Financial redress for historical child abuse: consultation

Ministerial Foreword

Survivors have told me that financial redress is an important part of acknowledging what happened to them in the past as children in care in Scotland. I have listened to those views and have committed to establishing a financial redress scheme. This will require legislation to be passed by the Scottish Parliament.

Getting the design of a financial redress scheme right is of the utmost importance if it is to give survivors the acknowledgement they need and deserve, and if it is to do so with compassion and sensitivity.

We heard the views of many survivors to an earlier consultation in 2017 on the potential provision of financial redress. Those views provide the starting point for this consultation. We now need to build on those with the level of detail required for scheme design and implementation.

This consultation asks questions about scheme design and also includes wider issues, including how those responsible should contribute to the scheme, the establishment of a public body to administer the scheme, and the potential alignment of financial redress with other elements of a reparation package for survivors of historical abuse in care.

The responses to this consultation will help shape the legislation which will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament during 2020.

I encourage survivors and other interested parties to take part in this consultation and look forward to hearing your views.

John Swinney

Deputy First Minister and
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills