Scotland and Children's Data Rights Comic