This page contains a list of toolkits and resources published by our partners and stakeholder organisations in Community Safety. These are listed by topic.
Alcohol & other Drugs
STAD in Europe: A manual for communities preventing alcohol related harm
This guidance resource was developed by a pan European partnership and offers advice for communities on how to help reduce alcohol related harm with regard to binge drinking in night life settings.
Children & Young People
Child Poverty Learning Hub
Learning hub objectives
- Provide an overview of child poverty in Scotland
- Raise awareness of the drivers of child poverty and the population groups at higher risk
- Describe the impact of child poverty
- Outline key actions to address child poverty
Visit the Hub here.
Understanding Children’s Human Rights
This resource is aimed at those working in public bodies in Scotland, including local authorities and health boards, who are interested in learning more about children’s rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
It has been developed as an introduction to children’s human rights to allow you to learn about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It tells you more about what is happening in Scotland to protect children’s rights and what responsibilities public bodies will have as a result of the changes that are happening.
Climate Crisis
Developing a Climate Change Impact Assessment Framework
The Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN) has launched a new practical guide for local authorities and other public bodies on developing and implementing a Climate Change Impact Assessment (CCIA) process.
A Climate Change Impact Assessment (CCIA) is intended to provide real value in determining the way decisions impact the climate. It can be a valuable tool for public bodies when putting net zero and adaptation commitments into practice or meet related statutory requirements.
Developed by the SSN Climate Change Impact Assessment Task and Finish Group, with support from the Improvement Service, the guidance aims to:
- set out areas to consider or questions to ask yourself when introducing a CCIA into your decision-making frameworks;
- show how you can achieve better value outputs;
- address some of the hurdles you will likely face, and;
- propose solutions to overcome these hurdles
Community Engagement
Community Engagement and Resilience
This document is taken from the Scottish Government’s website as part of their ‘Community Engagement ‘how to’ guide. More information about the logistics for these techniques is available on their website.
NEW EASY MAPPING TOOL TO GIVE COMMUNITIES A VOICE
The Improvement Service and Geoxphere have launched an easy mapping tool that will enable Scottish Community Councils and other community interest groups to map what is important to them and use these insights to have more of a say in what happens in their local areas.
The Parish Online tool, which is already used widely across the parish communities in England and Wales, has been adapted for Scotland and will be useful in enabling communities to easily create Local Place Plans, a legislative mechanism to have their views considered for councils’ Local Development Plans.
It incorporates many useful and interesting datasets about the environment, pollution, planning, transport and community features, and will also enable anyone to look at how far they can travel from any point in their neighbourhood in 5, 10 or 15 minutes by different modes of transport. This will be of great interest as the Scottish Government looks to promote the 20-minute neighbourhood concept.
It could also be a useful way for community groups to engage with their citizens and highlight specific areas of interest or concern in their local areas.
Co-Production
Co-Production Resource Hub
Hosted by the Scottish Co-Production Network, The Co-Production Resource Hub is a one stop shop for resources on how to do all things co-production! You can also submit your own resources to be featured on the hub.
Crime and Justice
Crime Reduction Tool kit – College of Policing
This useful online toolkit provides a wide range of excellent ideas and evidence for ways to reduce crime and improve community safety and wellbeing.
Hate Crime Toolkit – Victim Support Scotland/Police Scotland
A new Hate Crime Toolkit, outlining support available, how to report hate crime and the criminal justice system process, launched by Victim Support Scotland (VSS) and Police Scotland.
The toolkit is one of the first of its kind in Scotland, and will be available for anyone who may be affected by hate crime, and includes guidance on what to do if you witness a hate crime.
Cyber Crime/Security
Small Business Guide: Cyber Security
Cyber security needn’t be a daunting challenge for small business owners. Following the five quick and easy steps outlined in this guide could save time, money and even your business’ reputation. This guide can’t guarantee protection from all types of cyber attack, but the steps outlined below can significantly reduce the chances of your business becoming a victim of cyber crime.
A Guide for Financially Vulnerable Adults
As things become more convenient and technologically advanced, it has also opened people up to an increase in financial crimes. This guide from Upgraded Points raises awareness to help people secure their money in this digital age, it also explores the following topics:
- The people most vulnerable to scams
- How to improve your credit card security
- Identifying the most common scams
- What to do if you become a victim
Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scams and Fraud Guide for Older People
This guide aims to empower older adults to navigate the digital landscape safely and securely. It provides insights into common scams, identifies red flags to watch out for, and outlines steps to take in case of suspected fraud.
Evaluation & Evidence
Planning for Outcomes – Audit Scotland
This paper sets out the main factors that support planning for outcomes, and draws together learning from our previous reports and wider knowledge of good practice and activity in this area.
Engaging with Evidence Toolkit (NESTA)
This is a toolkit on how to utilise, synthesise, scrutinise, and engage with evidence and expertise for policy development.
This toolkit was created by Nesta in partnership with the Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) programme and the Chief Scientific Adviser’s (CSA) Office at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
It will help you to understand how to harness data, information, knowledge, and wisdom (aka evidence) to inform live problems, and understand what ‘good’ and ‘better’ evidence use means in policy practice.
It will support you to access diverse forms of expertise and engage with the UK scientific community to progress your goals.
