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Guardianship Scotland: National Child Trafficking Support Service

Guardianship Scotland is a specialist statutory service providing Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ITCG) to all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and victims of trafficking who arrive in Scotland.

We deliver this in partnership with Aberlour and Scottish Refugee Council on behalf of the Scottish Government and replaced the Scottish Guardianship Service on 1st April 2023.

Did you know?

Under s11 of the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act 2015, all unaccompanied asylum seeking and trafficked children in Scotland are entitled to be referred to Guardianship Scotland.  Scottish Local Authorities have a duty to refer Children and Young People as soon as reasonably practicable to the service.

Our Eligibility Criteria

We will accept referrals for any child or young person who is:

  • Under 18 years of age and
  • Separated from both parents and not being cared for by an adult who in law or by custom has responsibility to do so and
  • In the care of a Scottish Local Authority

Young people remain eligible for support from Guardianship Scotland until three months after they have either been granted leave to remain or have received a conclusive grounds trafficking decision and are over 18.

How We Help

Our Guardians help children and young people settle into a new life in Scotland. They help young people cope with being apart from their families in a strange, new country. This support can include:

  • Navigating the complex trafficking, asylum, welfare, criminal justice and age assessment processes
  • Ensuring decisions are taken in the best interests of the child
  • Building trusting relationships with young people and supporting them to make informed decisions about their future
  • Working collaboratively with other professionals to safeguard children
  • Upholding children’s rights by listening to them and acting as advocates on their behalf
  • Providing practical and emotional support

Any local authority or agency in Scotland can make a referral Guardianship Scotland

To refer a young person, fill out The Guardianship Scotland Referral Form or contact us at 0141 445 8659 or email guardianship@aberlour.org.uk.

Please Note: We cannot accept referrals from age-disputed young people until they are in the local authority’s care. However, we can provide advice and information to supporting agencies.

As part of the service, we also offer the following:

  • Befriending Young Refugees
  • Mental health support through our Mental Health Project
  • Participation Programme

 

This project is part-funded by the Scottish Government and the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund. Making management of migration flows more across the European Union.

Read our Scottish Guardianship Service 10th Anniversary Booklet

Guardianship Scotland is a statutory service that is contracted by the Scottish government and the sub-sections of the services (participation, mental health and befriending) are not provided by the government and funded by other means. Scottish Government Refugees and Asylum Seekers Policy – Unaccompanied Children

Befriending Young Refugees

We provide social and community support by matching young refugees and asylum seekers with a trained volunteer befriender. Our volunteers work 1:1 with the young people so they can navigate their local area and connect to the community.

Moving to an unfamiliar country and community can bring many challenges for young refugees and asylum seekers such as language and cultural barriers, poor mental health, the impact of trauma and anxiety. Our volunteer befrienders can play a significant role in their lives adjusting to their new home.

Volunteer Befrienders

We are looking for volunteer befrienders to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children across Scotland. Volunteers can help young people build social networks and integrate, helping them feel more at home. Our volunteers are crucial in young person’s successful transition to their community. You can be a part of developing trusting, positive relationships, providing social support and assisting with community integration.

Please contact our Befriending Coordinators: Tom Smith and Allan Irvine, for more information.

Mental Health Project

The children and young people we work with have experienced multiple traumatic events. Many have experienced persecution, exploitation, violence, torture, abuse and displacement.

They often have multiple experiences of grief, often as a result of war, including witnessing the deaths of family members. Young people seeking asylum also experience grief and loss through; the loss of their home and country, their family, friends and pets left behind, their culture, their religious and spiritual community, and a loss of their sense of self as they start a new life in a new country.

Unaccompanied young people’s multiple experiences of loss understandably result in trauma, anxiety and stress symptoms. We support young people in culturally appropriate ways so they can name and acknowledge their feelings associated with grief in a safe space.

The Mental Health project is in partnership with the NHS Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service (the Anchor). It provides therapeutic and psychoeducational groups, activities and workshops, including Allies (a 10-week group programme), sleep groups, art groups, relationship and sexual health groups, and 1:1 support.

Please contact our Mental Health Coordinators: Alexis Wright and Lorna New, for more information.

Participation

We help empower young people and give them a voice. Our service provides a safe space where they can learn new skills, play sport, access education, volunteering and employment opportunities and talk about the issues that matter to them. We create opportunities for young people to meet politicians and other decision makers to speak out about their experiences and the issues they face.

We also work in partnership with Standing Tall Scotland to organise arts, cultural and social activities for unaccompanied children and young people. Our programme includes regular arts and creative workshops, sports and outdoor adventures. We provide accessible and exciting activities for with young people, giving them and an opportunity to have fun, make friends and try new things.

Contact

Phone
0141 445 8659
Email
Address
G2 5AH
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