A new campaign has been launched to encourage people to speak up if they are concerned about the welfare of any child or young person.
This new campaign urges everyone to be alert to signs that all is not well for some children, and to take action if they’re worried that something is wrong.
As pandemic restrictions continue to affect all children and families across the country, a new Scotland-wide multi-agency digital child protection campaign has launched based around the key message 'it’s always better to say something than do nothing'.
This digital campaign has been developed by Child Protection Committees Scotland in conjunction with Barnardo’s Scotland, NSPCC Scotland and Police Scotland.
As Scotland’s children settle back into the school routine and slowly begin to return to clubs and out-of-school activities, the month-long campaign aims to raise awareness that while lockdown and the pandemic has been hard going for many families and children, it’s been a lot more challenging for some families than others.
Families who were struggling to cope before the pandemic may have been pushed to crisis point during lockdown, and even the most settled families will have faced new challenges during this time.
Take action
Some children and young people may have experienced trauma for the first time, and some may have experienced neglect and abuse. This new campaign urges everyone to be alert to signs that all is not well for some children, and to take action if they’re worried that something is wrong.
The ad campaign features three digital “adverts” posted across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and points to a new campaign webpage on the Child Protection Scotland website.
East Lothian Council's Cabinet member for Education and Children's Services Councillor Shamin Akhtar said: "I'm really pleased to see this campaign launch to raise awareness of this important issue. It's everyone's responsibility to help keep our children and young people safe. Our Children's Services and Education teams area have worked tirelessly over the last few months to continue to support families. Lockdown experiences will be different for everyone and, sadly, for some of our children and young people it will have been a traumatic time. I would encourage everyone to look at this campaign and its messages and find out what they should do if they are concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of any child or young person in our area."
A new campaign has been launched to encourage people to speak up if they are worried about a child's welfare