Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) remains a widespread form of abuse in Scotland, affecting children from all backgrounds in all parts of the country. The research partnership with the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) upon which this policy paper is based, is further evidence of this.
Looking back over the last thirty years of Barnardo’s Scotland’s work in this area it is important to reflect on the pace of change. Much has improved in the way we understand and respond to CSE, but much still remains to be done.
We are twenty years on from our No Son of Mine (Palmer, 2001) report looking at the experiences of boys and young men, and nearly two years on from our Public Understandings of Child Sexual Exploitation in Scotland research (Friskney, 2019). And yet, this paper repeats many of the same recommendations that we, and other organisations, have been making for so many years.
While it is important to recognise the progress that has been made on many fronts, largely through sector-wide collaboration and implementation of a national strategy, we must maintain a focus on this issue and sustain our efforts in tackling this deeply harmful form of abuse and on ensuring better outcomes for children and young people.
It is our hope that this project’s research findings and policy recommendations inject a renewed sense of urgency and focus on child sexual exploitation. We look forward to further working with Government and other stakeholders to see our vision of a Scotland with stronger families, safer childhoods and brighter futures come to life.