Scottish Human Rights Commission

What Scottish Human Rights Commission does

The Scottish Human Rights Commission is an independent public body established under the Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2003, accountable to the people of Scotland through the Scottish Parliament. It operates from a headquarters in Edinburgh (Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, EH7 4NS) and a secondary office in Glasgow (Optima Building, 58 Robertson Street, G2 8DU). The Commission's mandate is to promote awareness, understanding and respect for all human rights — economic, social, cultural, civil and political — for everyone in Scotland, and to encourage best practice in relation to human rights among public authorities and civil society.

The Commission's portfolio comprises several distinct programmes and resources rather than a single integrated software product. Core offerings include the Care About Rights training programme for the care and support of older people (delivered via a dedicated microsite and coordinated with Scottish Care and Age Scotland); the Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EQHRIA) framework and 10 Good Practice Building Blocks, jointly developed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC); the proprietary FAIR human rights-based decision-making framework (Facts, Analyse rights, Identify responsibilities, Review actions); the annual State of the Nation report; a Human Rights Based Approach self-assessment toolkit; multiple Spotlight Projects (absolute rights in detention, economic/social/cultural rights, independent living, access to justice, cultural recognition of Gypsy Travellers); and policy initiatives on Incorporation, Human Rights Budget Work, and Human Rights After Brexit. Underlying technology is light: a main website (www.scottishhumanrights.com), two microsites, ReachDeck accessibility software for text-to-speech and translation, Google Analytics, and Easy Read and British Sign Language (BSL) formats for accessibility.

The Commission is not a commercial enterprise; it is funded through public monies allocated by the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament and does not charge for its services, publications, training resources, or programmes. All resources are provided free of charge to public authorities, civil society organisations, and rights holders in Scotland. The Commission's go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on direct engagement with civil society, statutory partners (COSLA, NHS Health Scotland, Police Scotland, Scottish Prison Service, Audit Scotland, EHRC Scotland), care sector bodies, and international partners including UPR Info and UN treaty bodies. The Commission is led by Chair Professor Alan Miller and has a management team that includes Claire Methven O'Brien.

Name

Scottish Human Rights Commission

Legal name

Scottish Human Rights Commission

Website

https://scottishhumanrights.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Scottish Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory public body accountable to the Scottish Parliament, mandated to promote and protect all human rights in Scotland. It delivers training (Care About Rights), impact assessment frameworks (EQHRIA, FAIR), research (State of the Nation, Spotlight Projects), and policy advocacy, funded by Scottish Government grant-in-aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Human Rights Oversight

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA), Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion Compliance Reviews (EDADAGAJ)

Keywords

• Human rights oversight
• Public body accountability
• Equality impact assessment
• Human rights training
• Policy advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: As an independent public body accountable to the Scottish Parliament, the Commission is funded through public funding allocated by the Scottish Government and Parliament. Revenue is not derived from commercial product or service sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Scottish Human Rights Commission is an independent public body that promotes and protects human rights across Scotland through legal oversight, policy advocacy, training programmes, and practical tools. It delivers the Care About Rights training programme for the care sector, the EQHRIA impact assessment framework for public authorities, the FAIR approach methodology for rights-based decision-making, and the annual State of the Nation report on human rights compliance. All outputs are provided free of charge to public authorities, civil society organisations, and rights holders.

Product overview

The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) operates as an independent public body focused on legal, policy, and practical initiatives to promote and protect human rights in Scotland. Rather than offering a unified software product, SHRC delivers a portfolio of programs, frameworks, and resources including the Care about Rights training program for older people's care settings, the Equality & Human Rights Impact Assessment (EQHRIA) toolkit for public authorities, the annual State of the Nation report, a Human Rights Based Approach self-assessment toolkit, and multiple Spotlight Projects addressing specific human rights concerns. These offerings work together as complementary human rights advocacy, education, and assessment resources rather than a traditional product-platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Care About Rights: Training and awareness raising resources relating to the care and support of older people, developed by the Commission to empower people to understand their human rights
• EQHRIA (Equality & Human Rights Impact Assessment)

