Scotland's Redress Scheme: combined annual report 2023

6.7 East Park School

Published Redress Report

East Park shares the Scottish Government’s ambition for children and young people, that they grow up loved, safe and respected so that they can realise their full potential. Sadly, however, we are also aware that, for many of Scotland’s most vulnerable children who experienced the care system in the past, the reality was quite different. Many of these children and young people were not treated with love or with respect and, rather than being kept safe, they were exposed to danger and abused by those responsible for their care, often leaving them with lifelong consequences.

While nothing can compensate for the hurt and suffering which survivors of abuse have endured, East Park acknowledged its collective and individual responsibility to ensure that care experienced individuals who have been abused whilst in care in Scotland have access to fair and appropriate redress and support.

During the reporting period up until 7 December 2022, East Park was not made aware of any claims specifically naming East Park.

Despite this, in acknowledgement of the likelihood that there may have been times, during the period covered by the Redress Scheme, when practice at East Park fell short of the high standards and lacked the scrutiny we would expect today, we addressed this by implementing a variety of redress activities:

Access to historical records

In accordance with Data Protection legislation, GDPR procedures and our own internal Data Protection Policy, we respond swiftly and appropriately to all Subject Access Requests. Although some of our more historical records can be inconsistent and or unavailable, we do whatever we can to provide at least some concrete acknowledgement to enquirers that some part of their life has been spent living at East Park, where there is evidence of this.

To facilitate this, we invested services in 2019 to ensure fuller knowledge of what documents we did indeed hold, and also ensured a more streamlined access point to this information.

Promoting visits from former residents

East Park occasionally receives enquiries from individuals who have previously been resident in East Park and or families trying to ascertain whether their family member was indeed a resident at East Park. When we receive such enquiries, we offer opportunities for them to visit East Park, to meet with senior staff and to have a tour of the premises. Although our premises have been largely demolished and rebuilt in recent years, it has been helpful and for some, even cathartic, for former residents to witness for themselves the degree to which accommodation and practice has changed in residential care for children with complex additional support needs.

During these visits we will also sensitively acknowledge that for many children and young people their experiences of residential childcare were not as we would have hoped, and, where the individual is not already aware, we will provide information about the Scottish Government apology in October 2018, the Historical Abuse Enquiry, and the Redress Scheme.

Below is an extract from an email sent following a recent visit from a former resident who was accommodated in East Park from age 3–14 in the 1950s–1960s.

“We were so grateful to have been given the opportunity to visit East Park. It is a visit we will long remember; you can be really proud of your staff. It was really encouraging to witness their dedication under some difficult circumstances.”

“Thanks for your input also and for taking the time to encourage both of us to ask questions and tell a little bit about our lives. I will look at the info you mention in your e-mail.”

“Give our regards to your staff, and hopefully we can come back sometime in the future.”

Memorial Service and renovation of gravestone

A few years ago, we were made aware of a gravestone at the Glasgow City Necropolis, which commemorates children who died in East Park Home (as it was known then) between 1875 and 1885.

Twenty-nine children and one nurse are named on the stone. We have also been made aware that some children who were buried there, subsequent to the stone being erected and that their names were not added. Whilst these dates significantly pre-date the period covered by the Redress Scheme; we intend adding these names to the current headstone.

Publication of book about the history of East Park

As East Park approaches its 150th year, we have commissioned two researchers/authors to write a book about the history of East Park. As part of this process, the authors have invited former residents to provide their story of their experiences at East Park. We are aware that, for some, these reflections may well give rise to uncomfortable memories. Both authors are sensitive to this, and able to signpost interviewees to appropriate support services including the Redress Scheme. One researcher/author has relevant academic knowledge and experience, having been commissioned as a researcher in 2007 as part of the Historic Abuse Systemic Review (precursor to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry).

Access to records

In the event of a Redress claim, as previously stated, during the reporting period up until 7 December 2022, East Park was not made aware of any specific Redress claims.

In the event of this occurring, we would ensure that we communicate our sincere regret and apologies to the individual concerned. We would request a meeting with them and would offer any additional support we could.

This may include:

Signposting to emotional support services, e.g. Redress Emotional Support Helpline: 0800 2118403; Breathing Space: 0800 838587; Samaritans: 116123; Wellbeing Scotland (www.wellbeingscotland.org.)

Support to access counselling, emotional support services.

Support to trace family members via organisations such as Birthlink Scotland (https://birthline.org.uk.services).