The event's theme was 'Coming of Age', with the celebration of the 21st birthday of one of the first voluntary sector out-of-school care services in Scotland and the progress made with the appointment of the first Commissioner for Children and Young People, Kathleen Marshall, who was there to talk about her role.
Moira Oliphant, policy manager at Barnardo's Scotland, chaired the conference.
Giving a review of SOSCN's activities during the past year, chief executive Irene Audain said two important pieces of work in progress were focusing on the lack of inclusive play for children with additional support needs and the need for services for older children and young people. Both were highlighted as gaps in provision in 'School's Out', the framework for the development of out-of-school care in Scotland published last year.
Ms Audain said that childcare partnerships were due to submit their reviews of out-of-school provision at the end of this month and that SOSCN would focus on these findings at a series of childcare strategy seminars to be held in the autumn.
She said there were now more than 1,000 out-of-school care providers in Scotland, in the voluntary, independent and local authority sectors, and that more than one in nine primary school-aged children have an out-of-school place.
A video presentation included a film with children aged six to 12 at out-of-school clubs in Glasgow talking about what they feel is important to them, and Darnley After School Service's 21st birthday celebrations, including interviews with parents who had attended the club when it was first set up and who now send their own children there.
Marguerite Hunter Blair, chief executive of PlayBoard Northern Ireland, a charity for children's play and play training, spoke about developments for children in the province including the launch of the draft Northern Ireland Children's strategy, out for consultation later this summer. She said that more than 500 children aged four to 12 had been consulted on their views for inclusion in the draft strategy.
Ms Hunter Blair also outlined the role of the Northern Ireland commissioner for children and young people, as well as PlayBoard's work in research, campaigning and lobbying for play and play space.