A leading children’s charity has called for the Scottish Government to do more help victims of sexual abuse after an increase in offences reported to Police Scotland.

The number of child sex offences recorded by the force rose by nine per cent to 4,762 in 2016/17 with offences related to indecent images the most common form of crime.

An average of 13 reports a day were recorded by Police Scotland of the taking, possession and distribution of indecent images of children.

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NSPCC Scotland believes the increase in recorded offences could be linked to police forces improving their recording methods and survivors feeling more confident in disclosing abuse following high-profile cases.

It has urged the government to invest in recovery services and establish the ‘Children’s House’ as a long-term plan.

Research from NSPCC Scotland in November last year revealed that there is still no uniform response to tackling the consequences of abuse suffered by many survivors.

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The work found that the provision of therapeutic recovery services for survivors of child sexual abuse who disclose their ordeal are ‘patchy and inconsistent’, while their delivery is largely provided by the third sector.

NSPCC Scotland is calling for the establishment of a ‘Children’s House’ approach in Scotland to support children’s psychological and emotional recovery following childhood sexual abuse.

Matt Forde, national head of service for NSPCC Scotland, said: “These figures show a worrying trend in offending against children and should be a red flag to both the public and the government.

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“Sexual abuse can destroy a child’s life, leaving them feeling ashamed and depressed or even suicidal, so it takes incredible courage to come forward and report this to the authorities.

“That improved confidence is welcomed but our greatest concern is that, against this backdrop of increasing offending and reporting, our recent research of data and integrated children’s plans across the country found very little provision to help victims recover following sexual abuse.

“Many services that do exist are fragile, insecure and unable to meet demand and this picture has not changed in the past 10 years.

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“This has to change so children and young people who have been sexually abused can get the vital help they need to rebuild their lives.”

The NSPCC delivers specialist abuse intervention and prevention services via its Glasgow service centre and has Childline bases in Glasgow and Aberdeen to respond to the worries and concerns of young people across the UK.

The charity’s schools service also works with every local authority in Scotland to deliver its anti-abuse ‘Speak Out, Stay Safe’ project and since April last year more than 100,000 children in Scottish primaries have been encouraged to disclose abuse or speak out about anything that concerns them.

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