Charity says it cannot hope to meet demand in full
More money has to be spent on helping children in Scotland who have been abused or neglected a national charity has claimed.
Children 1st says it believes many children are unable to get the help they need as organisations such as itself are having to rely on the generosity of donors to fund their work.
Although not specifying a number of children missing out on help Children 1st chief executive Alison Todd says the level of need is so great it cannot meet it.
The level of need is so great that even a national charity such as Children 1st cannot hope to meet it in full
Alison Todd
She is calling on all political parties to promise in their manifestos for next year’s Holyrood elections that they will make changes in order to guarantee that every child who has experienced abuse or neglect will have access to support.
“Abuse and neglect leaves children with lasting emotional scars,” she said.
“Recovery is possible, with support. Yet sadly in Scotland many children are unable to get the help they need, when they need it. And, as pressures on public funding continue, we’re concerned that what support is available could be eroded.
“There are no short-cuts; recovery support takes time, empathy, commitment and consistency.
“Our efforts depend heavily on the generosity of donors, including the fantastic support we received from players of the People’s Postcode Lottery who last year gave us more than £575,000. But the level of need is so great that even a national charity such as Children 1st cannot hope to meet it in full.”
Last year alone the charity helped almost 600 people to express their feelings and make sense of their experiences, with 90% being classed as going on to achieve a better emotional health.
One such young person whose recovery Children 1st is supporting is Millie, who was abused by an adult cousin from age five,
Writing to the staff member who supports her she said she wouldn’t be alive without the help she got.
“I felt scared. Lost. I didn’t feel loved,” she wrote.
“If it wasn’t for you and Children 1st I don’t think I would have been here where I am today.
“Thank you I really appreciate all the help, and would love it if we could carry on until you feel I don’t need any more help or do.”
As part of its call for more support to be made available Children 1st has set out a 10 specific changes it believes are necessary.
These include reviewing the child protection system in Scotland, mitigating welfare reforms to reduce child poverty and prioritising early intervention.
Todd added: “We believe every child who has experienced abuse, neglect and other traumatic events in childhood should have a guaranteed right to high quality recovery support; for them, and for their families.
“This should be a priority issue in the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary elections - but the time for our politicians to show leadership is now, as they write their manifestos.”
