99% of Scots would act on child abuse suspicions

A new survey has revealed 99% of Scots would contact the authorities if they suspected a child was being abused or neglected.

Half would contact their local council’s social work department and half would go straight to the police. The tiny minority of people who would not alert the authorities said they would rather take matters into their own hands and confront the alleged perpetrator.

The findings were released on the 20th anniversary of ChildLine in Scotland, the counselling service for children and young people

A poll of just over 1,000 Scottish adults was conducted on behalf of the Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW) for the Social Work Changes Lives campaign.

ADSW vice president Andrew Lowe said the results were encouraging for the fact that people with concerns were prepared to take action and that they broadly knew who to contact.

But he warned people against taking matters into their own hands. He said: “We always need to consider the interests of the child first. It is unlikely that taking the matter into your own hands will result in a positive long-term outcome”.

Mr Lowe said that media coverage highlighted the vital role neighbours and friends played in “tragic cases” such as the death of Dundee toddler Brandon Muir. The 23-month-old was killed by his mother’s heroin addict boyfriend Robert Cunningham in March 2008. The youngster received up to 40 injuries and died from a ruptured intestine. Cunningham was convicted of culpable homicide and was jailed for 10 years last year.

Members of the public reported hearing male and female voices shouting at the youngster on several occasions.

Mr Lowe urged anyone with concerns about a child to speak out. He said: “Incidents that need the help and involvement of social work are often complex and people should never be afraid to report a situation that they are doubtful about.

“People are the eyes and ears of our communities and they should never hesitate or be afraid to contact us if they are concerned about a child. All reports we receive are confidential and will be treated seriously with care.”