Carly Elliott-Scott (she/her)
Participation and Policy Lead
As the Participation and Policy Lead, Carly oversees CYCJ’s strategic approach to ensuring children and young people in conflict with the law can influence and participate in strengthening the systems that surround their lives.
Carly’s career has included working as a frontline practitioner, manager and senior manager with children who have a high level of state intervention in their lives: children in conflict with the law, care experienced children and those with parents in the armed forces. Initially working as a researcher for the Risk Management Authority, Carly then moved into frontline practice providing intensive support to young women and girls as an alternative to secure care and prison. Following this, Carly then joined Who Cares? Scotland where she led their policy influencing work for 9 years. A particular highlight during this time was leading the 1000 Voices project which sought to create accessible means for care experienced people to participate in the Independent Care Review. Prior to joining CYCJ, Carly was the Deputy CEO and Policy Lead for Forces Children Scotland, where she co-produced their manifesto and influencing strategy alongside young people, staff and trustees.
Carly has a particular interest in access to justice for children who experience high levels of state intervention and focused her LLM Human Rights Law dissertation on conceptualising how to improve this for children in Scotland post UNCRC incorporation, for which she won the Centre for the Study of Human Rights Law dissertation prize. For such communities it is evident that the State plays a significant part in how their rights are upheld with the right to be heard most commonly sidelined. Carly feels extremely lucky to have worked in roles that seek to protect children’s rights and redress this power imbalance through participation.