Forth Valley Practitioner Pages

Missing Person charity have launched their new Safecall which is a new free and confidential support service for children and young people up to 25 who feel unsafe, are at risk of going missing or being exploited, or don’t know where to turn.

Missing People and The Independent launch SafeCall: a lifeline for children and young people at risk

The UK Government has launched a consultation seeking views on measures to protect children online, including consideration of a ban on social media for under-16s and restrictions on AI chatbot features.

Alongside the consultation, the UK Government is set to run real-world pilots with families and teenagers to explore how these restrictions could work in practice. The consultation closes on 26th May.

On Monday 2nd March, the UK Government launched a consultation seeking views on measures to protect children online, including consideration of a ban on social media for under-16s and restrictions on AI chatbot features. Alongside the consultation, the UK Government is set to run real-world pilots with families and teenagers to explore how these restrictions could work in practice.

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation, Protections in the justice system for women and girls, which includes consideration of a new law on the creation of deepfake intimate images.

The consultation will run until 19 June 2026.

On 16 February 2026, the Scottish Government launched a public awareness campaign tackling misogyny.  Aiming to encourage boys and young men to think before sharing or interacting with harmful content, the campaign highlights the hurt that misogynistic social media can cause to women and girls – including those known to them – in real life.

For more information on the campaign including a toolkit, please see our Internet Safety page.

The National Child Exploitation Awareness Day is a great way to highlight the issues surrounding Child Exploitation; encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children or children exploiting and abusing their peers.

National Child Exploitation Awareness Day (NGW Network)

We are delighted to invite you to a series of daily webinars, facilitated by our Local Learning Partnership.

Our aim is to create a reflective space to celebrate our profession and give thanks to all those who contribute to the social work landscape.

A new internet safety section is now live within our Forth Valley Public Protection Pages, bringing together guidance, resources and training to help practitioners and the public keep children and vulnerable people safe online. It includes advice on emerging risks linked to AI and digital technology.

Internet Safety

As a result of Quality Assurance and Improvement work, the Forth Valley GIRFEC Working Group have reviewed and updated the form used to share a concern about a child or young person. Following a test of change, this has resulted in the launch of the new Notification of Concern Form. This new form will replace the Forms 2a and 2b as of Monday 1st December 2025.

The intention of this change is to make it simpler to share concerns regarding a child or young person and to ensure that sufficient information is provided to determine next steps. All practitioners are asked to phone social work first to discuss a concern.

We have also developed new practice guidance to assist in the roll out of the Notification of Concern form.  As on 1.12.25, the new form will be available here: Reporting a Concern.

Where a named person is seeking support from social work due to an accumulation of concerns or increase in risks, or because of a decision made at a Team Around the Child meeting, they may be asked to complete a Wellbeing Assessment Form to ensure that the information shared is as full as possible.

New Team around the Child Guidance has also been developed, which we hope that you find helpful and would encourage you to refer to Team Around the Child (TAC) Guidance & Information Leaflets.

Please ensure that the new notification of concern form and guidance are circulated widely across your agency for use from Monday 1st December 2025.