Scotland's Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy: prevention, justice and support
Tuesday 10th November 2026
OFFER: book 2 delegate places and get 3rd place half price
Violence against women and girls remains one of Scotland’s most serious public policy and service delivery challenges. It affects justice, policing, health, housing, education, employers, councils, social work, children’s services, digital safety and the specialist support services women and children rely on.
This conference will examine what Scotland needs to do next to make Equally Safe real in practice. It will consider prevention in schools and communities, online misogyny, domestic abuse, sexual violence and justice responses. It will also address the role of housing and financial support, trauma-informed recovery, workplace responsibilities and public-body accountability.
The Scottish Government and COSLA’s Equally Safe strategy was refreshed in 2023. It set out a national ambition to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls, strengthen support services, and improve justice responses for victims and perpetrators. The current delivery plan covered summer 2024 to spring 2026. A March 2026 progress report highlighted work including the £1.5 million Fund to Leave, opened for referrals in February 2026 to help women and children meet essential costs when leaving an abusive partner.
The issue is also politically live after the 2026 election. During the previous Parliament, ministers proposed adding sex to Scotland’s hate crime framework, while campaigners and political parties continued to debate whether Scotland should have a specific misogyny offence.
Across the morning, sessions will look at the points where policy often succeeds or fails. These include early prevention, safe routes out of abuse, survivor support, digital harms, justice reform, workplace responsibilities and whether public bodies can show that strategies are changing outcomes for women and girls.
Bringing together government, councils, police, health, education, specialist support organisations, legal experts, academics, unions and workplace voices, the conference will help delegates understand how prevention, protection, justice and recovery can be strengthened across Scotland.
This online conference will focus on three themes:
- Strategy, prevention and public leadership
- Support, justice and recovery
- Law, workplaces and accountability
Topics the conference will explore
- Understanding the role of strategy, prevention and public leadership
- Focussing on Equally Safe after the election and what Scotland needs to do next
- The role of prevention, schools and changing harmful attitudes
- Addressing online misogyny, abuse and digital harms
- Taking action on support, justice and recovery
- Addressing domestic abuse, coercive control and safe routes out
- Discussing sexual violence, trauma-informed support and health services
- Considering the law, workplaces and accountability
- Evaluating misogyny law, hate crime and justice system reform
- Framing workplaces, public bodies and accountability for women’s safety
Who should attend
This conference will be relevant to:
- violence against women and girls policy leads
- equality, diversity and inclusion professionals
- community safety and public protection teams
- police, justice and victim-support professionals
- health, sexual health and trauma-informed care services
- housing, homelessness and welfare advice organisations
- social work, children’s services and safeguarding leads
- schools, colleges, universities and youth-work organisations
- digital safety, online harms and child protection specialists
- domestic abuse and sexual violence support services
- HR, employment relations and workplace safeguarding teams
- trade unions and staff-support representatives
- councils, NHS bodies, public agencies and third sector providers
- researchers, campaigners and policy professionals working on gender equality, safety, justice and public-service reform
Speakers
Dr Emma Forbes
National Lead for Domestic Abuse
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS)
Agenda
Tuesday 10th November 2026
09:05 Chair's opening remarks
Session 1: Strategy, prevention and public leadership
09:10 Keynote speaker: Equally Safe after the election - what Scotland needs to do next
- What the next phase should prioritise
- How prevention and support connect
- Where public bodies must improve delivery
09:30 Question and answer session
09:40 Prevention, schools and changing harmful attitudes
- Challenging misogyny early
- Supporting teachers and youth workers
- Building healthy relationships education
10:00 Online misogyny, abuse and digital harms
- Understanding online abuse and influence
- Supporting young people and victims
- Holding platforms and systems to account
10:20 Question and answer session
10:35 Comfort break
Session 2: Support, justice and recovery
10:50 Domestic abuse, coercive control and safe routes out
- Strengthening early identification
- Supporting women and children to leave safely
- Connecting housing, money and protection
11:10 Sexual violence, trauma-informed support and health services
- Improving access to specialist support
- Supporting survivors through services
- Connecting health, justice and recovery
11:30 Question and answer session
11:45 Comfort break
Session 3: Law, workplaces and accountability
12:00 Improving policy and practice within the current legal framework
Dr. Emma Forbes, National Lead for Domestic Abuse, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS)
- Prosecution response to violence against women and girls
- Breaking down structural barriers to gendered abuse within the justice system
- What we are learning and what to expect next
12:20 Workplaces, public bodies and accountability for women’s safety
- Supporting staff affected by abuse
- Preventing harassment in organisations
- Measuring whether policies change practice
12:40 Question and answer session
12:55 Chair's closing remarks
Speakers
Dr Emma Forbes
National Lead for Domestic Abuse
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS)
COPFS
Dr Emma Forbes joined COPFS in August 2000.
Over more than two decades with COPFS, she has developed deep expertise in prosecuting gender-based violence, sexual offences, and domestic abuse. She previously spearheaded specialized initiatives, including leading the COPFS Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry Review Team.Academic Accomplishments: Dr Forbes completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow through the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR). Her doctoral thesis evaluated victim-survivors' interactions with the Scottish criminal justice process. She was subsequently awarded a Scottish Justice Fellowship to help translate her academic findings into actionable government policies.
In 2021, she published 'Victims' Experiences of the Criminal Justice Response to Domestic Abuse: Beyond GlassWalls'. She also founded "Glass Walls Art," a stained-glass art installation that visually represents the lived experiences of domestic abuse survivors.
Following a specialized secondment, she was officially appointed as the COPFS National Lead for Domestic Abuse in December 2023. In this role, she oversees strategic prosecution policies, represents COPFS on the Scottish Government's Victims Taskforce, testifies before Parliamentary committees and regularly represents Scotland’s trauma-informed approach to coercive control at international justice conferences.
Venue
This conference takes place online.
Fees
How to book
You can book to attend in 3 ways:
- Select book now on the right hand side of this page, fill in the form on that page and click the 'send booking' button
- Call 07377 147271
- Email mail@mackayhannah.com
Conference fees
- Delegate fee (includes video recording of the conference) – £169 +VAT
- Group discount – organisations booking 3 or more delegates will receive every third delegate place at half price (please complete further forms if necessary)
Please note – It is not permissible to share the recording. Please contact us if you wish to share it. See our terms and conditions for further information.
Payment
We do not currently accept payments online and will send you an invoice.
You have the option to pay by bank transfer or card.
Bank details will be included on the invoice.
If you wish to pay by card, please tick the appropriate box on the booking form and a member of our staff will contact you by telephone to take the payment. Alternatively you may call 07377 147271.
Terms and conditions
By placing this booking, you agree to the full terms and conditions found via the link at the foot of our website.
