Actions to combat sexual abuse set out alongside next steps in
national review.
Immediate action will be taken to address any harms or risks
identified in the first part of an independent inspectorate-led
review of responses to group-based child sexual abuse
and exploitation (CSAE).
Education Secretary announced to Parliament that
the first part of the independent national review will be taken
forward at pace and focus on rigorous, detailed scrutiny of local
councils' assessments of the threat and risk of group-based CSAE.
Further parts will follow, and Ministers plan to update
Parliament more fully by the end of February.
The Education Secretary also confirmed an additional £220,000
will be invested this financial year to enhance support for
victims and families impacted by sexual offending, improve access
to training for professionals to respond to sexual harm, and
support improvements to Police Scotland's forensics capabilities.
The Cabinet Secretaries for Education and Skills and for Justice
and Home Affairs have jointly written to the Cross-Party Group on
Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse to request to meet
survivors in the new year.
The Education Secretary also confirmed that Ministers support
mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in principle. The
National CSAE Strategic Group has agreed to consider
next steps to develop options for mandatory reporting in
Scotland, and will also further consider approaches to involve
survivors in an appropriate and trauma-informed way.
Ms Gilruth said:
“The Scottish Government is taking determined action to establish
the potential extent and scale of child sexual exploitation and
abuse in Scotland's recent past.
“Those who have suffered, as victims of child sexual abuse, have
been let down by a system which should have protected them. We
must ensure that survivors' experience is at the heart of our
considerations – their voices must be heard and be listened to.
“The National Review, Police Scotland's ongoing work, and the
advice of the National Strategic Group chaired by Professor Jay,
will gather evidence, help us to take action where it is needed
now, and inform advice to Ministers on whether a national inquiry
on group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation is required.”
Stuart Allardyce, Director of Lucy Faithfull Foundation Scotland,
said:
“Demand for our services to prevent child sexual abuse keeps
rising. Each year, more adults concerned about their behaviour,
young people who have caused sexual harm to others, and families
affected by a loved one's arrest turn to us for help.
“This funding is a lifeline that will enable additional groupwork
sessions this financial year, so no one has to wait for support,
and allows us to extend our helpline hours to those across
Scotland who need our services. It's a vital boost that shows the
Scottish Government's commitment to protecting children from
harm.”
Background
The four Inspectorates leading the independent review of
responses to group-based CSAE are independent of government and
the organisations that they scrutinise. They have powers to
compel public authorities to provide information they request.
Ministers will be updated on progress throughout the national
review to inform consideration of next steps in protecting
children and young people from harm.
The Director General for Justice and Education is writing to key
agencies and organisations asking them to review their document
retention policies to ensure the retention of all documents that
may be relevant to the National Review. This is in addition to
the instruction that the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry issued when
it began its work.
Since 2021, the Scottish Government has provided £20 million for
the Bairns' Hoose programme, to enhance holistic child-centred
support for children who have been harmed.
Breakdown of the additional £220,000 funding announced by the
Education Secretary:
- £42,000 to support a pilot for the Centre for Expertise on
Child Sexual Abuse ‘Practice Leads Programme' in Scotland to
further equip professionals to respond to sexual harm. The aim of
the pilot is to evidence effective and scalable approaches to
addressing gaps in practice and service provision in tackling
CSAE in Scotland, while also developing in-house expertise and
confidence in addressing these issues
- £67,991 to extend Lucy Faithfull Foundation
Scotland's helpline hours, provide additional one-to-one
support sessions for families affected by online offences, and
additional preventative work with children, young people and
adults
- £30,000 to provide free access to online harm eLearning
from the Children and Young People's Centre for Justice,
developed with expert input from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation
Scotland, to support practitioners working with children to
identify indicators of online sexual abuse and grooming and
promote safe use of technologies
- £81,800 for technology upgrades and analytical tools which
will enhance Police Scotland's digital forensics capability and
ability to act on online harm evidence information.
Child protection guidance -
gov.scot
