Scottish Resources

Disclosure Scotland

Some helpful videos for support with PVG’s

Get ready for the Disclosure Act 2025

Duty to refer

PVG eligibility

Disclosure Types

Disclosure scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland

Volunteer Scotland Guidance and Resources

Good Governance & Safeguarding in Scotland

This guide for trustees of voluntary organisations and charities looks at how the Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector and SCVO’s Good Governance Checkup can be used to help develop a strong safeguarding culture in your organisation.

Organisations that work with children and vulnerable groups have legal and regulatory responsibilities in relation to safeguarding, but keeping people safe is an essential part of any voluntary sector organisation’s governance framework. Beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, and everyone in contact with your organisation, should all be treated with dignity and respect, and feel that they are in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. If you get it right, safeguarding and good governance should ensure that there are measures in place to protect people from harm. It will also provide public reassurance about your organisation and contribute to the positive reputation of the voluntary sector in general.

Guidance can be found here

Legislation

The Children Act (Scotland) 1995 covers parental responsibilities and rights, and the duties and powers local public authorities have for supporting and promoting the safety and welfare of children.

The Children Act (Scotland) 2020 builds on the 1995 Act and sets out a range of changes to the 1995 Act and, in some instances, to other family law legislation. In particular, it tries to help children to participate in court decisions about them and encourages the court to hear the views of younger children (under 12s) before reaching its decision.

In Scotland, there is a particular framework when working with children and their families called Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)

Guidance

The guidance is much easier to understand than the legislation you can download this at the bottom of the page.

The NSPCC Scotland also has useful guidance on their website.

The Five Key Questions

What is getting in the way of this child’s or young person’s well-being?
Do I have all the information I need to help this child and young person?
What can I do now to help this child and young person?
What can my agency do to help this child or young person?
What additional help, if any, may be needed from others?

My World Triangle

This is an assessment tool supporting those who work with children to assess their needs holistically. It supports the child’s voice and explores

“How I grow and develop”

“What I need from people who look after me”

“My wider world”

In safeguarding, when we have concerns we need to be asking ourselves “What is life like for this child or these children?”

The principle of paramountcy is of utmost importance

S.H.A.N.A.R.R.I

The well-being indicators represent eight areas where children and young people need to progress to do well now and in the future.

These are: Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included (remembered by the acronym SHANARRI)

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Scotland is so far ahead in the UK when it comes to thinking about Adverse Childhood experiences and long term outcomes in adulthood.

When children are exposed to adverse and stressful experiences, it can have a long-lasting impact on their ability to think, interact with others and on their learning.

ACEs should not be seen as someone’s destiny. There is much that can be done to offer hope and build resilience in children, young people and adults who have experienced adversity in early life.

You can find out more about principles that could underpin work on ACEs by reading the ‘Adverse childhood experiences in context’ produced by the Scottish Adverse Childhood Experiences Hub.

Short video on ACE’s

The Scottish Care Review

This review has been going on for over three years with working groups set up to investigate issues such as how to make Scotland the ‘Best Place in the World’ for children to live and grow up in.

This review will impact on the care, assessment and decision making for vulnerable children and young people for the future.

Scottish Independant Care Review

Adult Safeguarding

The Adult Safeguarding guidance can be downloaded from this page.

Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007

The Adult Support and Protection Act 2007 gives greater protection to adults at risk of harm or neglect.

The Act defines adults at risk as those aged 16 years and over who:

are unable to safeguard their own wellbeing, property, rights or other interests
and are at risk of harm
and because they are affected by disability, mental disorder, illness or physical or mental infirmity, are more vulnerable to being harmed than adults who are not so affected

It places a duty on local councils to inquire and investigate cases where harm is known or suspected.

Social Care have powers to visit and interview people, arrange medical examinations, examine records, and issue protection orders. They must also consider if there is any need for advocacy and other services, such as help with medication or support services.

Older men and women can also be at risk of harm, but older people are among the least likely to report it.

Many people don’t realise the different forms harm can take or how to access the range of help and support available. Harm may include:

physical harm
psychological harm
financial harm
sexual harm
neglect
institutional harm
domestic abuse

If a person who is a carer and receiving a payment for their caring, if they are perpetrating the abuse, then that abuse is reported to the police and Disclosure Scotland.

National Guidance for CP in Scotland 2021 – updated 2023

Adult Support and protection – Code of Practice

SHANARRI

Template Safeguarding Policy & Procedures for Scottish Churches