3.1.1 Support for staff and volunteers
Thinking about and/or dealing with child protection concerns can be challenging on many levels.
If you don’t have policies or procedures in place or, are reviewing what you have, make sure you involve the right people. Depending on your organisation this could include:
All staff require induction and regular training, refreshers and updates which will help embed safeguarding and child protection into the organisation and provide guidance on responding to concerns. The designated officer may require enhanced training and ongoing support.
It is important that the designated officer is able to access regular support though supervision, but also debrief if there are any challenging or upsetting incidents.
As mentioned in 1.1 , there is a move to taking a more trauma-informed approach to delivering services and activities in Scotland and part of this includes being supportive of staff and volunteers. If you build this approach into your work from the outset, it can only benefit and help staff or volunteers manage some of the challenges that can arise when dealing with child protection issues.
3.1.2 Recruitment of staff and volunteers
Recruiting the right people for working with children and young people is probably one of the most important decisions that organisations working with them will make. It is vital to ensure that the employees and volunteers that you choose have the necessary experience and skills but, most importantly, it is essential to ensure that they don’t present a risk to the children and young people you offer a service to.
A sound recruitment system contributes to protecting children and young people from harm, makes it much more likely that you will employ the most suitable candidates, and helps parents and carers to feel comfortable about entrusting their children with you.
Any procedures that you put in place should be followed in a consistent way with every applicant, whether they are applying for a paid or a voluntary position.
Try not to see the adoption of comprehensive procedures as burdensome and a barrier to recruiting staff and volunteers; it is an essential element of the work that you do and should be second nature to you as a safe organisation.
One of the best ways to make sure that issues relating to children and young people, including child protection, are effectively embedded in an organisation and its recruitment processes, is to allow the children and young people themselves to be involved in the selection of new staff.
This is an empowering approach which sends out clear messages that you place importance on the engagement of children and young people at all levels.
You should assess all posts in relation to ‘regulated roles’ with children and protected adults. Any employees or volunteers who are involved in or undertaking regulated roles with children and protected adults will be required to be in membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme and to apply for related records from Disclosure Scotland.
Please check out section 4.3 for details of the steps to follow for safer recruitment and further information about the PVG Scheme and regulated work.
Please note that from 1 April 2025 membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme became a legal requirement in Scotland. Any individual who is to carry out a regulated role (paid or voluntary) with children, protected adults or both, must be a member of the PVG scheme, prior to carrying out that role PVG scheme is now a legal requirement - Disclosure Scotland
3.1.3 Induction, training and supervision for staff
When an applicant is successful you may wish to consider giving them a specified trial period before the appointment is confirmed. This provides you with a chance to observe the applicant at work with children and also gives the applicant a chance to decide whether this type of work is right for them.
Any new member of staff or volunteer, or someone moving into a new post that involves direct work with children, should receive an induction into the role that includes child protection. This may be through discussion and reading but it would be helpful to consider what other training may meet their needs.
Training for new or current staff can be undertaken in several ways depending on the circumstances and available resources.
For example, NSPCC does an online ‘Introduction to Child Protection’ course which is completed on an individual basis while there are various other training events available covering a range of child protection related topics. Some more details can be found in section 4.4 .
While it is of great importance that you consider child protection issues when recruiting staff, it is as important that staff and volunteers, once in post, are formally supervised on a regular basis. As well as observing how staff and volunteers interact with children, regular structured supervision meetings are valuable in ensuring that children are safe and that the service is of good quality.
These supervision sessions should provide an opportunity to satisfy those in charge that the children are safe, for staff and volunteers to raise issues about which they are concerned, and to identify staff and volunteer training and support needs. They can be organised on a group or individual basis.
The extent to which you implement these procedures should be proportionate to the size and nature of your organisation. You should, however, try to follow as many of the suggestions above as you are reasonably able to.
If you are self-employed, a freelance worker or an individual artist, then you should try to find alternative sources of support through commissioners or networks and attend the appropriate level of training.
3.1.4 Adult to child ratios in settings
If you are running a service that is registered with the Care Inspectorate or have been commissioned to undertake work with children by a service registered with this body, you will be required to adhere to the adult to child ratios set down in the Guidance on adult to child ratios in early learning and childcare settings .
Outside of these registered settings, there are no specific guidance for individuals or organisations. As a helpful guide, the NSPCC recommends always having two adults present where possible and the following adult to child ratios:
Actual numbers will depend on the activity you are delivering, your location as well as the needs and abilities of the children and young people. You should carry out a risk assessment for planned activities which will take these issues into account – see the next section.
If you are self-employed, a freelance working or an individual artist, you should follow the processes put in place by the organisation employing you. If you are working alone, you should develop a Lone Working Policy which should include information about the expectations when working with children. To help you write this, the following are useful sources of information:
3.1.5 Assessing risks for settings or activities
Risk assessment has become well embedded in the planning and delivery of activities when working with children and young people. Official guidance will encourage you to focus on the benefits of an activity as well as considering the risks.
This approach helps to ensure that focus on minimising risk does not prevent children enjoying the healthy range of opportunities that are so important for their development as well as enabling them to develop the ability to assess risk themselves.
