Abuse. Neglect. Trauma. Online Harm.

Children in Scotland urgently need your help.

You can protect Scotland’s children.

Like you, Children First believe all children should be safe and happy.

Together, with your support, we protect thousands of children from harm every year, but Scotland is now facing a childhood emergency. 

Imagine being hurt time after time and not knowing how to make it stop. Imagine crying yourself to sleep every night, scared and worried about what tomorrow will bring. Imagine feeling so distressed that you don’t believe life is worth living.

It is hard to imagine but this is the heartbreaking reality for children across Scotland. Far too many young people feel frightened and alone and have no one in their life they can trust. Children urgently need your support.

Please donate £10 a month or make a donation today to protect children and keep them safe.

Protect Scotland's children today

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Abuse, neglect and trauma are robbing many children of their childhood years. Many more are experiencing a mental health crisis, made worse by online harm, exploitation and social media bombarding them with unrealistic expectations.
As Scotland’s national children’s charity, we protect children from harm, keep them safe, and support them to recover from trauma and abuse through our national support line and in their homes, schools and communities. We help children, their families and the people who care for them by offering emotional, practical and financial support. But we can’t do any of this alone.
All children should have hopes, dreams and opportunities. Sadly, for many they don’t exist. Children are in crisis and our work has never been more needed. We must put children first, but with rapidly increasing costs and a growing demand for our services we urgently need donations to continue our life-saving work.

Donations save lives: Logan's story

All Logan ever wanted was to feel loved and belong. That’s not too much to ask for, is it?

By the age of only six, Logan was living with his seventh foster family. He felt unwanted and unloved. The crushing pain of rejection left Logan feeling scared and confused. He didn’t know how to handle his overwhelming feelings. He responded in the only way he knew how, by lashing out. His new foster family were struggling to cope.

Logan and his foster family desperately needed support. As soon as Logan met Alice, a trauma recovery worker from Children First, she put him at ease. She took time to get to know him and help him understand his feelings and learn to manage his anger, frustration and sadness.

Alice showed Logan his voice mattered and that he was wanted. At last Logan had someone in his life that he could trust and feel safe with. Thanks to Children First, Logan is starting to heal and feel like he belongs. His foster family can’t believe the transformation.

*Names and images have been changed to protect privacy.

Together, we can create a safer, brighter future for all children in Scotland.

Please donate £10 a month or make a donation today. Every penny will make a difference to a child’s life.

Donate now

We're here if you need support

Some of the ways we protect children from harm

Children First support line

Safety in sport

Bairns Hoose