Scotland has its own child protection system, separate from England's. Here is how GIRFEC, the National Guidance for Child Protection, and the Children's Hearings System work — and who to contact.
Scotland does not use the England framework. There is no Keeping Children Safe in Education, no statutory 'Designated Safeguarding Lead', and no MASH. Instead, child wellbeing and protection are built around GIRFEC — Getting It Right For Every Child — the Scottish Government's national approach, and the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland (2021, updated 2023).
Day-to-day child protection is delivered by each council's social work service, working with Police Scotland and health services under a local Child Protection Committee. Scotland's most distinctive feature is the Children's Hearings System: where a child may need compulsory support or protection, the Children's Reporter (part of the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration, SCRA) decides whether to bring the child to a Children's Hearing — a tribunal of trained volunteer panel members that makes decisions in the child's best interests. It is not a criminal court.
สรุปสั้น
If you live in Scotland, the English terms you may read elsewhere — DSL, KCSIE, MASH, LADO — do not apply to you. Concerns about a child go to your local council's social work service or to Police Scotland, and schools follow GIRFEC and their local child protection procedures rather than KCSIE.
A concern is assessed by social work under GIRFEC, focusing on the child's wellbeing across eight indicators (the SHANARRI wellbeing wheel).
Where a child may need compulsory measures, the case is referred to the Children's Reporter, who decides whether to arrange a Children's Hearing.
A Children's Hearing is informal compared with a court: the child and family are present, and trained panel members make decisions about support or protection.
Most concerns are resolved through voluntary support and do not reach a hearing.
ความเชื่อ: The English system — DSL, KCSIE, MASH — applies in Scotland.
ความจริง: It does not. Scotland has its own framework: GIRFEC and the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland, plus the Children's Hearings System. Scottish schools do not have a statutory 'Designated Safeguarding Lead' in the KCSIE sense.
ความเชื่อ: A Children's Hearing is a criminal court that punishes the child.
ความจริง: A Children's Hearing is not a court and does not exist to punish. It is a tribunal of trained volunteer panel members focused entirely on the child's welfare and what support or protection they need.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
เนื้อหาต้นฉบับภาษาอังกฤษ: /safeguarding-system/safeguarding-in-scotland