Internet safety for children and young people: national action plan

Children and young people who have suffered, or are at risk of, abuse are identified and supported

Contributory outcomes

• Appropriate support services are able to effectively respond to the needs of children and young people who have suffered online abuse
• Third sector and statutory agencies work collaboratively to identify and respond to risk
• Practitioners are supported to respond effectively to instances of online abuse
• Child Protection Committees have an evolving understanding of risks
• Professionals are able to effectively recognise and risk assess concerns around online behaviour
• Procedures for protecting children are correctly followed

What we're already doing

Through the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention Fund, the Scottish Government is currently providing funding (until 2018) to the following organisations:

• The Moira Anderson Foundation to provide therapeutic and on-going support to survivors of childhood sexual abuse and initial and on-going support to the children and young people referred to them. This is with the intention of providing effective support to survivors, helping parenting and family wellbeing and tackling problems as soon as risks emerge.
• Funding to NSPCC will support implementation in Scotland of Childline's improvement project "Doing More for Children". The project has responded to the rising and changing demand for Childline counselling and support services, to increase the number of counselling sessions and response rates, as well as the ways in which children and young people can seek support and resources from the service.
• Barnardo's Scotland to ensure that children and young people at risk of or affected by sexual exploitation are identified early and receive appropriate support. Barnardo's snapshot survey of a sample of its CSE services in 2016 found that 42% of the children supported by these services had been groomed online.

NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service ( CAMHS) clinicians are working in teams who offer a service to children and young people who present with moderate to severe mental health difficulties where a significant trauma history can be part of the picture. CAMHS clinicians would offer evidence based interventions such as trauma focussed CBT as part of the overall assessment and intervention approach. They will also provide systemic/ trauma informed interventions and training for settings where this would be appropriate such as working with residential units.

Stop to Listen , managed by Children 1st, is a pilot programme in four local authority areas: Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Perth and Kinross and North Ayrshire to make small changes to practice, with a view to ensuring that services are child centred when responding to all forms of child sexual abuse including abuse which takes place through the internet. As part of the planning for the pilots and the evaluation process they will talk to children and young people to capture the responses when children have spoken out about their abuse as well as their experience of child protection processes to hear about when this worked for them and when they felt that things could have been done better.

What we will do

18. The Scottish Government will work with the Marie Collins Foundation to pilot the CLICK: Path to Protection training module in Scotland, which is targeted at all professionals charged with safeguarding children who have been sexually abused and exploited online.

The Marie Collins Foundation is a UK charity enabling children who suffer sexual abuse and exploitation via internet and mobile technologies to recover and live safe, fulfilling lives. The Marie Collins Foundation works with children, families, practitioners, Government departments and industry to ensure the response to those harmed reflects current best practice.

BT and the Marie Collins Foundation announced a partnership to pilot a new programme that will equip all front-line workers to help children harmed in this way.

The pilot will be delivered in partnership with Education Scotland, the NHS, Police Scotland and third sector organisations.

19. The Scottish Government will work with NHS Education for Scotland to ensure that online abuse is reflected within their National Trauma Training Framework for professionals.

NHS Education for Scotland has been commissioned by the Scottish Government Survivor Scotland to deliver a National Trauma Training Framework. The goal of this work is to support the strategic planning and delivery of training for the Scottish Workforce who are working with survivors of trauma and complex trauma across different levels