About the Commissioner
Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People is a person. Their job is to help you understand your rights and to make sure those rights are respected. Their goal is for children and young people in Scotland to be as safe and happy as possible.
The current Commissioner is Tam Baillie. He looks after the rights of:
- everyone in Scotland under 18
- everyone in Scotland under 21 who has been looked after or in care.
Talk to Tam
You can or call his office for free on 0800 019 1179. You might want to contact Tam and his team if:
- you would like more information about your rights
- you feel that your rights or the rights of someone you know are not being respected
- you would like Tam or a member of his team to give you advice, or to tell you about someone else who can give you advice.
What Tam does
Tam spends a lot of time listening to children and young people. This helps him protect your rights and make sure that people are aware of your rights.
There are three main things that Tam and his team do for you:
Tam helps you know your rights
Tam and his team can help you know exactly what your rights are. We can also tell you what you can do if you think your rights are not being respected.
Find out about your rights.
Tam helps protect your rights
Your rights are protected under law. Tam and his team make sure they will stay that way. Find out about how we protect your rights.
Tam helps influence change
Governments and other groups sometimes make choices that can affect your rights. Tam and his team make sure these groups know exactly what their choices might mean. Find out about how we influence change.
Find out more
Tam has a team of people who work with him. They help him make sure you know about your rights. They help him make sure your rights are protected. Find out about Tam’s team.
There has been a Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland since 2004. Find out about the history of the Commissioner.