Online Child Sexual Abuse

Total Closed Ongoing – on track Ongoing - delayed
11 10 0 1

Closures 

Since the last update we have completed Recommendation 11 relating to ensuring appropriate wellfare support and monitoring arrangements are documented and consistently in place for those who have a dedicated role in responding to online child sexual abuse.   

We have developed a National Online Child Abuse Prevention (NOCAP) Welfare Strategy to build and maintain resilience to keep staff safe, which in turn enables the relevant department to perform at a high level in support of organisational priorities.

This strategy has been developed in line with Police Scotland’s Your Wellbeing Matters campaign and other UK guidance documents such as College of Policing – Supporting the wellbeing of Internet Child Abuse Teams 2019.

It provides staff and supervisors with vital information which can be used to identify signs of a problem, increase emotional awareness and build individual resilience by using suggested coping techniques and distractions.

We have engaged our people to identify priority areas for improvement and have mechanisms in place via our governance structure to enhance our provisions. We have completed initial survey work providing a baseline to further improve and practitioners play an active role in the Welfare Group to ensure the work remains focused. 

Activity of the NOCAP Welfare Group that supports the strategy has been wide ranging and includes national (UK) benchmarking regard NOCAP welfare provision, exploration to enhance staff counselling services and development of a welfare training pathway for staff.

Contributing to Outcome 4 – Our people are supported through a positive working environment, enabling them to serve the public.

Progress since last update
  
One recommendation remains ongoing relating to working with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to establish a pragmatic and realistic approach to digital forensic examination requests.

This recommendation has been ongoing for a number of years and is complicated by the high-risk nature of the activity and partnership working required to address. Although ongoing there has been progress since our last update in March 2024 with all stakeholders collaborating to find a workable solution. 

A pilot was introduced which is being rolled out by COPFS with support from Police Scotland relating to training and raising awareness of procedures. 

A case management system was introduced impacting positively with
police Examination Request Forms (ERFs) backlogs and the Digital Forensics team has been strengthened. 

Separately Police Scotland and COPFS have had discussions on evidential 
thresholds and whether an “Abbreviated Examination Policy” in terms of 
numbers of devices and images being examined could be decided by
applying a Serious Harm threshold test. This has been subject to extensive consultation internally and externally to ensure the necessary safeguards are in place relating to the risk of harm posed. Agreement has been reached in principle but requires final sign off before we can propose for closure. 
 
Challenges and Risks

This recommendation has been ongoing for a number of years and is complicated by the risk of implementing new procedures without full consideration of the consequences. Although ongoing there has been progress since our last update in March 2024 with all stakeholders collaborating to find a workable solution. 

The risks associated with this recommendation relate to public safety, service delivery and inefficient use of resource.