This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New guidelines for most vulnerable children
29/07/2003
New ways of offering greater protection and support for
some of Scotland's most vulnerable children and young
people were outlined today.
An expert group set up by the Executive has produced
new guidelines aimed at improving the help, support and
protection for those who run away from home or who are
sexually exploited through prostitution.
The guidelines, which aim to raise the profile of these
groups among senior managers of children's services and
encourage a more joined up and consistent approach, state
that:
- The welfare and safety of children and young people
must be paramount when decisions are being made about
them
- Preventative action should be taken to tackle the
underlying causes of running away and child
prostitution
- Agencies must work in partnership with children and
young people, parents and carers and each other
- Advertising of helplines such as Childline should
be increased in areas where young runaways are likely
to congregate, such as railway and bus stations
- Child prostitution should be recognised as abuse
and that the weight of the criminal justice system used
against adults who sexually exploit children for
prostitution
- Further research should be carried out to uncover
the true extent of child prostitution.
Launching the guidelines at the Running Other Choices
(ROC) project in Glasgow, Deputy Minister for Young People
Euan Robson said:
"All children deserve the opportunity to grow up in a
safe and caring environment and to be protected from harm.
We all have a responsibility to make sure that happens.
"The guidelines being published today aim to offer
better support and protection to two of the most vulnerable
groups of children and young people - runaways and those
exploited through prostitution.
"Child prostitution robs children - boys as well as
girls - of their childhood. We know it goes on but all too
often it happens behind closed doors - a hidden shame. We
will, as a matter of priority, be undertaking research to
uncover the true extent of the problem."
Sheila Ramsay, Head of Children's Services Operations at
Barnardo's Scotland and a member of the expert group,
said:
"The emphasis on the shared responsibility of all
agencies towards these children and the necessity of
effectively working together is vital. We particularly
welcome the explicit acknowledgement that adults who
exploit children through prostitution are child abusers and
that children are not involved through choice."
Anne Houston, ChildLine Scotland Director and also a
member of the group, said:
"This report highlights the fact that many children and
young people run away from home for a number of reasons -
mainly personal problems, family conflict, abuse or
problems at school. These same problems come top of the
list of issues that prompt children and young people to
phone our helpline. We are particularly pleased to note the
emphasis of the fact that it is not just children and young
people in accommodation who choose to run away - but also
children living in the family home."
Kelly Bayes, Head of Policy at Aberlour Childcare Trust,
said:
"We welcome the guidelines and hope it will lead to all
agencies working together to develop accessible, child
focused and responsive supports and services to young
runaways who, to date, have been an invisible but highly
vulnerable group of children and young people."
A steering group made up of representatives from
voluntary and statutory agencies was set up in January 2002
to look at ways of improving help and support for
vulnerable children and young people who could be
susceptible to running away or sexual exploitation through
prostitution.
An interim report was published for consultation in
December 2002 (
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2002/12/SEed166.aspx). The final report is published today, including
guidelines and protocols on young runaways and sexual
exploitation through prostitution, and is available on the
publications section of the Scottish Executive website.
The guidelines will feed into the three year child
protection reform programme which was announced in November
2002. As part of this, £500,000 is already being provided
to enable Childline Scotland to open up a new call centre
and increase by up to 60 per cent the number of children
they are able to help. A copy of the news release can be
found at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2002/11/SEED139a.aspx
Running Other Choices (ROC) is based in Glasgow and is
run by Aberlour Child Care Trust. It offers confidential
help to young people who are on the brink of running away
or who have left home already.