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.
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
Mind Of My Own believe that every child should be able to give voice to their lived experience – and be heard. They create fully accessible apps that provide a unique digital solution to advancing universal children’s rights; they are the only digital tool that comprehensively supports Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Mind Of My Own aim for all children’s voices to be heard and they co-produce their apps with young people. There are two apps included in Mind Of My Own that allow for the app to be accessible to as many care experienced young people as possible.
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 child or young person is feeling and allow them to feel connected and their vies listened to.
The app can be downloaded from an app store or by creating an account at mind of my own. This is a quick 3 step process, young people who wish to use the app independently are required to have access to a email to have an account. Children and young people if they do not have access to a email can be supported to use this alongside their worker on their profile.
Speaking about the use of Mind Of My Own in Aberdeen City Council, Andrea McGill, Service Manager, Integrated Children and Family Services said:
“As a local authority we are currently finding better ways of involving our children and young people more directly in their care planning. We were aware that the paper-based system being used was underutilised, with the young people feeling it was not the best system for them. Mind Of My Own offers better ways to engage with our young people in care and with care experienced in real time and in a relevant way.”
Children and young people are using the apps as an alternative way to vocalise problems and acknowledge good things in their life to celebrate.
A young person in Aberdeen who is currently using the app, said:
“Having the Mind Of My Own app has really helped because often when I have a problem, I need it fixed NOW but it can’t always be because my workers are busy or off, or it’s a weekend… So even if I’m having a tough day and feel like it can’t wait, I can rest easy knowing that my worker will see the report I sent via the app first thing in the morning or when they get to work and then it can start to be sorted. It also helps me because sometimes it’s hard for me to describe what’s happening or why I’m struggling… so writing it for someone to read makes it easier. The emojis help too because expressing how I’m feeling is something I find hard, I tend to hide it until I can’t cope anymore.”
If you are a child, young person or professional and have a question regarding Mind Of My Own please contact our local lead Megan Geddes at MeGeddes@aberdeencity.gov.uk. In addition to this Mind of My Own have a free resource which can be accessed, this has a number of video demonstrations and recorded workshops both including the views of young people and professionals.
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?
Information on Child Protection processes
What's the Child Protection Register?