The National Guidance for child protection states that all agencies have a responsibility to recognise and actively consider potential risks to a child, irrespective of whether the child is the main focus of their involvement or not.

How to report a concern

If you think a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999. If you're worried about a child but they are not in immediate danger, you should share your concerns in one of the following ways:

• Follow your agency child protection procedures. All organisations that work with children and families must have child protection/safeguarding policies and procedures in place.
• Contact Advice and Response 0141 777 3000.

Contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk

Glasgow and Partners Emergency Social Work Services number after Advice and Response 0300 343 1505

Local authorities have a legal duty to investigate concerns about a child and assess if they are at risk of harm.

If a child’s in immediate danger an order can be made through the Sheriff Court. Depending on the situation, one of the following actions may be taken:

• If a child isn’t considered to be in immediate danger then more information will be gathered. This will allow for an assessment of whether the child is at risk of suffering significant harm

After this assessment, the professionals involved will decide how to proceed. They may:

• Take no further child protection action if the child hasn’t been harmed and isn’t considered to be at risk of harm
• Carry out a joint investigation if the initial assessments suggest that the child may be at risk of significant harm. This aims to decide if any child protection action is needed and whether a Child Protection Planning Meeting (CPPM) should be held.

A Child Protection Planning Meeting (CPPM) is held if the child is assessed as being at risk of significant harm. This enables all the relevant professionals to share information, identify risks and outline what needs to be done to protect and keep the child safe.

The Child Protection Planning Meeting (CPPM) must take place within 28 days of the original referral to the Police or children’s social work.

If professionals at the CPPM decide a child is at risk of significant harm, they will add their name to the child protection register and develop a child protection plan.

Review Child Protection Planning Meetings (RCPPMs) should be held every six months, or sooner if the child’s circumstances change. The review RCPPM aims to:

• Assess the level of risk to the child
• Decide whether the child’s name still needs to be on the child protection register
• Agree what ongoing support the child and their family need (even if the child is no longer on the child protection register, the family might still need support).

The CPPM may decide that the best way to protect the child is through legal interventions - either to make sure they get the help they need or to take the child into care.

When that happens, the case is referred to the Children’s Reporter who will decide if there needs to be a children’s hearing for compulsory child protection measures.

Child protection register

The child protection register (CPR) is a confidential list of all children in the local area who have been identified as being at risk of significant harm. It allows authorised individuals to check if a child they are working with is known to be at risk.

If a child’s name is added to the CPR they must also have a child protection plan, which sets out what action needs to be taken by whom and when, in order to protect the child and promote their welfare.

The Children's Hearings System is Scotland's unique care and justice system for children and young people in need of care, protection and support.  

Panel Members take part in children's hearings. Their role is to listen and make legal decisions with and for:

• infants
• children
• young people

 They can decide:

• to give the child or young person a Compulsory Supervision Order – this can say who they should live with, and who they can see and when
• that formal, compulsory supervision measures are not needed and end the case
• that they need more information to help them make a decision about what's best

The Children's Reporter

The Children's Reporter is managed by the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration and the role of the Children's Reporter is to manage access to the Children's Hearing System. 

A Hearing is a meeting that takes place to decide what needs to be done in the best interest of the child.

Who decides if a child has to attend a hearing?

The Reporter to the Children's Panel is primarily responsible for recommending that a child attends a Hearing.

A Children's Reporter will receive a referral, on receiving a referral they will decide if compulsory measures of intervention are required and if so a Children's Hearing will be held. 

Referrals can be received from anyone who has a concern for a child's welfare and protection, including members of the public.

The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 outlines the legislative framework for the child protection system in Scotland. It covers parental responsibilities and rights, and the duties and powers local public authorities have for supporting and promoting the safety and welfare of children.

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 amends the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 to ensure children's rights are upheld.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, is progressing through the Scottish Parliament, with the ambition to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scottish law. This means that all public authorities throughout Scotland will have to comply with children’s rights in all the work they do.

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) 

This is the Scottish Government’s approach to making a positive difference for all children and young people in Scotland.

• Its principles help shape all policy, practice and legislation that affects children and their families.
• It provides a consistent way for people to support and work with all children and young people.
• It aims to improve outcomes for children and make sure that agencies work together to take action when a child is at risk or needs support.

This non-statutory guidance provides the current national framework for child protection and was updated in September 2021. The guidance sets out the responsibilities and expectations of everyone who works with children. This includes practitioners working in health, Police, third sector, local authority or education settings.