Information for people who use services, families, and carers

Your human rights and those of your family are protected in both international law and in the laws that apply here in Scotland.

In the "What are human rights?" section of these materials we explained that human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which everyone is entitled. We all have human rights in order to live with dignity.

Human rights include things like the right to privacy, to a home and family life as well as the right to be free from inhuman and degrading treatment. They also include things like the right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate housing, the right to the highest attainable standard of health and the right to education.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission wants everybody to understand what human rights are and how we can work together to make sure that human rights are protected and respected in Scotland. That is why the Commission has produced these materials for you as well as for those who provide care services and those who organise and regulate care services.

Government officials and care providers are primarily accountable for ensuring that your human rights are respected. However, we all share some responsibility in helping to make sure that all of our rights are respected.

What do I do if I am worried about my human rights or the human rights of my family or friend?

There are a number of things you can do if you’re worried about human rights not being respected or you require support for your care needs.

Please note that the Scottish Human Rights Commission cannot give any advice to individuals about their human rights, but we hope the guidance in this pack will help you to resolve any issues you may encounter.

The FAIR flowchart, which pops up when you click the FAIR icon at the top of this page, will give you a better understanding of human rights. Use this flowchart to think about whether there is a human rights issue and whether there might be ways of sensibly resolving the problem.