National Confidential Forum - A consultation on the creation of a Forum for Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse in Residential Care

What is a National Confidential Forum?

14. We have considered the remit for a National Confidential Forum and would welcome your views on the points outlined below:

What is the purpose of the National Confidential Forum?

15. The Forum will be designed to give adults who spent time in residential care as children the opportunity to describe their experiences in residential care. The results of the Pilot suggest that this can contribute to their health and wellbeing particularly when the participants are treated with great care and courtesy and have the support they need. We propose that participants should be able to bring a family member or friend to support them at the Forum or, if they prefer, someone from a support service. Support staff will also be available at the Forum.

16. Lessons learned from the past can help to prevent abuse in the future, inform improvements for the health and wellbeing of children in residential care today and protect their rights more effectively in the future.

17. The Forum will produce a report for Ministers which will provide a record of participants' experiences in care and may make suggestions for improvements in residential childcare today. While it may include information obtained during the hearings it will not be possible to identify individual participants, their families or any person who supports them at hearings. In addition, reports will not identify organisations or individual staff, or other former residents and their family members, referred to by participants during the hearings.

18. The Forum will operate for a fixed period (which will be set taking account of the needs of participants) and provision will be made for this in the legislation.

Q1. Do you agree or disagree with the purpose of the Forum?

Will the Forum be independent from the Government and Other Bodies?

19. It is proposed that the Forum should be established and maintained by an existing public body which is independent of the Scottish Government. It is suggested that it should operate as a separate forum with its functions clearly separated from the current work of the public body.

Q2. Do you agree or disagree that the Forum should operate independently from the Government?

Q3. Should the Forum be (a) integrated into another public body or (b) be a separate unit within another public body?