The Children's Charter was launched on Monday

The charter was drawn up by Save the Children after detailed consultation with youngsters who have needed help.

Written from a child's perspective, it sets out what every child should expect from the adults who care for them.

First Minister Jack McConnell said the words used in the document were "honest and compelling".

Save the Children carried out in-depth conversations with 83 young Scots who had experienced harm, as well as 20 parents and carers.

The charter sets out 13 key messages from youngsters to adults, all underwritten with the guiding principle of "help us be safe".

WHAT CHILDREN EXPECT Get to know us Speak with us Listen to us Take us seriously Involve us Respect our privacy Be responsible to us Think about our lives as a whole Think carefully about how you use information about us Put us in touch with the right people Use your power to help Make things happen when they should Help us be safe

Children said they wanted to be involved in the decisions and wanted to understand what was happening.

Many of the youngsters thought that adults made assumptions about them and said they wanted to be listened to and taken seriously.

Fears were voiced that sharing concerns with an adult could make a situation worse, while the "formality" of adults was often frightening.

One child who took part in the consultation stressed the importance of adults doing what they promise.

"It's important to have people who will phone you back when they say they will," she said.

"I hate it when they say they will and you never hear from them, and maybe, aye, it is because they've got other stuff on, but it only takes two minutes to lift up a phone."

In response, the charter sets out 11 pledges for children and young people at risk of abuse or neglect.

It promises that children will:

• get the help they need when they need it

• be seen by a professional to make sure that they are not put at more risk

• be listened to seriously

• be able to discuss issues in private

• be involved in the decisions made about their lives

• have a named person to help.

The five remaining promises cover those who are called on to help children at risk.

The charter says they will work together effectively on behalf of the child and minimise disruption to other parts of their life.

Susan Elsley, the head of policy and research at Save the Children in Scotland, said the charter was "a wake-up call" to all adults responsible for protecting children.

At the centre

"Young people expect adults to be good listeners, communicators, problem solvers and take their views into account when it comes to keeping them safe," she said.

"We congratulate the Scottish Executive on its commitment to putting children at the centre of all child protection services - it makes sense to start with what is important for children and young people".

Mr McConnell said the charter would let children know what to expect from the system.

Jack McConnell praised the charter

"The message we've had from young people all along is that they don't want adults letting them down when they're contacted, or receive requests for information, or pursued for action.

"Adults too often don't respond quickly enough, don't talk to each other, and don't ensure that young people have the confidence to go back again another time."

He said the words in the charter were "simple - some might say obvious".

But he added: "If everyone took a moment to check these statements every time they were dealing with every child, we would vastly improve our services to children.