Contextual Safeguarding in Scotland

Welcome to CYCJ’s online space dedicated to Contextual Safeguarding in Scotland

What is Contextual Safeguarding?

Contextual Safeguarding, developed by Professor Carlene Firmin, offers a framework to safeguard children from experiencing extra-familial harm by responding to the social conditions that lead to such harm. It is an emerging framework which is still being tested. Contextual Safeguarding recognises the limitations in existing child protection systems and practices, which tend to focus on risk of intra-familial harm and the family as the primary unit for safeguarding.

Professor Carlene Firmin’s Tedx Talk:

The principles of Contextual Safeguarding animation from the Contextual Safeguarding Network:

The Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding brings together Durham University researchers from Sociology, Criminology, Business, Law, Education, Psychology and Theology, in partnership with scholars and practitioners from around the world, to scale Contextual Safeguarding across disciplines and countries. You can visit their website by clicking here. CYCJ is working as an official academic partner to promote and strengthen the use of Contextual Safeguarding in Scotland.

How is Contextual Safeguarding being used in Scotland?

Where Contextual Safeguarding fits within a Scottish context

Contextual Safeguarding is relevant to all forms of harm outside the home, this includes grooming gangs/exploitation/bullying/online harms. These issues can affect people across age groups, particularly where there are underlying vulnerabilities. In Scotland, Contextual Safeguarding is a national approach, placed within GIRFEC and GIRFE, across the age spectrum and life course. It recognises risks associated with all forms of extra-familial harm and that these risks do not stop at age 18. The principles of Contextual Safeguarding in Scotland should therefore be applied to children, young people and adults who require protection.

To reduce the risk of extra-familial harm, all agencies and professionals have a responsibility. This includes, social work, police, education, youth work, health, housing, third sector, first responders, residential care; to name but a few. This webpage therefore is to support everyone to reduce risk and keep children, young people and adults requiring protection safe from harm. There is a lot of commitment from government, practitioners, managers, and various organisations within Scotland to embed Contextual Safeguarding, and a number of local authority areas have been working hard to do this.

Contextual Safeguarding fits across several Scottish policy areas including:

GIRFEC, Getting it right for every child, Scotland’s long standing, national commitment to provide all children, young people and their families with the right support at the right time, so that every child and young person can reach their full potential.
GIRFE, Getting it right for everyone, as Contextual Safeguarding is a framework by which to ensure everyone in a community is kept safe.
Child protection, where it was included in both the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland and the FRAME Standards, Guidance and Operational Requirements for risk practice in 2021.
Adult support and protection, where it is referred to in protection guidance for individuals over 16 to reduce the risk of harm and has support from the National Public Protection Leadership Group.
Youth justice, where it has been incorporated into the Scottish Government’s youth justice vision and priorities which advocates for the use of Contextual Safeguarding to support children in conflict with the law
Antisocial behaviour, through the Independent Working Group on antisocial behaviour’s recommendation that a Contextual Safeguarding approach is used to make locations safer.

The Child Protection Committee Scotland’s Contextual Safeguarding Core Group is Chaired by Professor Fiona Dyer (Director, CYCJ). You can read the Terms of Reference for this group here.

How can I get more involved with Contextual Safeguarding?

The Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding runs the Local Area Interest Network, which brings together over 100 local authorities across England, Wales and Scotland. The LAIN provides a space for local authorities to connect and share learning together and it is the main route through which they can access structured support to ensure that their implementation of Contextual Safeguarding is aligned with the latest research and resources. Click here to find out more.

The Scottish LAIN is hosted by CYCJ through a partnership with the GCCS, and is chaired by Andrew Gillies, North Lanarkshire Council. Bespoke groups have emerged on various topics and based on need to support the practice and leadership required to sustain embedding Contextual Safeguarding in Scotland.

To join the Scottish LAIN, please contact cycj@strath.ac.uk.

Resources

These resources have been collated from colleagues across the sector to help you understand and implement Contextual Safeguarding in your work.

Professor Carlene Firmin’s 23rd Kilbrandon Lecture – When Common Sense is Complicated:

Global Centre for CS eLearning: Addressing Violence and Abuse in Schools

Creative Conversations with CYCJ Episode 19:

Additional resources and further reading:

Blogs and Articles:

Why ‘Common Sense’ Is Complicated – article
Thinking contextually about Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE): Emerging themes from practice in Edinburgh – blog post
Seven minute briefing on Adult Support and Protection – briefing paper
Adult Support and Protection: Everyone’s business – briefing paper

Case Studies:

Toolkits and Guides:

If you’ve got good practice examples you’d like us to share please contact us cycj@strath.ac.uk

Training

We are currently developing training for professionals to use Contextual Safeguarding in Scotland. Delivery of training will be prioritised for members of the Local Area Interest Network, and for those working to address the criminal exploitation of children.

Click here to register your interest in Contextual Safeguarding training.

Please email feedback about this webpage to cycj@strath.ac.uk