MORE than nine out of 10 people feel vulnerable children need access to support sooner, according to a survey.

The survey, for Children’s charity Aberlour, reveal 93% of Scots believe helping vulnerable youngsters should start as soon as problems emerge.

Of those quizzed, 86% said the issue affects families from all types of backgrounds and in all parts of Scotland.

Its new The Clock Is Ticking campaign aims to raise awareness of supporting children as soon as problems arise, not when a crisis point is reached.

The research found 60% of the public were aware of households in their community where there were vulnerable children.

Aberlour chief executive officer SallyAnn Kelly said: “The clock is ticking and we need to act fast to prevent children across Scotland from suffering, before families reach crisis point, before it’s too late.

“That’s why we’ve launched our new campaign, because we know that taking action quickly significantly improves long-term outcomes for children and young people, and there are still many out there whom we are yet to reach.”

The campaign is calling on people across Scotland to #spendanhour on Aberlour to help raise the urgent funds required.

Kelly added: “We would like to urge the people of Scotland to get behind this campaign and spend an hour of their time fundraising for us, whether that’s running a 10k or holding a fundraising event during their lunch hour; all funds raised will help us reach families sooner.”

The research was carried by Mark Diffley Consultancy and Research. A total of 1,002 Scottish adults online were questioned.