The Scottish Government is funding a new service to help young people across the country who have experienced criminal activity.
It comes as the Record's Our Kids ... Our Future campaign demands a nation-wide crackdown on youth violence after a sickening spate of brutal attacks on teens. We have been calling on the Scottish Government to ring-fence funding for youth resources while we continue to challenge social media giants to remove harmful online content prior to the point of circulation.
The programme, called SAFE Service, will give young people and their families access to free care and guidance. Kibble, a care provider for children and young people in Scotland, has been appointed as the facilitator of the initiative, which will be run by a team of psychologists and psychotherapists who will support victims and witnesses.
The move is welcomed by Angela Jarvis, 43, whose daughter Abbie was beaten unconscious in a skatepark in Glasgow on October 4, 2022. Abbie, who is autistic, was hospitalised for two days following the beating and has since been diagnosed with PTSD.
She told the Record: "It's great that the Scottish Government is clearly listening to the demands of the Our Kids ... Our Future campaign. It's brilliant to see that they want to help and it's good to know that child victims haven't been abandoned."
However, Angela added the Scottish Government must remain focused on tackling perpetrators of youth violence.
She continued: "The Government still needs to look at the bigger picture and get to the bottom of the problem itself. We also need to prevent these attacks from taking place. Services like Kibble will be inundated with victims, so we must make sure they are not facing long waiting lists because we aren't doing enough to stop the violence."
SAFE Service will be available to access online or face-to-face, depending on the needs of the young person and their family. Services will also be offered in the family home, at Kibble's Paisley base or within the community.
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “The Scottish Government’s Victim Centred Approach Fund delivers a key Programme for Government commitment to ensure victims’ rights are at the heart of the justice system and to improve the advice, information and support available to them. Every child victim or witness has the right to consistent and holistic support, to access specialist services and to recover from their experiences.
“SAFE Service continues to build on work already underway to improve the lives of children, young people, adults and families have access to the trauma-informed support they need to avoid the risk of further trauma and more serious long-term consequences.”
Jim Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer at Kibble, said: "We are acutely aware of the need for a comprehensive and rounded support service for children and young people across Scotland which is why we are proud to have been awarded funding for the SAFE Service.
“Young people who have experienced or witnessed criminal activity should have an open door to support services but we know that is not always the case. The SAFE Service will look to help fill that void and allow young people – and professionals – easy access to industry leading support and guidance that is tailored to the needs of the individual.”
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