Scotland's Redress Scheme: Combined Annual Report 2024

2. Introduction

Following passage of the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Act in 2021 (the Act), Scotland’s Redress Scheme was launched on 8 December 2021. As at 31 March 2024, 3,602 applications for redress have been received. 1,910 initial applications have been passed to Redress Scotland for consideration. 1,319 applicants have accepted a payment offer from Redress Scotland with payments of more than £66 million having been made.

Section 14 of the Act requires Scottish Ministers to establish and maintain a list of public authorities, voluntary organisations and others who, amongst other things, in the opinion of Ministers, are making or have agreed to make a fair and meaningful contribution towards the funding of redress payments under the Act. There are now 20 entries on the live contributions list with contributions totalling over £122 million.

Scottish Ministers may add a new contributor to this list at any point during operation of the Scheme. The Scottish Government welcomes enquiries from any organisation who are giving consideration to joining the scheme.

As required by section 99 of the Act, contributors to the scheme must prepare and send to the Scottish Ministers a report on the actions taken during the reporting period to redress the historical abuse of children (a “redress report”).

Section 99 of the Act also requires that non-contributors to the scheme, subject to a reporting direction from Scottish Ministers, are also subject to the same reporting requirements as contributors. In this reporting year, four non-contributors were issued with a reporting direction: Congregation of Christian Brothers, De La Salle Trust, Kibble Education and Care Centre, and Sailor’s Society.

Non-contributors to the scheme can submit an annual report voluntarily should they wish to do so. As they did in 2023, Quarriers have volunteered to report this year..

Redress reports must include information about any support the contributing organisation has provided for individuals who were abused as children, for example:

• funding for emotional, psychological or practical support,
• advice and assistance on accessing historical records,
• advice and assistance on tracing and reuniting families,
• activity relating to the provision of an apology to those abused,
• about any other support which has been provided for individuals who were abused as children, and;
• where no support has been provided, the reasons why.

Scottish Ministers are required under section 99 of the Act to collate and publish the information from the redress reports into a combined report; this is the second annual combined report. In the interests of transparency and accountability, redress reports have been replicated in their entirety and offer survivors an opportunity to read all information pertaining to any contributor to the scheme. To promote accessibility, and to help capture and promote learning, a high-level overview of redress reports is provided.