Aberlour's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on improving protections in the Justice system for women and girls

Aberlour welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation on improving the justice system for women and girls in Scotland. As an organisation we place the safety, wellbeing and human rights of children and families at the heart of our practice.

We are acutely aware of the impact the justice system can have on our families, particularly mothers we work with. Our staff teams regularly support mothers and children to navigate the justice system and through the impact of domestic violence.

Aberlour, in partnership with Shelter Scotland, delivers The Bridges Partnership which helps mothers and their children in Glasgow who are or have been subjected to domestic abuse. The Bridges Partnership follows a gendered and rights-based approach to empower women and children in crisis to access safe and affordable housing, and provides intensive one to one emotional, practical and therapeutic support. 

Aberlour, in partnership with Barnardo’s and Falkirk Council, delivers Equally Safe Falkirk which provides early intervention and preventative support to reduce instances and the impact of domestic abuse.

Aberlour provides cash grants through our Urgent Assistance Fund to families with children aged 21 and under, or 25 and under who are care experienced, who are struggling to keep their heads above water. In its lifetime, the AUAF has awarded around £4 million to children and families in Scotland. Between January 2020 and August 2026 12,000 awards were provided to 37,000 people. 85% of lead applicants were women and more than 21,000 children were supported. Domestic abuse was identified in approximately 22% of all awards. We know domestic abuse is often underreported, and it is therefore likely that the true proportion of awards to families affected by domestic abuse is higher.

Aberlour is one of Scotland’s largest providers of family support services in Scotland, supporting more than 5500 children and their families in communities across the country. We currently deliver Scotland’s biggest family support service on behalf of Glasgow City Council working with around 300 families across the city. Our Family Support Services provide a range of accessible, community-based family support to help disadvantaged babies, children, young people and families right across Scotland.

Our Intensive Family Support services includes two national Mother and Child Recovery Houses (MCRHs) and three regional Intensive Perinatal community-based services. These services provide intensive, trauma-informed and holistic support to mothers affected by substance use and their children, from pregnancy through to early childhood. Aberlour has worked in partnership with the Scottish Government, local and national stakeholders, and families to develop specialist models of care. We have demonstrated that we have reduced risk, prevented harm, and improved outcomes for babies, children and women. Families have described this support as life-changing and lifesaving. Around 90% of women accessing Aberlour’s Intensive Perinatal services and Mother Child Recovery Houses have had experience of domestic abuse.

In addition to these services many of the women accessing other Aberlour services have experience of domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls.

In response to this consultation, we have chosen to respond only to questions where we can provide insight from our organisational experience and knowledge or where we can reflect the views of children, young people and families we support. In preparing our response we have engaged with and reflected the views and experiences of mothers supported by our domestic abuse services and frontline workers.

Read our response to the Scottish Government's consultation on improving protections in the Justice system for women and girls.