Products and services

• Care About Rights Interactive training and awareness-raising resources relating to the care and support of older people, designed to empower people to understand their human rights and increase accountability of duty-bearers. Distributed via a dedicated microsite in partnership with Scottish Care and Age Scotland.
• Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EQHRIA) An integrated assessment framework and toolkit developed jointly by SHRC and EHRC to enable Scottish public authorities to assess both equality and human rights implications of their policies and practices. Includes 10 Good Practice Building Blocks.
• State of the Nation Report Annual report assessing the state of human rights in Scotland, examining issues such as poverty, housing, health, and economic and social rights. The 2025 edition is referenced in the source data.
• Human Rights Based Approach Toolkit Self-assessment toolkit that helps organisations adopt a human rights based approach to policies and practices, using the Commission's FAIR framework (Facts, Analyse rights, Identify responsibilities, Review actions) as the guiding methodology.
• Spotlight Projects A portfolio of in-depth research projects focused on key human rights issues in Scotland, including: Absolute Rights in Places of Detention; Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Scotland; Moving from Institutions to Independent Living; Access to Justice for Human Rights Breaches; and Cultural Recognition of Scotland's Gypsy Travellers.
• Incorporation: A New Human Rights Law for Scotland Campaign and advocacy programme calling for a new human rights law for Scotland to incorporate international human rights standards into domestic law.
• Human Rights Budget Work Programme calling on the Scottish Government to place human rights at the centre of all budget decisions to ensure access to essential public services.
• Human Rights After Brexit Programme monitoring and addressing the impact of Brexit on human rights protections in Scotland.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Commission's annual State of the Nation report provides a comprehensive assessment of human rights realisation across Scotland, identifying systemic issues such as ingrained poverty denying rights to adequate housing, health, social security, education, food, and fair work.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHRC and EHRC Scotland jointly developed the Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EQHRIA) tool, methodology, and 10 Good Practice Building Blocks to support public authorities in Scotland in embedding integrated equality and human rights impact assessments into their policies and practices.
• UPR InfocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPR Info collaborated with the Commission to deliver a free online capacity-building workshop for civil society organisations on how to create reports for the UN Universal Periodic Review, helping CSOs contribute directly to the UN Human Rights Council's review of Scotland's human rights record.
• Scottish GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scottish Government participated in the EQHRIA steering group, supporting the development of integrated equality and human rights impact assessment resources for public authorities in Scotland.
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSLA participated in the EQHRIA steering group, representing Scottish local authorities in the development of human rights impact assessment tools and supporting local government adoption.
• NHS Health ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS Health Scotland participated in the EQHRIA steering group and contributed to the development of integrated impact assessment resources, drawing on their experience with Health Inequalities Impact Assessment since 2011.
• Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young PeoplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in the EQHRIA steering group, emphasising the importance of embedding children's human rights into public sector decision-making processes across Scotland.
• Scottish Councils Equality Network (SCEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCEN participated in the EQHRIA steering group and commended the Commission's work in helping public bodies strengthen and improve existing impact assessment processes through the integrated human rights approach.
• Police ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolice Scotland participated in the EQHRIA steering group, regarding equality and human rights as central to their operations and expressing interest in the ongoing development of integrated impact assessment approaches.
• Scottish Prison ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scottish Prison Service participated in the EQHRIA steering group, supporting the integrated approach to addressing equality and human rights implications in prison policy and practice.
• Audit ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudit Scotland participated in the EQHRIA steering group, contributing expertise on public sector accountability and audit processes in the development of human rights impact assessment resources.
• Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCVO participated in the EQHRIA steering group, emphasising that equality, dignity, participation, empowerment, and accountability must be central to all decisions affecting the people they serve.
• Fife CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFife Council was one of two pilot local authorities (alongside Renfrewshire Council) that participated in the SHRC-EHRC EQHRIA pilot programme from 2012-2014, testing and providing feedback on the integrated impact assessment methodology at a local government level.
• Renfrewshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenfrewshire Council was one of two pilot local authorities that participated in the SHRC-EHRC EQHRIA pilot programme from 2012-2014, leading the development and coordination of the pilot within their council and providing lessons learned for wider adoption.
• Private Care Sector Workforce Initiative team at Scottish CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish Care's Private Care Sector Workforce Initiative team partnered with the Commission in coordinating and developing the Care About Rights project, providing expertise in the care sector workforce and supporting the rollout of training materials to care providers.
• Age ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAge Scotland partnered with the Commission in the Care About Rights project, representing Scotland's older people and providing a united voice in the development of human rights training resources for the care sector.
• Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Care Commission partnered with the Commission in the Care About Rights project, contributing regulatory oversight perspective and guidance to ensure training materials aligned with National Care Standards.
• Mental Welfare CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mental Welfare Commission contributed to the Care About Rights project reference group, providing expertise on mental health and human rights in care settings.
• Alzheimer ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlzheimer Scotland participated in the Care About Rights project as a care sector reference group member, contributing expertise on dementia and the rights of people with dementia in care settings.
• Scottish Dementia Working GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scottish Dementia Working Group contributed to the Care About Rights project, providing the perspective of people with dementia and their carers in the development of training materials.
• Scottish GovernmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scottish Government provided support and input into the Care About Rights project, contributing to the development of human rights training materials for the care sector.
• COSLAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSLA contributed to the Care About Rights project, providing local government perspective on human rights in care and support of older people in Scotland.
• City of Edinburgh CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Edinburgh Council participated in the EQHRIA pilot work, impact assessment workshops, and evaluation study alongside Fife Council and Renfrewshire Council from 2012-2014.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Equality and Human Rights Commission: UK-wide statutory body with a broadly overlapping human rights and equality mandate. SHRC and EHRC Scotland jointly developed the EQHRIA framework, making EHRC the closest operational and strategic peer to SHRC.
• Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission: Sister statutory national human rights institution for Northern Ireland with equivalent legal powers and UN reporting duties. Operates a near-identical mandate across a different UK jurisdiction, making it a structural twin to SHRC.
• Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission: Ireland's national human rights and equality body, combining human rights and equality functions in a single statutory institution. Comparable scope to SHRC's whole-of-Scotland mandate and similar programme-based operating model.
• Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland: Independent statutory commissioner for children's rights in Scotland, established under related Scottish legislation. Operates as a sibling oversight body within the same accountability and human rights framework as SHRC.

