What we do
The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU) believes violence is preventable, not inevitable. We work alongside partners, organisations and communities to fulfil this vision. The SVRU is always looking for new ways of improving the safety and wellbeing of people who live, work and study in Scotland.
The SVRU uses a public health approach to violence reduction in five key areas below.
Infants, Children and young people
Our vision to create a safer Scotland includes making sure young people have the best start in life, to allow them to grow and reach their full potential.
Primary prevention activity is designed to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences and negative drivers. It is also designed to build on the strengths and assets that exist in the lives of children, ensuring there are protective factors in place. Some of the ways we work to deliver on that is supporting the delivery of social and emotional learning programmes in nursery schools; hosting development days for school-based engagement officers addressing a range of issues facing young people; working with schools and the wider communities to help provide the best possible outcomes for all young people.
Most recently, the SVRU has supported the delivery of different partnership projects in communities across Scotland where peer mentors support young people in various settings, including schools, colleges, in the community and in the city centre. Through building effective relationships young people are supported to make positive life choices. The SVRU is committed to playing its part in delivering The Promise with work including a partnership project supporting peer mentors to deliver positive outcomes for children and young people who are, or are at risk of coming, into conflict with the law. The SVRU also delivers violence prevention training with practitioners working with young people in areas including Fife, Inverclyde, Aberdeen, the Borders and West Lothian.
Place-based approches
The places where we live and work can impact almost every area of our lives. Place is important. By considering the whole community, how well it is working for everyone and what it needs to work better, we have the best chance of improving the lives of all who live in that area. It’s crucial any work developed using a place-based approach is done together with communities rather than imposed top-down. The SVRU has a long history of working hand-in-hand with communities by taking a holistic look at the needs of those communities to make their area a safe and healthy place to live, grow and work.
We have learned that there is a need for bespoke, hyperlocal violence reduction activity which meaningfully involves communities as part of the solution. Having published the evaluation from our Wallacetown project and initiated additional place-based projects in parts of Edinburgh and Fife – including holding a community survey in the Niddrie and Craigmillar area, we are constantly learning about how and why we need to continue to take place-based approaches.
More information on the local place-based projects will be made available as they develop.
Repeat victims of violence
A 2023 Scottish Government report revealed nearly two-thirds of all of the violence in Scotland happens to 1% of the population.
We work to interrupt this cycle of violence through various projects. Some of this work focuses on supporting homelessness organisations, equipping staff and service users with the skills to prioritise safety and manage conflict. The SVRU is also supportive of the formation of the first Violence Anonymous group in Scotland – a peer-led violence recovery project for those seeking a solution to the violence in their lives.
Other initiatives include the support of navigators in custody settings in Fife and Ayrshire, who work to reduce the number of people entering and re-entering custody.
Thought leadership
The SVRU is a national centre of expertise on violence which was founded almost 20 years ago. While Scotland has seen a 52% reduction in homicides over past two decades, it is vital that Scotland does not become complacent. The SVRU is committed to seeking out innovative evidence-based solutions to violence and sharing our knowledge of what does and does not work.
Like any virus or disease, violence is constantly evolving and we must keep pace with its developments if we are too treat it effectively. When tackling emerging areas of concern in Scotland we must continue to look to the root causes and not just the visible symptoms. The SVRU will continue to provide expert support on the use of the public health approach in Scotland and bring our expertise and capabilities to support violence prevention work and demonstrate how many other partners, organisations and communities can be part of the solution.
Lived experiences
The SVRU is committed to ensuring lived experience is a powerful voice in violence reduction activity. Over the year 2025, we are developing an advisory board for those who have a personal experience of violence. We will work with this Advisory Board throughout 2025/26 as they will provide unique insights into the risk factors that communities are facing. The SVRU Advisory Board will help us to think differently, to shape future priorities and the actions that we need to take to tackle the challenges head on.
More information about the SVRU advisory board will be provided in due course.
Find out more
The SVRU Research Hub contains more information on our projects and research across Scotland.