Children 1st, previously known as the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, is a Scottish charity which aims to give every child in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

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 British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

believes may be due to her gender or a legal dispute, but it was Stirling who created the first, and later eight, home 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 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. To counter this the first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was established in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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

and in 1889, the

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

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 Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

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

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

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. 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, bu ...

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, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

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 work ...

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 NSPCC. Children 1st has pioneered the use of the Family Group Conference 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 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 daily mor ...

, 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 titl ...

and

Sanjeev Singh Kohli Sanjeev Singh Kohli (born 30 November 1971) is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his role as shopkeeper Navid Harrid in the BBC sitcom ''Still Game'' (2002–2007, 2016–2019), Ramesh Majhu in the radio sitcom ''Fags, ...

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