Broad incumbents

• Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: Independent statutory body handling complaints about Scottish public services. Broader in scope than SHRC and complaint-led rather than rights-promotion-led, but shares accountability and oversight function over Scottish public authorities.
• Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights: Pan-European independent human rights institution promoting respect for human rights across Council of Europe member states. Operates at a broader geographic scale than SHRC but on the same human rights mandate and with similar monitoring and advocacy functions.

Regional players

• Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland: Statutory body overseeing mental health rights and welfare in Scotland. Operates in a narrower thematic area than SHRC but is a partner on Care About Rights and shares a rights-protection remit over a vulnerable population.
• Scottish Information Commissioner: Independent Scottish regulator promoting and enforcing rights of access to information. Smaller statutory office covering a narrower rights area, but institutionally analogous in being an arm's-length Scottish oversight body.
• UK National Preventive Mechanism: UK-wide coalition of bodies monitoring places of detention for human rights compliance. Overlaps directly with SHRC's Spotlight Project on absolute rights in places of detention and shares a human rights monitoring mandate.

Others

• Scottish Care: Membership body representing independent social care providers in Scotland. A delivery and co-development partner on SHRC's Care About Rights programme rather than a competitor, but the most directly comparable organisation working at the intersection of care provision and rights in Scotland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ScotHumanRights
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/scottishhumanrights?sub_confirmation=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/scothumanrights
• Instagraminstagram.com/scothumanrights
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scottish-human-rights-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Scottish Human Rights Commission