Targets & Strategies
Children’s safety is impacted by a number of policies, targets and strategies across many differing themes including child protection, internet safety, youth justice, gender based violence, bullying and accident prevention.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) sets out the fundamental rights of all children and young people. The UK ratified the UNCRC in 1991.
Scottish Government
At Scottish Government level there are a number of targets and strategies in place to enhance and ensure child safety.
The UNCRC forms the basis of the national approach for supporting children, called Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). GIRFEC is the core strategic document which outlines the Scottish approach to improving outcomes for all children and young people. It focuses on the eight ‘SHANARRI’ areas of well-being – Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included.
The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 – sets out many of the duties, powers and responsibilities that Scottish local authorities hold in respect of their looked after children and care leavers and The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 – introduces provisions to better ensure permanence planning for looked after children.
The Scottish Government's current Child Protection Improvement Programme (CPIP) sets to make improvements in all areas of child protection, including:
- implementing the recommendations of an independent child protection systems review to identify and address weaknesses in the system
- taking action to tackle and prevent child neglect
- taking action to tackle and prevent child sexual exploitation
- working with partners to implement the children's actions outlined in the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy, which is being overseen by the Child Trafficking Strategy Group
- supporting children affected by parental substance misuse
- working with partners to keep children safe online
- providing National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland to help professionals to understand and agree processes for safeguarding children's wellbeing
- funding the administration of Scotland's children's hearings system
- supporting proposals to introduce a legislative ban on the physical punishment of children
- protecting Scotland’s Children National Policy and Child Abuse Prevention Activity
- setting up an expert group on preventing sexual offending involving young people
The Respect For All anti bullying strategy aims to ensure that all sectors and communities, at a national and local level, are consistently and coherently contributing to a holistic approach to anti-bullying; regardless of the type of bullying. This includes an explicit commitment to addressing prejudice-based bullying.
In relation specifically to violence against women and girls, the Scottish Government have a range of targets and strategies including:
- implementing Equally Safe: Scotland's strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls
- investing in funding for prevention and support projects
- strengthening the law to give victims better protection, improve courts' responses, hold those committing these crimes to account and improve public safety
- implementing a Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) National Action Plan
- delivering increased protection for people trapped in, or under the threat of, forced marriage
- taking action to improve forensic medical services for victims of rape and sexual assault
Transport Scotland and Road Safety Scotland are funded by the Scottish Government to improve the safety of children on and near road. Examples of targets and strategies include increasing the provision of 20 mph zones.
Glasgow City Council, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and/ or Collaborative
Glasgow Child Protection has a wide ranging membership and reports specifically to Police Scotland, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration. Its aims are:
- to ensure strategic leadership and ownership of activity in Glasgow to protect children and young people;
- to improve co-operation between agencies in Glasgow in their work to protect children;
- to enhance the development and delivery of services in Glasgow.
CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland, based at the University of Strathclyde, is dedicated to making positive and lasting improvements in the wellbeing of children and young people living in and on the edges of care, and their families, across the whole country, and the globe - children who, through no fault of their own, are not able to enjoy the same positive experiences and outcomes as many of their peers.
In partnership work with carers, social workers, teachers, nurses, charities, the police, local authorities, the Scottish Government, CELCIS work to understand the issues, introduce the best possible practice and develop solutions. And, to achieve effective, enduring and positive change across the board, take an innovative, evidence-based implementation approach.
The Go Safe Glasgow Road Safety Partnership includes representatives from Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow Community and Safety Services and are working together to reduce casualties on Glasgow’s Roads and to make communities safer for all. The partnership is led by Glasgow City Council’s Traffic and Road Safety Development Section and the city also provides the secretariat function for the partnership.
Third Sector
Many organisations are working in the area of child safety and protection in Glasgow and Scotland and are too numerous to list comprehensively. However some particularly relevant programmes are highlighted below.
Children 1st is Scotland’s National Children’s Charity. It began in 1884 and until 1995 was known as the RSSPCC (Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children). Children’s 1st’s strategic priorities focus on the four key components of prevention, protection, recovery and resilience.
Its goals for 2018 – 2023 are to:
- Prevent abuse, neglect and trauma by offering support, information and advice to families and communities to strengthen relationships and build resilience.
- Ensure children’s rights are protected in legislation, policy and practice through direct participation and engagement.
- Develop accessible family wellbeing hubs.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) researches, campaigns, trains and educates individual and organisations on a range of themes related to accident prevention, particularly in relation to child and young people. The publish Scotland’s Big Book of Accident Prevention a useful publication highlighting issues, targets and strategies in relation to safety in Scotland.
