History Children 1st was established from a case in New York in the 19th century where an eight year old girl was being abused by her adoptive parents, but because there was no laws that allowed any intervention this meant agencies couldn’t get involved. It was because of this case that Branches were set up in the UK, and in 1889 the Glasgow and Edinburgh branches joined together. (Children1st, n. ) Children 1st , was first known as ‘The Scottish National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (SNSPCC)’ from 1889 until 1895, it grew from the Glasgow society for the prevention of cruelty to children, (GSPCC) who joined with two Edinburgh based societies to form SNSPCC. In 1895 it changed to ‘The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Scottish Branch’, following the passing of the Children Act in 1894. It then reverted back to ‘SNSPCC’, in 1907, as Scotland wanted to resume its independence.
As the society kept developing into a nationwide organisation it was granted a Royal Charter, in 1922, and became ‘The Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (RSSPCC)’ and again changed in 1995 where it became ‘Children 1st’. The charity was set up initially to rescue children living rough on the streets but as it progressed they became better known for their investigating into neglect and abuse that was reported by the public. (Glasgow Caledonian University, Last Updated: 27 July, 2010) Objectives
Children 1st say “At CHILDREN 1ST, our vision is a happy, healthy, safe and secure childhood for every child and young person in Scotland. ” (Children 1st, n. d) Children 1st have 3 aims; * To be a strong public voice for vulnerable children and young people to influence public policy and opinion. * To provide and promote excellent services. * To maximise and effectively direct our resources. (Children 1st, VISION, MISSION, VALUES AND STRATEGIC PLAN 2008 – 2013) These aims will help Children 1st to fulfill their vision and also help them to protect and promote children’s rights.
Services and their effectiveness The services that Children 1st provide which I feel that equip children to protect themselves from abuse and exploitation are; * ‘Befriending’ gives the children an adult volunteer that will meet with the child once a week and make them feel loved. They give the child a chance to escape from their stressful home life. (Children 1st n. d) Befriending can be seen as effective as it gives the child an adult volunteer who will spend time with the child and allow them time away from the stress at home.
It also gives them some freedom and may give them experiences they wouldn’t get to live due to their home life. Not all children will be comfortable around new people, especially if they are having difficulties at home; they then may take time to adjust to the adult volunteer or may not trust them. This service is not provided through all of Scotland therefore every child will not be able to access it making it not so effective. * ‘Rights, Advocacy & Mediation’ help children who have been considered at risk.
It explains their rights and tells them what is happening to them, they are there if the child needs someone to talk to and they attend all meetings with the child and make sure the child has a say in their own future. (Children 1st n. d) This service is effective in protecting and promoting the rights of a child as it explains to them what their rights are and are given support as they go through meetings that will affect their future. However this is only given to children that are seen as being ‘at risk’ this means that children who are yet to be identified as being ‘at risk’ but may still need this type of help may not be offered it. The service ‘supporting young people’ helps young people that don’t have good family support. They help them to create a positive future for themselves and support them in a variety of ways. (Children 1st n. d) This is effective as it gives young people tools to change their future and something positive to look forward to. This is a chance for them to provide a future for themselves and achieve things they thought may not be possible. However, not every child may be able to find this service as it is not available everywhere in Scotland.
This makes it difficult for a child who doesn’t come from an area that runs this service to be supported this way. Overall, Children 1st does effectively assert their right to protection from exploitation as it has a variety of services throughout Scotland which help children learn about their rights and help to make sure these rights are protected. However not all services are provided in all councils meaning children may not get the service best needed to protect their rights.
