Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) 2019: list of places of safety

The Act gives police the power to take a child to a place of safety, but social work are best placed to determine the suitability and availability of places in their area. Local authorities have indicated the types of establishment which will be considered in each case and police should contact the local social work team who will determine the most appropriate place for a child as quickly as possible.

In all areas, the child’s normal place of residence can be used as a place of safety where the test for exercise of the power is met. Hospitals can also be used where medical issues have been identified. The Act permits a child to be taken to a police station, but only in exceptional circumstances, when all other options have been considered.

The information on this list will be reviewed on a quarterly basis but local authorities can provide updates by emailing: youth.justice@gov.scot.

Further information can be found in the statutory guidance on the use of a place of safety.

Aberdeen City

• bespoke arrangement as agreed by social work professionals as appropriate to child’s needs and context (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 0800 731 5520
Contact (out of hours): 0800 731 5520

Aberdeenshire

• a pool of practitioners to provide support/be a point of contact to enable a child to remain within their family network or a family friend (24 hours)
• local area Family Resource Centres (during working hours)
• specified Family Resource Centres (available out with office hours)
• foster care placements. (24 hours)
• self-contained emergency accommodation provided by Housing (24 hours)
• a pool of practitioners to support a child in a family resource centre or the self-contained accommodation (24 hours)

Working hours number: 01467 537111 
out of hours number: 03456 081206 

Angus

• arrangements for individual children will be made on a case by case basis using existing social work resources, the route into which is available on a 24 hour basis.

Contact (working hours - 08:30-16:30): 01241 467333/0345 277 7778
Contact (out of hours): 01382 307964

Argyll and Bute

• arrangements will be made on a bespoke basis

Contact (working hours): 01546 605517
Contact (out of hours): 01631 566491/ 01631 569712

City of Edinburgh

• alternative arrangement within extended family
• alternative arrangement out with immediate or extended family
• residential children’s house
• social care direct contact (working hours): 0131 200 2324
• emergency social care contact (out of hours): 0800 731 6969

Clackmannanshire

• internal and external foster care resources (24 hours)
• internal and external residential care resources (24 hours)
• home of a responsible person, including other family members and kinship arrangements (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01259 225000
Contact (out of hours): 01786 470500

Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar

• family Support Centre (Lewis and Harris - during working hours)
• social Work Offices (Lewis/Harris and Uist - during working hours)
• person within the family network (24 hours)
• family friend (24 hours)
• foster carer (24 hours)
• residential units (Lewis/Harris/Uist/Bara - 24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01851 600 501
Contact (out of hours): 01851 701 702

Dumfries and Galloway

• Hardthorn Road Children’s Care Home (24 hours)
• social work offices (Mon-Fri 08:30-17:00)
• person within the family network (24 hours)
• family friend (24 hours)
• kinship (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 030 33 33 3001
Contact (out of hours): 01387 273660

Dundee

• Seymour House (multi-agency child protection building - 24 hour access) 
• other resources available will depend on availability and assessment of need/risk, including:
  • kinship carers (24 hours)
  • foster carers (24 hours) 
  • residential houses (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01382 307940 / 01382 307999
Contact (out of hours): 01382 307964

East Ayrshire

• social work office (during working hours)
• children’s house (Montgomery House, Benrig House and Sunnyside House) (24 hours)
• family support centres (during work hours)
• nurseries (during working hours)
• childminder (during working hours)
• person within the family network (24 hours)
• family friend (24 hours)
• kinship carer (24 hours)
• foster carer (24 hours)
• residential unit (24 hours)
• school/community campus (during working hours)
• library(during working hours)
• sports centre/clubs (during working hours)
• community centre (during working hours)
• third sector support services (during working hours)
• places of worship (during working hours)
• church halls (during working hours)
• CAMHS (during working hours)
• child health clinics (during working hours)
• GP surgeries (during working hours)

Contact (working hours): 01563 554200 (Kilmarnock) / 01290 427840 (Cumnock)
Contact (out of hours): 0800 328 7758

East Dunbartonshire

• social work offices (during working hours)
• person within the family network (24 hours)
• family friend (24 hours)
• foster carer (24 hours)
• Ferndale residential unit (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 0300 123 4510
Contact (out of hours): 0300 343 1505

East Lothian

• Lothian Villa children’s houses (24 hours)
• Olivebank Child and family centre (office hours)
• foster carers (24 hours)
• schools (term time school opening hours)
• Randall House (children’s services office base) (office hours)
• Brunton Hall (ELC public office and co-located public protection office) (office hours)
• family friend/person in family network (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01875 824309 (0900-1600hrs on a Friday)
Contact (out of hours): 0800 731 6969

East Renfrewshire

• family with support from intensive services (24 hours)
• foster care with support from intensive services (24 hours)
• possible emergency places of safety (as future development) (24 hours)
• home of a responsible person, including other family members and kinship arrangements (24 hours)
• alternative responsible person identified out with immediate family/extended family (24 hours)
• social work office (working hours)
• internal or external foster placements
• family support centres (during work hours)
• nurseries (during working hours)
• school/community campus (during working hours)
• library(during working hours)
• sports centre/clubs (during working hours)
• third sector support services (during working hours)
• places of worship (during working hours)
• GP surgeries/ Health Centres (during working hours)

