Support for Children and Young People

Protecting you

All children and young people have the right to be protected from harm. If you are worried or concerned about your safety or if you are at risk of harm please speak to someone you trust as quickly as you can. This could be a friend, a family member, a Teacher, a Nurse, a Social Worker, or a Police Officer. If may be none of these people but choose the best person to speak to that will listen to you and most importantly, help you get support. If you are at risk of harm it is important to get the support and protection required to help you through so please get in touch on either:

0800 731 5520 (Social Work)
101 (Police Scotland)

If you don't have access to a phone please go directly to your local Social Work Office or Police Station for help.

Useful links and information

Support for Children, young people and families

The following signposting presentation has been created to aid practitioners to support children, young people and their families.

Integrated Children's Services by joanne Aitken on Prezi Next

Click on each of the circles to find out more about the Universal, Tier 2 and Tier 3 Services available. (Education, Health, Social Work, Community Development, Third Sector, Commissioned Services, Intervention Hub, Fit Like Hub & Self-Help Services.)

Online Safety

Think U Know - CEOP is an organisation that does a lot of work on online safety for children and young people. Have a look at their website for information on the sites and apps you like to use.

Samaritans - Online Safety - Guidance on staying safe online, co-designed by young people with lived experience of self-harm and suicidal feelings and experience of supporting others at risk.

Sextortion Information

Alcohol and Drugs

A.D.A.M. website - Another's Drinking Affects Me

This is a website for children and young people aged 11-16 years who may be affected or are concerned by another person's drinking (this could be a mum, dad, a grandparent, brother, sister or friend).

A.D.A.M. has been developed in consultation with young people who have experienced harm as a result of someone else's drinking and offers an opportunity to explore IF and HOW they are being affected. There are over 51,000 children and young people in Scotland living with a parent who has an alcohol problem. Many will suffer in silence and may find it difficult to talk about what is happening at home. A.D.A.M. offers suggestions on how to cope and provides sources of help and support.

Mind of my own

Care-experienced young people and their families who may be finding the lack of face to face contact and social isolation difficult during the current Covid-19 lockdown can still use the Mind of My Own app to stay in touch with their social work professional.

With the use of Mind Of My Own, users can help overcome feelings of anxiety, isolation or loneliness by sending their worker a statement , which will be received by email, to let them know how the user is feeling and allow the individual to feel connected and digitally close to them at this time.

The app can be downloaded from an app store or by creating an account at mind of my own.

If potential users find this difficult, they can contact their worker and be supported through the downloading process.

Equal Protection Act - Physical Punishment and You

Below are two helpful pages that answer questions you might have on the new 'Equal Protection Act' that protects you from physical punishment by a parent or carer:

Physical Punishment and You - Questions and Answers

Want to talk to someone about the new Equal Protection Act?