Child Protection Procedures - East Ayrshire Council

There has been some confusion that social workers are not allowed
to offer support to children prior to court because it may contaminate
evidence. This is inaccurate. Much needed support can be offered to
the child provided certain Procedures are followed.
3.21.3 The focus and pace of therapeutic work should be directed by the
child. The following areas can be addressed:
• Acknowledging that the child will have complex feelings
about the abuse and allowing the child to express them
• Building of self esteem and positive self image
• Offering support with consequences of the trauma
• Reducing future vulnerability
3.21.4 It should be stated to the child at the beginning that emphasis is
on how the child feels about what happened, not detail of the
abuse. It is recognised that some children may still talk about the
detail of the abuse and that this is more likely to occur with younger
children. If a child does this, the social worker should not stop the
child talking but should not ask questions. It may be appropriate to
remind the child that they cannot explore this further as this will be
discussed in court. The social worker may be called to court to
speak about the work done with the child.
3.21.5 It is good practice to advise the procurator fiscal of any work ongoing.
Routine liaison with the Procurator Fiscal is appropriate and not
simply to clarify points of uncertainty or confusion.
3.21.6 Support regarding the court appearance
3.21.6.1 Legal processes are a vital part of the child protection
system both for the prosecution of the perpetrator and the
protection of the child. Giving evidence is a stressful
experience for children who are vulnerable witnesses
3.21.6.2. Relevant, age-appropriate support at the right time can
greatly reduce the potentially traumatic effect of the
experience.
3.21.6.3 Carers can significantly influence how the child deals with
the court process and the emotional impact of the
experience so it is important that they are also offered
guidance and support.
3.21.6.4 There are 3 stages to the support process:
• The period after the initial investigation and prior to
the court proceedings
• During court proceedings
• Post court proceedings
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