Our Scotland event provides you with the latest sector updates and support in policy and practice from the experts.
And best of all? It’s free to members.
When: 19 March 2025
Where: Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh
Speakers include
Purnima Tanuku CBE, NDNA
Purnima Tanuku CBE will give an update on the state of the sector.
More about Purnima:
Purnima has developed NDNA into the Voice of the Sector, the strongest and biggest representative organisation for early years across the UK. Purnima represents the sector to Government Ministers, parliamentarians, civil servants and local authorities.
She regularly appears on national television, radio, online and print media sharing the views of our nursery members, raising public awareness and lobbying Government for the support nurseries need to deliver high quality care and education for their children.
Purnima has a wealth of experience at senior executive level working with public, private and charitable organisations. In 2025 Purnima was awarded CBE for services to Early Years Education.
Natalie Don-Innes MSP
The UNCRC and Children’s Rights
The Minister will talk about the UNCRC and children’s rights, what this means for the Early Learning and Childcare sector and provide an update on the Scottish Government’s work to implement the UNCRC.
Natalie will also be awarding our Children’s Rights NDNA Awards 2025 winner.
More about Natalie:
Natalie Don-Innes was born in Paisley and grew up in Bridge of Weir. Natalie attended Gryffe High School and then went on to study History at University of Glasgow.
Before and during her time at University, Natalie worked in a variety of sales roles working her way up to Manager of a local food retailer. After graduating university, Natalie started a role as a constituency assistant and caseworker for a member of the Scottish Parliament.
She was elected as a local councillor for the Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank ward in 2017 and then member of the Scottish Parliament for Renfrewshire North and West in 2021. She was appointed as Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise in March 2023. As well as her professional roles, Natalie has spoken openly about her own experiences growing up in poverty, and highlights the benefits and importance of having people with lived experience in decision making roles.
Carly Elliot-Scott, Assistant Director (Programmes and Participation), Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights)
Kindly supported by Cattanach, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) has been on a journey of mainstreaming the rights of babies and young children throughout their work.
This has involved including the views of babies in their recent State of Children’s Rights Report 2024 and through the Tiny Rights Detectives project exploring what accessing justice looks like when a baby’s rights are not upheld. Carly will speak to the outcomes of this work and reflect on the international frameworks that guide our understanding of how to best protect the rights of babies and young children.
More about Carly:
Carly is Assistant Director (Programmes and Participation) at Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights). Her role focuses on the development of programmes that help fulfil Together’s strategic priorities and the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. A key aspect of her role involves ensuring Together’s work promotes the rights of babies, toddlers and early years children.
Carly has experience of leading participatory influencing across a range of children’s sector organisations, supporting children with a high level of state intervention in their lives, and therefore whose rights can be most at risk. This includes leading ‘1000 Voices’, the participation project supporting Scotland’s Independent Care Review to listen to care experienced babies, children, young people and adults.
Carly also has an LLM in Human Rights Law and a keen interest in the development of child-friendly access to justice.
More speakers to be announced soon
With thanks to our Member Event sponsor
We want to help you to make your nursery be the best it can be, by supporting you with every aspect of HR and health & safety, we give you the time back to do what you do best – educate your children.
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