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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 Jenny Gilruth 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