A charity yesterday accused the Scottish judicial system of failing vulnerable children. Children 1st said many are left �traumatised� by their experience of court.

A charity yesterday accused the Scottish judicial system of failing vulnerable children.

Children 1st said many are left "traumatised" by their experience of court and many are unaware of the support available for them.

There are "serious gaps" in the implementation of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004, designed to improve children's experiences of court, the charity said.

The criticism comes in the wake of a government evaluation report, entitled Turning Up the Volume: Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004. It found that many children continue to be treated poorly, with some coming face-to-face with the accused in court.

Others received little information or support before giving evidence or experienced long delays before the case came to court.

There were also problems with the Child Witness Notice system, which tells the court if the child witness wants to use special measures, such as a screen or CCTV to make giving evidence less-traumatic.

Anne Houston, chief executive of Children 1st, called on the government and those involved in the judicial system to bring about change.

"This report shows that three years on from the act first being introduced, there are still serious gaps in its implementation," she said.

"Children continue to be traumatised by their experience of giving evidence in court, with many not even aware of the measures available to help them.

"At the very least, it is time for everyone to make sure that a Child Witness Notice is placed for every child witness in every court. This is a straightforward step that is required by law."

The evaluation examined the year preceding the act, and the first two phases of its implementation. It showed uptake of the special measures is increasing but improvements are still needed.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all witnesses, and especially children and adults who are particularly vulnerable, receive the support they need to help them give their best evidence."