It can be difficult to talk about abuse you’ve experienced as a child.

We treat all reports of child abuse seriously, no matter where or when it happened.

Reporting your abuse to us helps us to identify:

• those who pose a risk to children
• abusers and bring them to justice

When you’re ready, we’re here to listen. We’ll also talk to you about support you can have.

You can watch our YouTube video for more information about adults who choose to report childhood abuse.

You can still make a report if your abuser is dead

You can report abuse even if your abuser is now dead. We’ll investigate it, including making sure that no one still alive was involved in any abuse.

However, a dead abuser cannot be reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

If you want to tell us about childhood abuse you experienced in the past, you can report it online, by phone, or in person.

When you first contact us, we’ll ask for some information, but not for specific details of your abuse.

Report it using our online form

Learn about other ways you can report a crime to us

Report anonymously

If you’d rather not share your identity with us, you can give information anonymously to Crimestoppers.

To contact Crimestoppers, you can:

• phone: 0800 555 111
• use their online form

What to expect when you first contact us

Read our support page to understand what rights and support you can have when you first contact us for any crime.

What to expect during our investigation

While we investigate, we may:

• give you the names of the officers investigating your case
• speak to other people named during the investigation, if relevant

After we gather evidence, we will:

• decide if we can report the person to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS)
• report them, if there’s enough evidence
• explain the reasons why a report is not made if we do not make one

What happens if a report is made to COPFS

COPFS is the government department in charge of crime prosecution in Scotland.

If we make a report, they will:

• decide if there will be a prosecution
• decide if the case should go to court

The COPFS Victim Information and Advice service might contact you to update you on the case. You can also contact COPFS for any information you need.

If the case goes to court

If the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) decides the case should go to court, you may have to give evidence in court.

The COPFS Victim Information and Advice Service will talk to you about any support you might need to give evidence. This can include:

• a visit to the court
• someone to join you in court
• plans to avoid seeing the accused person

You can also contact COPFS about support to help you give evidence.