It is also important to keep in mind that risk assessment and appropriate management also supports staff and volunteers, minimising risk for them personally and professionally.
A really helpful mindset to take a proportionate approach is to be risk aware not risk averse.
Creative Scotland has a section on our website on managing risks which includes a couple of helpful templates to use. It flags three steps to managing risk:
Identify. This means thinking through your project or activity to establish potential threats to its successful delivery.
Assess. This means thinking about the severity of each risk, and how probable it is that the risk might actually occur.
Control. This means devising a plan to reduce the likelihood of the risk occurring, and/or to reduce the severity of the effects if the risk occurs.
It is good practice to involve children in assessing risk. Teaching children the skills they need to assess risk for themselves will enhance their sense of safety and security and help develop confidence, independence and resilience. Include children in discussion about likely risks, who might be affected by them and what safety measures could be introduced to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.
The Play Safety Forum (a consortium of Play England, Play Scotland, Play Wales and PlayBoard Northern Ireland) have produced a very useful guidance document on undertaking a risk benefit assessment. It includes information on the approach, definitions and an adaptable template. The guidance can be accessed on the Play Safety Forum website .
Depending on the size and type of your organisation or the group that you are working with, you may be required to comply with health and safety legislation. The Health and Safety Executive sets out all relevant legislation and provides general health and safety advice.
In the event of any accidents occurring, ensure that you have a procedure in place for recording the incident, any action that was taken and by whom. In some circumstances, it is a requirement to report incidents to the Health and Safety Executive and pass on the record under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) .
You should record the following information in the event of an incident:
If you are self-employed, a freelance worker or an individual artist working within a different organisation, then you will need to be aware of their risk assessment processes and ensure any incidents are reported to them.
3.2 Dealing with concerns
This section provides information that will help shape your child protection procedures and provide some direction on what to do in certain situations.
Artistic and cultural programmes, by their very nature, encourage children and young people to express thoughts, feelings and emotions. In this context children may express personal things about themselves. This is likely to be very positive and exciting but could also relate to fears or concerns that they have and could also include disclosures of abuse.
There is also the possibility that a worker or volunteer may spot what could be physical signs of abuse or, over time, see changes in a child or young person’s behaviour that may be an indicator.
These situations make it even more important for adults who work with children in an artistic, creative or cultural setting to be aware of child abuse and how to respond to children who may be suffering harm. However, it is important to remember that physical signs or changes in behaviour may have a very innocent explanation.
Even with policy and procedure in place, it can still sometimes feel hard to know what to do. Please remember you can call the confidential NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 to discuss your concerns and you should be able to have a confidential discussion with your local social work duty desk as well. Do remember that any immediate concerns must be reported without delay.
3.2.1 Professional curiosity
As previously mentioned, it is not your job to decide if something is abuse or if it has happened – you need to report it. But we need to be prepared to think the unthinkable, keep an open mind, not make assumptions or accept things at face value and always be mindful that it could happen here (whatever 'it' may be). In short, we need to be professionally curious, always asking 'what if...' and challenging our perceptions.
3.2.2 Responding to a child who has told you they have been, or are being, harmed
A child or young person may tell you that someone has or is mistreating them in some way. This is often referred to as ‘disclosure’ of abuse. It is important to acknowledge that children and young people often choose to tell you what is happening to them at unexpected times and in unexpected ways. It might also happen that a child, or adult, discloses that they have concerns about another child.
It is important to consider how you would respond to children should they disclose information like this to you.
Child abuse is something that can and does make many people feel uncomfortable. Most of us would not like to believe that an adult we know could cause harm to a child, but it can and does happen. There are things that we can do to help children and young people to feel safe and comfortable should they disclose abuse to us.
If a child or young person comes to you and makes a disclosure of abuse, here are some important things to remember:
Never promise a child that you will not tell anyone what they have told you. Explain that your concern for their wellbeing requires you to pass this information on but that it will be handled confidentially, and it will only be reported to those people that need to be told. If possible, tell them who will be told and, to the best of your knowledge, explain to them what will happen next.
Be neutral and non-judgmental. If a child is telling you about harm or abuse they may have suffered, this can be difficult to hear but it is important that any reactions you might have are kept to a minimum. Remember that they may be telling you about something scary or frightening that has happened to them and your calm, neutral and supportive reaction is important.
Do not press the child for more information. You should not ask any leading questions, for example “did **** do this to you?”. Allow the child to tell their story, you only need to establish the basics of what happened and whether the child is at immediate risk. For example, is the adult the child is talking about the one that they will be going home to today? You just need to establish how urgent it is that any action is taken.
Keep in mind that the child may have been told not to tell anyone. Sometimes people who abuse children and young people will threaten them, or someone they care about, with further harm if they tell anyone. Reassure the child that they have done the right thing in telling you and that you and others are going to help them. There are lots of reasons why children may be afraid to tell. They may have been bribed not to tell, made to feel that they are to blame for what has happened, threatened with, or experienced, actual violence from the abuser, and/or made to feel afraid of what might happen to the abuser as they could be someone that they know and care about.