Contact (working hours): 0141 577 8300
Contact (out of hours): 0300 343 1505

Falkirk

• internal and external foster care resources (24 hours)
• internal and external residential care resources (24 hours)
• home of a responsible person, including other family members and kinship arrangements (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01324 506070
Contact (out of hours): 01786 470500

Fife

• foster care (24 hours)
• residential house (24 hours)
• person within the family network (24 hours)
• family friend (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 03451 551503
Contact (out of hours): 03451 550099

Glasgow

• alternative person/people within the extended family (24 hours)
• alternative person identified outwith immediate family/extended family (24 hours)
• residential children’s houses (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 0141 287 0555
Contact (out of hours): 0300 343 1505

Highland

• family/friends placement (24 hours)
• foster care (24 hours)
• residential care within the local authority (24 hours)
• bespoke provision within the local authority (24 hours)
• residential care out with the local authority (24 hours)

Contact (working hours):

• Youth Action Teams
• Dingwall (Mid Ross): 01349 868700
• Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey: 01463 256603
• Caithness: 01955 608123/608124
• East Ross (Alness): 01349 886909/ (Tain) - 01862 893021
• Inverness Central, Badenoch and Strathspey: 01667 422880
• Inverness West: 01463 644889
• Lochaber: 01349 781410
• Mid Ross: 01349 868700
• Skye, Lochalsh, W/Ross and Assynt: 01478 613825
• Sutherland and Disability North: 01408 635360

Contact (out of hours): 08081 753646

Inverclyde

• social work office (working hours)
• family members (24 hours)
• family friend with close connection (24 hours)
• foster carer (24 hours)
• residential Care (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01475 715365
Contact (out of hours): 0300 343 1505

Midlothian

• extended family (24 hours)
• young people’s houses (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 0131 271 6674
Contact (out of hours): 0800 731 6969

Moray

• joint child protection unit (available 24 hours 7 days a week)
• social work offices (during working hours)
• person within the family network

(24 hours)

• family friend (24 hours)
• foster carer (24 hours)
• residential units (for support) (24 hours) depending on needs of young people living there

Contact (working hours): 01343 554370
Contact (out of hours): 03457 565656

North Ayrshire

Locality Social Work offices (Mon-Thurs 09.00 – 16.45, Fri 09.00 – 16.30)

Ayrshire Out of Hours Service – outwith above hours, who can support with the below options

• person within the family network (24 hours)
• foster care (24 hours)
• children’s houses (24 hours)

​​​​Contact (working hours) -  01294 310300
Contact (out of hours) -  0800 328 7758

North Lanarkshire

• intensive family support centre

(during office hours/evening and weekends (not overnight))

• emergency foster carer resource/family or kinship carer (overnight)
• children’s houses (overnight)

Contact (working hours): 01236 638500
Contact (out of hours): 0800 121 4114

Orkney

• social work offices (or other suitable Council Office) – during office hours
• family member – 24 hours
• close family friend – 24 hours
• foster carer – 24 hours
• children’s house – 24 hours

Contact (working hours): 01856 873535

Contact (out of hours): 01856 888000

Perth and Kinross

• family and friends (24hrs)
• 24-hour support base for young people(non-residential facility which can be made available 24/7)
• other social work offices
• foster carer (24hrs)

Contact (working hours): 01738 476768
Contact (out of hours): 01738 476290

Renfrewshire

• social work Office (during working hours)
• residential children’s houses (24 hours)
• throughcare base (24 hours)
• youth support base(24 hours)
• extended family (24 hours)
• foster care (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 0300 300 1199
Contact (out of hours): 0300 343 1505

Scottish Borders

• arrangements will be made on a bespoke basis given the small scale of resources available

Contact (working hours): 01896 662787
Contact (out of hours): 01896 752111

Shetland Islands

Shetland does not have a permanent place of safety. Requests for a place of safety will be considered on an individual basis and an appropriate placement identified at the time.

Contact (working hours): 01595 744420
Contact (out of hours): 01595 695611

South Ayrshire

• foster placement (24 hours)
• children’s home (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01292 267675
Contact (out of hours): 0800 328 7758

South Lanarkshire

Placements are based on the individual needs of the child on a case-by-case basis.

• Locality social work offices (during working hours) South Lanarkshire’s Councils Emergency Social Work Services out with office hours.
• family friend (24 hours)
• foster carer (24 hours)
• residential units (depending on suitability/availability) (24 hours)
• bespoke staffed flat depending on suitability/availability (24 hours)
• home of a responsible person (such as a family friend)
• internal or external foster placements

Contact (working hours): 03031 231008
Contact (out of hours): 03031 231008

Stirling

• internal and external foster care resources (24 hours)
• internal and external residential care resources (24 hours)
• home of a responsible person, including other family members and kinship arrangements (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01786 471177
Contact (out of hours): 01786 470500

West Dunbartonshire

• children’s houses (24 hours)
• foster care (24 hours)
• social work offices (during working hours)
• family support service (24 hours)
• local community flat (24 hours)
• family network or family friend (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 0141 562 8800
Contact (out of hours): 0300 343 1505

West Lothian

• kinship care/relatives/family friend (24 hours)
• internal resources: foster carers, residential houses and respite facilities (24 hours)
• external provision: external fostering/residential care provision (24 hours)
• secure care provision (24 hours)

Contact (working hours): 01506 284440
Contact (out of hours): 01506 281029