Children 1st, previously known as the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, is a Scottish

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

which aims to give every child in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

a safe and secure childhood. Children 1st supports families under stress, protects children from harm and neglect, promotes children's rights and helps children recover from abuse.

History

The official history of the society ignores the role of Emma Stirling which the

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

believes may be due to her gender or a legal dispute, but it was Stirling who created the first, and later eight homes for abused and neglected Scottish children in 1884.Philip Girard, 'Stirling, Emma Maitland (1838/9–1907)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 9 Aug 2017
/ref> Another source agrees that Stirling's Edinburgh society was the precursor of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The New York society believe that the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children has its origins in the anti cruelty movement that grew in America in the 19th century. Following a landmark lawsuit, in which the

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective mea ...

took a case under animal cruelty legislation against two New Yorkers for abusing an eight-year-old child, Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children sprang up on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1884, there was a home for abused children in Edinburgh. It was beginning to be understood that there was a considerable amount of abuse being perpetrated on children in the UK. In order to counter this, the first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was established in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Following on from this creation in England branches began to be set up throughout

and in 1889, the

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

branches joined to form the Scottish National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Even in 1913, Dundee SPCC was considering whether it was appropriate for a 'lady representative' to sit on its board, and asked Mary H.J. Henderson to organise this. In the same year, the first Act of Parliament for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was passed. In 1893 the Scottish Children's League of Pity was formed as a junior and fund-raising branch. The

NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity founded as the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC) by Thomas Agnew on 19 April 1883. The NSPCC lobbies t ...

also began to come into existence around this time and now operates in England,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. Although the two charities are completely separate organisations, they work together to improve the lives of children and families throughout the UK.

Name change

In 1921 the Scottish National Society received

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

and became the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In its early incarnation the society was set up to rescue children living rough and begging on the streets, in later years the Society became better known for investigating

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...

and neglect. In 1968 new legislation gave responsibility for investigating child abuse to local authority

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

departments. As a result, the role of the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children changed. However, it was some years before the charity changed its name to reflect this change in role, adopting the campaigning name Children 1st in 1995.

Children and family services

Today, Children 1st provides 46 services in 17 local authority areas as well as four national services including ''ParentLine Scotland'' which is the free, national telephone helpline for anyone with a concern about a child. Between April 2007 and March 2011 Children 1st operated ChildLine Scotland on behalf of the

. Children 1st has pioneered the use of the

Family Group Conference Definition Family Group Conferencing (FGC) is one of the three most important restorative justice practices, the other two being victim-offender mediation and circles. Following a crime or harm, FGC aims to provide a route for reconciliation t ...

in Scotland, and also provides a befriending service "Bfriends", several local family support services, a number of abuse and trauma recovery services across Scotland, and the national ''Safeguarding in Sport'' service.

Campaigns

Children 1st also campaigns and lobbies on behalf of children and young people in Scotland. The campaigning priorities of Children 1st build on the work of its services. The organisation is part of campaigning coalitions, including ''Children Are Unbeatable!'', which campaigns for an end to physical punishment, and ''Justice for Children'', which campaigns for better conditions for children giving evidence in court.

Kilts for Kids

''Kilts for Kids'' is a year-round fundraising event celebrating all things Scottish. Hamish the Highland Coo was launched as the mascot for this fundraising drive on 30 August 2012.http://www.children1st.org.uk/225/news/439/hamish-launches-fundraising-moo-ve Since 2008, thousands of people have taken part in Kilts for Kids organising their own Scottish-themed fundraising event. The first Kilts for Kids event was launched in

on 19 September 2008 with the support of media personality

Kaye Adams Kaye Rintoul Adams (born 28 December 1962) is a Scottish television presenter and journalist. She was an anchor on ITV topical discussion show ''Loose Women'' from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2013 and was a regular panellist on Channel 5's d ...

, and comedians

Karen Dunbar Karen Dunbar (born 1 April 1971) is a Scottish comedian, actress and writer. She first appeared on television on the BBC Scotland sketch comedy series ''Chewin' the Fat'' (1999–2002) and was subsequently given her own show by the channel, ''Th ...

and Sanjeev Singh Kohli.

References

External links

CHILDREN 1ST websiteBfriends websiteSafeguarding in Sport websiteKinship Care Service website
{{Authority control Children's charities based in Scotland 1889 establishments in Scotland Organisations based in Edinburgh with royal patronage Organizations established in 1889 Charities based in Edinburgh