Read more and download the toolkit here.
LGBTI+
Resources on LGBT People’s Experiences of Domestic Abuse
A list of resources on LGBTI experiences of domestic abuse provided by LGBT Youth Scotland.
Older People
Elderly care: A guide for families new to caring
If you’re newly responsible for finding elderly care for a family member or friend, it can be difficult to know where to start.
This actionable starter guide aims to provide you with an overview of elderly care, from what’s available to the more practical financial and legal issues. It covers:
- Different types of care
- Financing care
- Care assessments
- Legal considerations
- Home modifications
- Assistive technologies
Partnership Working
Playbook: A Leader’s Guide to Cross Sector Collaboration
Recognising the challenges and complexities of collaboration, WIG has published the Collaboration Playbook. Researched and written by the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, WIG’s Collaboration Playbook is an evidence-based, practical guide to the fundamentals of collaboration.
Focusing on the aspects of collaboration that are less tangible and often forgotten – leadership, trust, culture, power and learning – the Playbook will support leaders at all levels to:
- understand when it’s right to pursue collaboration.
- consider the subtleties and nuances of collaboration that influence outcome.
- seize the opportunity of collaboration and rise to its challenges.
Participatory Budgeting
Tools for Digital PB in Scotland
This resource will highlight some useful digital tools which can support a Participatory Budgeting process. Some of the software tools identified below are ‘All in One Platform’ which means that they support the PB elements of ideas generation, deliberation and voting.
Place
Place Standard Tool
The Place Standard tool is a way of assessing places. Whether the place is well-established, undergoing change, or is still being planned, the tool can help you.
The Place Standard tool provides a simple framework to structure conversations about place, based around 14 questions. It allows you to think about the physical elements of a place (such as the buildings, spaces, and transport ) as well as the social aspects (like whether people feel they have a say in decision making).
The tool provides prompts for discussions, allowing you to consider all the elements of a place in a methodical way. The tool pinpoints the assets of a place as well as areas where a place could improve.
Prevention
Planet Youth (Prevention Capacity Assessment)
The Planet Youth process is most successful when there is a community structure in place to support implementation. The Prevention Capacity Assessment (PCA) is a service offered to communities that supports the implementation of the Planet Youth Guidance Program.
Road Safety
Safer Motorway Driving: A guide for new young drivers
This guide discusses some of the potential dangers you may encounter along the way, helping you to form some good habits that will hopefully stay with you throughout your life. We’ll also discuss how smart motorways are changing the driving experience for motorists in the UK, and draw your attention to the most important rules you need to know about.
Trauma Informed Practice
A Roadmap for Creating Trauma-Informed and Responsive Change: Guidance for Organisations, Systems and Workforces in Scotland (2023)
This Roadmap has been designed to help services and organisations identify and reflect on progress, strengths and opportunities for embedding a trauma-informed and responsive approach across policy and practice.
The resource is based on the evidence base, existing learning and good practice from the Scottish context and existing relevant Scottish frameworks and guidance. It draws extensively on what people with lived experience of trauma have said would help improve access to support, reduce re-traumatisation, recognise resilience and support recovery. The resource also draws on what experts by profession and leaders across services/ organisations have told us would support them to implement a trauma-informed and responsive approach.
Read more here.
Violence Against Women & Girls
Violence Against Women & Girls Toolkit – College of Policing
This toolkit supports police officers and staff to protect women and girls from misogyny and bring criminals to justice. It contains:
- a list of misogynistic behaviours and the offences under which they could be prosecuted
- other tactics and protective tools that can be used to prevent further reoffending, such as civil orders
This practical tool was developed as part of the national framework for policing violence against women and girls.
Violence Reduction
Imagine A Man – No Knives Better Lives
This resource is a contribution towards developing a continuing understanding of what constitutes positive masculinity. It is important because it attempts to define the role of men in society in a way that we believe to be aspirational. Above all we want boys and young men to be optimistic for the future and to flourish.
Research Hub – Scottish Violence Reduction Unit
Research is key to a public health approach to violence prevention. From correctly identifying the issues, through to establishing effective interventions and evaluating what does and does not work to make Scotland safer.
In this Research Hub you’ll find new research and reports, a range of SVRU resources and evaluations, an archive of older material and some useful links to the work of relevant organisations which may be of interest.
Water Safety
Drowning & Incident Review
Water Safety Scotland (WSS) via RoSPA and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) developed the Drowning and Incident Review (DIR) process for accidental water-related fatalities in Scotland.
DIR aims to gather data and understand the contributory factors of a water-related incident to help gain a better understanding of how to prevent similar incidents occurring in future. It follows the release of Preventing Future Fatalities in 2020 which brought together information on the current legal landscape and explores potential solutions to help prevent accidental water fatalities in Scotland.
Find out more including how to access training and further guidance at: https://www.watersafetyscotland.org.uk/practitioners-hub/drowning-and-incident-review/
Wellbeing Economy
Wellbeing economy toolkit: supporting place based economic strategy and policy development
This practical guide sets out a stage-by-stage diagnostic process designed to aid decision making and prioritisation of economic interventions to facilitate the transition to local and regional wellbeing economies.
Workplace Safety
A resource published by Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine on how to ensure safety in the workplace.