Summit to be held on child abuse

The meeting is ahead of the Scottish Government launching a campaign on child sexual exploitation later this year.

Senior police officers said the national international and on line element of child abuse pose a challenge to policing but a new National Child Abuse Investigation Unit will help officers bring abusers to justice.

A report last year by Jackie Brock, chief executive of Children in Scotland, recommended the summit to ensure different agencies were aware of their roles and responsibilities ahead of a new national action plan which has been presented to the Scottish Parliament.

Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, Police Scotland lead for Public Protection said: "As Police Scotland, we bring a consistent approach to tackling offending against children in all its forms: child abuse or child sexual exploitation, and increasingly, online offending which can add an international dimension to our investigations.

"Prevention has to be our focus going forward and we are committed to working collaboratively with our local partners, both statutory and non-statutory and within local communities, to identify where there is risk and to take a proactive, multi agency approach to protecting children and young people. More than anything we must listen to young people and build their confidence that they will be heard and that we will act."

Mr Graham said the new National Child Abuse Investigation Unit will be deployed into each of the 14 policing divisions designed to deal with complex enquiries and as part of the local multi agency response to child protection.

He added "We must act now to ensure we offer the best protection to all of our children and young people. This summit is a welcome step in that direction."

The Scottish Government said the aim was to ensure children were safe and to prevent them becoming victims.

Angela Constance, Education Secretary, said: "This week's summit, our wide ranging national action plan and the commissioning of the Jackie Brock report are a few of a number of steps we are taking to protect our children. Our public information campaign to be launched this year will build on this activity to safeguard young people at risk before they become targets of this terrible crime."

Councils, the Care Inspectorate and other agencies including the Scottish Ambulance service will be represented at the summit in Edinburgh on Wednesday, along with other children's charities.

Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo's Scotland, said: "We are pleased to be contributing to this important event which demonstrates a serious commitment to tackling the horrendous crime of child sexual exploitation."

"We know it is vital that all agencies work together to both support children and tackle the perpetrators of these vile crimes."