Scotland's Redress Scheme: combined annual report 2023

6. Overview of redress reports

Access to Records:

Most of the organisations included in this report have supported survivors and/or their families access the records held about themselves or their loved one. This includes records to demonstrate entitlement to redress payments, as well as access to more general records of an individual’s time in care.

Some organisations have employed dedicated teams to respond to requests for access to records. This has meant that many survivors and family members are able to receive records and verification more quickly. In some organisations, these teams also provide support to survivors during the process.

It is recognised that the process of accessing records can be complex and some organisations are working towards, or have introduced, new ways to simplify the process. Examples include providing better and easier to follow information on how to access records and learning from the experiences of people who have already accessed their records.

Many organisations have invested in the digitisation of records. Digitisation is the conversion of an analogue record (for example, a typed or handwritten paper record) to a digital copy (an electronic copy that is accessible on a computer). This means they can respond to requests quicker as records are easier to find and share. Many organisations have also employed the services of an archivist. An archivist is someone who finds, organises, preserves and looks after records.

A small number of organisations noted the challenges of accessing records. This is particularly the case for older records as often they included little information or inconsistent information, for example names and dates that do not match.

Emotional, Psychological or Practical Support:

A small number of organisations provide dedicated emotional and psychological support to survivors of historical child abuse and/or individuals seeking redress through the Redress Scheme.

Largely, organisations are willing to provide funding for third-party emotional and psychological support. NHS boards across Scotland provide a range of psychological services for survivors of abuse through usual referral pathways via GP’s, including individual and group therapies. Non-clinical spiritual care can also be provided through NHS chaplaincy services.

Advice and assistance on tracing and reuniting families:

Though most organisations noted that they had few or no requests for advice and assistance on tracing and reuniting families, some organisations have processes in place to support this work. Most local authorities, for example, provide a service for adoptive people and birth families seeking reunification, while the Scottish Prison Service assists families in tracing relatives who may be in their care.

One organisation – Quarriers – provides a specific service to trace family members who may be overseas. This is in response to schemes operating between the 1870s and 1960s that led to thousands of children being migrated to Canada and Australia.

Acknowledgement of abuse and providing a meaningful apology to survivors:

Most organisations reiterated their sincere apologies to survivors and family members in their reports and outlined the ways in which they have offered a meaningful apology. This has included: writing individual letters of apology to survivors; publishing public letters and statement of apology to collectively acknowledge survivors; face to face meetings to apologise to survivors; apologising when appearing at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry; and making statements through traditional and social media.

Developments in Policy and Practice:

Many organisations outlined the new policy and practice in place to ensure that children and young people currently in their care are protected from abuse and harm. This includes:

• Developing and publishing plans that set out how the services they are responsible for will be delivered and how they will support the children and young people in their care. Often, these plans are followed by reports about how well these organisations performed.
• Implementing robust safeguarding policies, employing dedicated safeguarding teams and ensuring that all staff receive training about safeguarding children and young people.
• Increased inter-agency working (that is, when organisations like the NHS, police and local authorities work together) to strengthen child protection.
• More training for staff.
• Ensuring children and young people can exercise their right to have their voice heard, for example by allowing them to participate in decision making about themselves and the services that support them.
• Supporting children and young people to maintain contact with their families, for example through investment in digital technology or by placing looked after children and young people in family settings where possible.

Other activities:

Organisations also outlined a number of ‘other’ activities they are currently undertaking as part of their approach to non-financial redress.

• Some organisations outlined the ways in which they commemorate, or are planning to commemorate, victims and survivors of historical child abuse. This has largely taken the form of services of remembrance and building memorials.
• Other organisations have allowed, or have the means to facilitate, survivors and/or family members to visit their premises.
• One organisation, East Park, intend to publish a book about their history which will include the stories of former residents.

Reasons for not providing support:

Some organisations noted that they had not provided support during the reporting period. This is largely because they had not been approached by any survivors or family members with requests for support and not because they were unable or unwilling to provide support.

In a small number of cases, it was noted that restrictions on financial resources had impacted the amount of support that could be provided to survivors.