Redress Scheme: information for organisations

A fair and meaningful contribution

Contributions to the redress scheme must be in the interests of survivors. They should reflect an intention to be fair to survivors, to society and to the organisation making the contribution who may still be delivering important services today. Contributions to the redress scheme are not simply financial transactions. They should be given as a meaningful acknowledgement of any past harm that may have occurred in an organisation’s care. An organisation making a contribution should do so with dignity, compassion and respect as these are the principles that underpin the scheme.

 The making of a fair and meaningful contribution is required for an organisation to be accepted into the scheme and included on the scheme contributor list, and the organisation must, in making such a contribution acknowledge the wrongfulness of, and the harm caused by, the historical child abuse which took place in relevant care settings. Read further information on acknowledgment. The contributor list is a key part of the scheme. Read more in the contributor list section.

As mentioned above, the Scottish Government will ensure applicants receive the full redress payment as determined by Redress Scotland. Where a relevant organisation is not participating in the scheme, the Scottish Government will ensure the applicant receives the redress payment to which they are entitled, including paying the full redress payment if necessary. Where a relevant organisation is participating in the scheme, the Scottish Government will as a general rule fund the greater of £10,000 or one third of each individually assessed payment. This contribution is a demonstration of the collective response to the harms of the past that redress represents, and the responsibility for the legislative and policy system relating to the provision of care. Therefore, the starting point for a fair and meaningful contribution from a participating organisation is, subject to the consideration of affordability and sustainability, that the organisation’s contribution should represent our best estimate of the remainder of all individually assessed payments which relate to them.

The Act requires Scottish Ministers to take into account the affordability of a fair and meaningful contribution for each organisation. Scottish Ministers are also required to take into account the sustainability of current and future services provided by the organisation, and the impact that making a fair and meaningful contribution may have on these services. If affordability or sustainability is an issue for an organisation, the Scottish Ministers may consider agreeing an extended time period over which contributions can be made or an amended payment schedule that spreads the cost in different ways, or a reduced contribution amount where justified in exceptional circumstances.

An organisation should seek independent advice before joining the scheme given each organisation’s historical and current circumstances, including their financial circumstances, will be different. The Scottish Government is unable to provide individual financial advice in respect of participation but we appreciate some of the complex funding issues for organisations and the careful consideration which must be given to the decision to participate in Scotland’s redress scheme.