On Tuesday 8 December, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) will begin its hearings in relation to Phase 11, which will focus on ’Protecting children in care in Scotland from abuse: present and future‘. Themes to be explored in Phase 11 hearings will include:
- the investigation and prosecution of complaints of abuse of children in care
- the abuse of children in care by other children
- the exploitation of children in care
- prevention of the abuse of children in care, present and future.
Regarding Phase 11, Inquiry Chair Lady Smith, said: ’Given the wide scope of our terms of reference, we will, throughout the whole of Phase 11, consider ongoing failures of state and non-state institutions to protect children in care from abuse and what further steps, reforms, or improvements are needed to strengthen that protection.
’We know from our evidence that the protection of children in care now and in the future is of the utmost importance to our applicants.’
The first chapter of the Phase 11 public hearings will be in relation to children who abuse other children and will explore:
- abuse between children in residential care settings
- the strategies, programmes, and approaches to prevent children in care abusing other children
- what further steps, reforms, or improvements are needed to prevent and strengthen protection of children in care from such abuse.
In this chapter, the Inquiry will hear from national agencies, third-sector organisations, residential childcare providers, academics, and clinical psychologists.
Lady Smith said: ’The Inquiry has already heard much evidence about children in all types of care settings having been abused sexually, physically, and emotionally by other children as well as by individuals responsible for their care.
’Such evidence has been presented in many of our case studies, and I have made numerous findings about it. In this chapter of Phase 11, I want to explore the important question of why it happens.’
No applicant evidence will be led in this first chapter of Phase 11. The list of participants for the December hearings will be available on the Inquiry’s website prior to the commencement of the hearings.
Applications for leave to appear are not being invited for this first chapter. Applications for leave to appear may be invited for subsequent chapters.
Members of the public can watch proceedings from the public gallery of the Inquiry’s hearing suite. They are welcome to do so at any time. Hearings will be held at the Inquiry’s venue at Mint House, 20 West Register Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2AA.
The Inquiry’s witness support team can be contacted on 0800 0929 300, or emailed at
talktous@childabuseinquiry.scot. Individuals can also write to the Inquiry by post at SCAI, PO Box 24202, Edinburgh EH3 1JN. British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us direct through an online sign language interpreter at www.contactscotland-bsl.org.
Further details about future chapters in Phase 11 public hearings will be released in due course.