The Scottish government has issued a friendly warning to children’s charities to work together after an announcement that the NSPCC is expanding its Scottish services sparked dissent from local charity CHILDREN 1st.

The move by the NSPCC is seen by Children 1st, formerly known as the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (RSSPCC) as a breach of a 125-year-old accord between the two charities not to cross borders.

But the NSPCC told Civil Society that it has had a presence in Scotland through the ChildLine telephone service “for a number of years”, and insisted that its plans to expand its face-to-face services are for the greater good.

“The NSPCC is committed to working with others to achieve our vision of ending cruelty to children in the UK. We all need to play a part in ending abuse, so the more resources that are available, the more we all work together only increases the capacity to make a real difference in Scotland.

“It is still very early days for our strategy as we formalise plans for our development in Scotland, but we remain committed to working with key partners to develop plans for innovative, new services which will complement but not compete with existing services and resources.”

The charity, however, refused to state whether it would be seeking funding from the Scottish government and CHILDREN 1st raised concerns that the move will stretch existing resources too far.

"We are a Scottish charity focused on giving every child in Scotland a safe and secure childhood,” said CHILDREN 1st chief executive Anne Houston.

"CHILDREN 1ST will always work with others to the benefit of Scotland’s children and we support any initiative to improve their wellbeing. However, we remain concerned that this decision may cause confusion for the Scottish public about the different roles and fundraising needs of the two charities.

"The NSPCC has not yet clarified its fundraising plans and how public donations raised in the UK will be spent in Scotland. There is also a wider concern about how already limited resources available in Scotland are used to support children's charities and services in the coming years,” she added.

The NSPCC confirmed it has already appointed a national head of services to start in July. Their role will be to establish an NSPCC presence for face-to-face services as well as to recruit a Scottish workforce and to represent the NSPCC at national government level.

A spokesperson for the Scottish government said: “We expect organisations such as this to work together in the interests of Scotland’s children to ensure they continue to get the protection and support which they need and deserve.”