Victim Notification Scheme (VNS): independent review

Section 2: Foreword

In March 2022, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans invited Alastair MacDonald and Fiona Young to conduct a review into the Victim Notification Scheme. The brief recognised that victims and victim support organisations had concerns about the current operation of the scheme and the Scottish Government now intended to undertake a review to ensure the scheme was fit for purpose and serving victims effectively. The review was to form part of the commitment to transform how justice services are delivered, which includes putting the voices of victims and a trauma-informed approach at the heart of Scottish Justice. The Victims Taskforce had recommended that the review should be led by an independent Chairperson.

Alastair MacDonald was appointed as Chairperson and Fiona Young as Vice-Chair. Secretarial support was provided by the Justice Directorate of the Scottish Government.

Statement By The Chair, Alastair Macdonald

I am grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans for asking me to chair this review of a Scheme which affects victims in a most fundamental and emotionally stressful way. It serves a vital purpose, sometimes literally, and is intended to serve the interests of the victim, but when it fails to achieve its objectives, the results can be catastrophic. I am deeply indebted to my colleague and Vice Chair, Fiona Young for her enthusiastic commitment to this task, which has greatly benefitted from her insight, wisdom and experience. We have been very ably supported by a small hardworking team of civil servants from the Justice Directorate of the Scottish Government as our secretariat.

In seeking to consult the widest possible group of interested parties, the administrators, the support organisations and most importantly, some victims themselves, we have found a broad consensus of what the issues are with the current system and again broad agreement on the solutions. We have found the VNS is a well-intentioned and important process, which is administered diligently by those officials whose responsibility it is, but its complex nature, administered by a large number of different organisations, makes it a process very difficult for victims to penetrate at a time when they are often vulnerable and distressed. I hope our recommendations will be adopted as a matter of priority; they are simple and aim to provide a much more responsive and human service to those who need it.