By representing Children First you can make a difference by raising vital awareness and acting as a champion for children’s rights.
Children First is Scotland’s national children’s charity. We protect children from harm, keep them safe, and support them to recover from trauma and abuse through our national support line and in their homes, schools and communities.
Children First was founded in 1884 after our founder, James Grahame, was horrified by the poverty, neglect and abuse that children were suffering in Glasgow, stating, “If not us, then who?”
Read more about our history.
How we support children and families
Our national support line is available 365 days a year, 7 days a week and offers support to families by text, phone or online. It supports users with a range of issues including, separation and divorce, bullying, kinship care concerns, money worries, neurodiversity, and domestic and child abuse.
Our community-based services work alongside children and their families across Scotland. No two services are the same, responding to different needs in different areas. See where we work here.
Campaigning and protecting children’s rights is a crucial part of our work. We engage with politicians in the UK and Scottish parliaments on laws that affect children and young people, providing written and oral evidence, and respond to consultations undertaken to develop policy and practice.
For example, read here about how Children First worked with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Scottish Court Service to support children involved in the justice system and develop the first ever ‘Bairns Hoose’.
Dillon's Story
For months, 13-year-old Dillon was bullied at school, relentlessly taunted and singled out. The harassment escalated and he was seriously assaulted. The impact was horrendous, and Dillon's mental health was significantly affected. Dillon felt worthless and was unable to cope at school, so he avoided it completely. Devastated, his mum, Lorna, didn't know who to turn to for help.
Thankfully, Lorna picked up the phone to Children First and Clare was there every step of the way. Together, they explored practical ways to support Dillon through a horrifying ordeal and ensure that he felt understood and safe. Lorna described the support from Children First as "a lifeline" and she felt "there was no way out".
You can make a difference
Your support really means a lot to us. A £3,000 YPI grant would make a huge difference, helping us to provide practical, emotional and financial support to children and families in Scotland when they need it most.
Find out more about more about how this generous award can help and the impact it could have.
Helpful Resources
One of the ways that we help young people with their trauma is by using the Kitbag. This is a resource based on scientific thinking that engages all the senses to help children to share how they are feeling and promote compassion and self-confidence.
Online Kitbag Activity: Pick a card that speaks to you about how you’re feeling. For example, “I’ve chosen the dolphin of joy because I’m about to go on holiday/ the snake of energy because it’s a busy sports season”. Then get people to choose another card to gift to people, based on what they have said.
In 1989, the United Nations created a list of all the rights that children have, called the Convention on the Rights of the Child or UNCRC. Children’s human rights exist to keep you safe, make sure you’re healthy – mentally and physically – and help you speak up about what’s going on in your life.
Download some printable Children’s Human Rights posters for your class here.
Get in touch
For more information about what we do or to request any materials to help you with your presentation, including a Children First T-shirt, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly fundraising team by emailing fundraising@childrenfirst.org.uk.
