Helping children who have been victims or witnesses of crime, and the people who care for them, to recover

If you, or your child, has been invited to, or already taken part in, a Joint Investigative Interview with the police and social work it can be a difficult and upsetting time for everyone involved.

These interviews take place when a child has been the victim or witness to a serious crime. The interview is the beginning of the process to understand the details of what has happened.

Our Children 1st team is here to help you and your child find your feet in this new and sometimes confusing situation.

One of our team will be in touch with you shortly via text or phone. If there are other ways you would prefer for us to make contact, please let us or those who carried out the interview know.

We are here to help answer your questions and explore what happens next

You might not know what your child and family want and need, and that’s ok, as we will help you work out the best next steps for you all.

Common questions families have are about:

  • Getting advice about how to help and support your child or young person
  • Understanding how to manage people talking about what has happened and social media
  • Guidance on how your child can manage questions around what happened
  • Helping your child or young person with friends and their return to school
  • Understanding how what is happening to your child may be impacting you

Ongoing support

Our focus will be to meet the emotional needs of your child, starting by getting to know them and your family. We will work with you in a way that suits you best, helping to develop and strengthen your relationships and provide support and guidance so your child can recover and thrive.

If your child or young person has been the victim of an assault, panic attacks and self-harm can be common. Worrying about seeing the person who hurt or harmed them in day-to-day life can be another concern. Whatever the issue, we will support your young person, as well as your family, to cope with these challenges.

It can often take a while for a case to reach court and we know that this wait can be difficult. It is also completely normal for a young person to feel anxious about speaking in a court and worried about seeing the person who hurt them. We can help you all to navigate this time.

The experiences that lead to your child or young person taking part in a Joint Investigative Interview could have a long-lasting impact. We are here to help you and your family in whatever way suits, for as long you need us, so that everyone recovers and thrives.

If you need to get in touch with us:

Call: 0141 212 8355

Email: bairnshoose@children1st.org.uk

Useful resources

Teenage behaviour

Helping your child with mental health issues

Common Mental Health Issues

Approaches that work with teenagers

Challenging or distressed behaviour

Behaviour and feelings

Coping with stress

Most of us know that stress is bad for us. But understanding a bit more about how we can reduce stress can really help.

Understanding self harm
" They actually understand how I’ve been impacted by trauma. You don’t need to just talk about trauma, but you can talk about other stuff that’s important to you too… you have an actual relationship with the person you’re talking to and it means you’re honest. When things are hard or complicated they help you through it. They meet me when it works for me with my timetable and where I feel most comfortable as much as they can. "
Young woman, 16
" Children 1st is an amazing service. Supportive and friendly and miles ahead of other services for children. (The worker) has been amazing with my daughter from the moment she met her, and I trust and feel thankful that she is making a difference. "
Mum of 15 year old

Find out more about Bairns Hoose

Transforming care, justice and recovery for children

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