This space is for you.
If you’re a child or young person, or an adult supporting one, Just the Right Space helps you understand what’s happening, what your rights are, and where to find support.
Discover helpful information, learn about your rights, hear from others who have been through similar experiences, and find trusted places that can offer support.
This website was developed by the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) in collaboration with young people who have lived experience of the justice system.
The justice system can feel confusing and overwhelming.
These resources are here to help you understand what might happen, what your rights are, and where to find support – whether you’re a child or young person or an adult supporting one.
Click on any of the topics below to read more about that area.
You don’t need to read everything – start wherever feels right for you.
Understanding the justice process
For information about what might happen, step by step.
An overview of the main steps a child or young person might experience in the justice system.
A plain-language guide to how the system works and who is involved.
What a CSO is, what is means, and how it can affect a child or young person.
What secure care is and what children and young people have said it should feel like.
Your rights and important decisions
For understanding rights, protections, and key legal processes
What your rights are if the police speak to you or take you to a police station.
Scotland’s youth justice standards explained in a child-friendly way.
What the law says and what this means for children.
How different services work together to support children and families.
Learn more / go deeper
Extra information, learning resources, and awareness work
An A-Z guide to common terms you might hear.
Explores ideas about justice, fairness, and responsibility.
Looks at how justice affects communities and how we can speak about it.
Research exploring young people’s understanding of restorative justice.
Information about how trauma and loss affect young people in custody.
Support for parents and carers to help keep children safe online.
There are many people and services out there that can offer you support. These are some of the places we think might be helpful.
Amplifying Young Voices in Justice
Children and young people’s voices are vital in shaping decisions and reforms within the justice system.
More organisations are actively involving people with justice and care experience in their work, creating opportunities for them to share their views and drive meaningful change.
In Scotland, children and young people are already playing a key role in transforming the system.
Explore this section to learn more about their impact.
There are more opportunities than ever before to have your say on how we do justice. Here are some of the groups we know about. If you’d like us to add a group or project, please get in touch.
Tell us what you think about the justice and care systems, what your experiences are, or the things you think need to change.
Maybe you’d like to tell your story in a blog/reel, or in artwork.
This website is a work in progress. Help us make it better by sharing your ideas about what you’d like to see.
The Commissioner protects the rights of children and young people up to age 18, or 21 if care experienced.
Everyone has rights, whether they’re a child or an adult. No matter what they have done. We believe that every child should have opportunities to learn about their rights and to know how to make sure these are met.
If you are a child in conflict with the law, you have the right to understand what is happening to you when you enter the justice system.
You should receive clear information about your rights throughout this process. If needed, you should have a trusted adult who can help you understand these rights.
It’s also essential for adults to learn about children’s rights. This includes parents and carers, community members, and professionals who work or volunteer in the Children’s Hearings System and the justice system, such as Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service.
There are many international agreements and laws that help us understand the rights of children, including when children are in conflict with the law.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, called the UNCRC for short, is the international agreement that sets out all the rights children have from birth to the age of 18. Scotland is in the process of making the UNCRC part of its laws. This process is called incorporation.
The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland has this useful guide to children’s rights.
The 44 Standards outline what children and young people can expect before, during, and after secure care. They highlight how the secure care journey should look and feel from the child’s perspective. Developed in collaboration with children and young people who have lived experience of secure care, these Standards ensure their voices are heard. Learn more.
Explore resources from CYCJ and partners to clearly understand your rights in the justice system and custody.