Write down what a child has told you as soon as possible. Be careful to ensure that your notes accurately reflect what the child or young person said and the circumstances in which they told you about it. This record may become evidence in a police investigation and will need to be kept confidentially, in line with your organisation’s recording and storage policies.
Report this information to your designated officer and / or the one in the organisation you are working with. It is the responsibility of this person to pass the information to the appropriate authorities outside your organisation, such as the police or local authority, and to consult with them on any immediate action that should be taken to ensure the safety of the child. However, if this person is unavailable, it is your responsibility to contact one of the core agencies without delay. Remember, it is not your responsibility to investigate or decide if abuse has or has not occurred.
If you are self-employed, a freelance worker or individual artist, make sure you are clear about how you will respond. Do not wait until a situation arises, prepare your response to such situations in advance. This could involve discussions with the local social work duty desk or the NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000). However, any immediate concerns that you have about a child should be reported to your local authority or the police.
3.2.3 Responding to concerns about a child when they have not disclosed anything
You may become concerned about a child because of something you notice, even though they have not told you that anything is wrong. This could be physical signs of what could be abuse or changes in behaviour or attitude.
The following is a list of warning signs that may indicate something is wrong:
Signs that a child is not being cared for properly, such as consistently being inappropriately dressed for the weather, hunger, or poor personal hygiene.
It is very important to remember that these indicators do not conclusively mean that a child is being abused or neglected, though they may be reasons for some concern. Your concern should be raised if there does not appear to be a satisfactory explanation.
There may, for example, be a reasonable explanation for changes in behaviour, a child may be sad due to a family bereavement, or angry because they have had an argument with a friend. We do know that children who have been abused may sometimes react in some or all of these ways. These indicators characterise ‘red flags’ for you to pay closer attention to in your work with children.
If you are concerned about a child, ask their family/carer if there is a reasonable explanation. If they are unable to provide a reasonable explanation, or you continue to be concerned, discuss your observations with the designated officer in the organisation you are working with, who will act accordingly.
If you are self-employed, a freelance worker or individual artist, make sure you are clear about what steps you will take – this could include a discussion with the NSPCC Helpline (0808 800 5000) or local social work duty desk.
The fact that a concern has been raised should be recorded, whether or not any further action is taken.
Use your professional judgement and don’t keep things to yourself. Remember, it is not your role to determine whether or not abuse or neglect has taken place. You should always err on the side of caution and think ‘what if I am right’.
3.2.4 What to do if allegations or concerns are about another child or young person
Allegations or concerns regarding the abuse of a child by another child need to be responded to with particular sensitivity. This may be very difficult for you, your staff or volunteers, but they must be treated seriously and should be dealt with through the child protection process.
Children and young people who abuse others are likely to have considerable needs themselves and may pose a significant risk of harm to other children. These should be considered and taken into account, with support needing to be put in place for them.
Where a worker is concerned that a child may have abused another child it is important that an immediate report is made to the appropriate designated officer and the child protection lead in the host organisation (if this is where activities are taking place). This should be done as soon as possible and followed up in writing.
3.2.5 What to do if a child makes an allegation against a member of staff or volunteer
This is perhaps one of the most difficult areas to consider. It may not be easy to accept that child abuse could occur within your organisation and/or that someone you know and work with could cause harm to a child.
If a child tells you that someone in your organisation has caused them harm, this should be treated in the same way as any other disclosure a child may make. The information should be passed onto the designated officer and handled in the same fashion. This will ensure that the allegations are treated in a consistent and fair manner.
The only time this won’t be the case is if the concern is about the designated officer themselves. If this is the case, then it should be discussed with a senior member of staff in your organisation.
Once again, if you are self-employed, a freelance worker or individual artist, make sure you are clear about what steps you will take in this instance – discussion with the NSPCC Helpline (0808 800 5000) or local social work duty desk.
Staff and volunteers need to be made aware of the procedure that will be followed in the event of an allegation being made against them. These procedures and processes are in place, first and foremost, to protect and promote the wellbeing of children, but they also provide staff and volunteers with the assurance that there is a consistent and predictable response to allegations of child abuse.
If an allegation is made against a staff member or volunteer, you should consider suspending the individual from work with the organisation until the situation has been investigated. If you are unsure of what action to take, it would be appropriate to seek guidance from the police and/or local authority. In some areas there are dedicated multi-agency child protection teams who have special expertise in child protection work.
Remember that the most important thing to consider here is the wellbeing and best interests of the child.
It is also important to make sure that the designated officer and any other staff involved can get the support they require.
3.2.6 What to do if you continue to have concerns
If you feel that the designated officer is not taking your concern seriously then you should raise it with them again and remind them of their responsibility to pass on the concern. If they still do nothing with it, you should speak to one of your senior members of staff. If this is not possible, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline (0808 800 5000) and talk through your concerns or contact one of the core agencies directly.
If you are the designated officer and feel that the local authority or police are not responding to your concern, please re-refer the concern while advising that you continue to have concerns. Advise your line manager that this is happening. Ring the NSPCC Helpline (0808 800 5000) if it would be helpful to talk it through. They can also make referrals to the local authority.
