Information Bulletin
21 March 2005
New Child Safe Shetland Web-Site
Logging on to a new website will help local voluntary and community groups meet the requirements of the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 and achieve best practice.
All groups and organisations providing activities or working with children and young people under the age of 18 will be affected by the new Act. The Scottish Executive with the introduction of this legislation hope to provide greater protection to the children in our communities by making it harder for those who are unsuitable to work with children to gain access to activities involving them.
Child Safe Shetland, a project led by the Shetland Child Protection Committee and funded by the Shetland Community Safety Partnership has created a website to help local groups develop the systems they need. The site provides guidance on the requirements of the Act as well as standard forms, policies and procedures that groups can download.
Director of Public Health and current Chair of Shetland Child Protection Committee, Sarah Taylor commented – “There are a large number of voluntary, community and sporting groups in Shetland providing an amazing range of activities for children. Many groups are run by a few dedicated people who give up their own time to provide activities for children. The Child Safe Shetland website is one way of supporting these small groups by having everything they may need to meet the requirements of the Act available on the website.”
The website is at www.shetland.gov.uk\childsafeshetland
or if you would prefer a copy of the Child Safe Shetland information pack please contact Fiona Robertson, Child Safe Shetland Project Co-ordinator, on 01950 460373.
Ends
Information for media:
Further information regarding this press release from:
Sarah Taylor, Chair of Shetland Child Protection Committee, Tel: 01595 743072 or
Jacqui Watt, Executive Director, Shetland Islands Council Community Services on Tel. 01595 744001