Fife Council launches emergency support scheme for neurodivergent children

A pioneering scheme designed to improve emergency responses involving neurodivergent children has been launched in Fife. The project provides personalised seatbelt covers containing vital information to help emergency services identify and support children who may struggle to communicate during a crisis.

A new pilot initiative aimed at helping neurodivergent children during emergencies has been launched by Fife Council.

Known as Project Embrace, the scheme is believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland. It provides personalised seatbelt covers for neurodivergent children, including those who are non-verbal or may experience communication difficulties in a crisis. The covers contain an information card with key details about the child, helping emergency responders quickly identify and support them following a road traffic collision or other emergency.

Fife Council’s Safer Communities team has distributed 200 covers to the region’s five special educational needs schools, with plans to extend the project to mainstream schools and young people who have left education. If the pilot proves successful, the Fife Community Safety Partnership hopes to secure funding for a further 3,000 covers.

Each cover includes information such as communication needs, medical conditions and emergency contact details. The aim is to ensure that emergency services, including Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Ambulance Service, can respond more effectively when a parent or carer is unable to communicate on the child’s behalf.

The initiative has been developed in partnership with emergency services across Fife, who say it will help them provide faster, more informed and compassionate support to neurodivergent children and their families during potentially distressing situations.