News

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) has today (Thursday 12 March) renewed its call for anyone with evidence about children in care being groomed for exploitation to get in contact.

SCAI, which is investigating the abuse of children in care in Scotland, says it has already received evidence about children being groomed and exploited, however, it believes there may be others who do not realise that such evidence falls within its remit.

Lady Smith, Chair of the Inquiry, said: ‘Although we have already been provided with evidence about children in care being groomed for exploitation – some of this evidence having been provided by witnesses in our current case study hearings – I believe there may be more.

‘I am aware that some people may be uncertain as to whether we can gather and investigate such evidence. They may think that they cannot now provide their evidence to us, given the announcement of a new public inquiry which is, I understand, going to focus on the grooming of children and young people for exploitation.

‘I want to make it clear that they can provide evidence to us, and encourage them to do so. Evidence about children in care being groomed for exploitation is important to the work of this Inquiry.’

SCAI’s Terms of Reference require it to investigate the nature and extent of abuse of children while in care in Scotland, wherever the abuse took place.

Grooming for exploitation is a form of abuse where an individual or group of individuals attempts to persuade, manipulate, or force a child or young person to engage in sexual or other harmful activity. When groups are involved, they may sometimes be referred to as ‘grooming gangs’.

Children in care can be particularly vulnerable to exploitation.

In a video appeal, Lady Smith confirmed that where a child was in care at the time, grooming for exploitation falls within the Inquiry’s remit — regardless of where the abuse occurred.

She said: ‘Grooming children and young people for exploitation can involve grooming them for sexual activity or any other harmful activity, including criminal activities.

‘I want to make it clear that – so long as the child was in care – we can investigate the abuse even if the grooming or the exploitation, or both, took place outside the placement. Our Terms of Reference also cover foster care.’

SCAI can investigate allegations of abuse which happened before the end of December 2014. It can also investigate abuse that began before that date and continued after that date.

In addition, it can examine whether systems failed to protect children in care from exploitation at any time — including after December 2014 and up to the present day — in order to assess what changes may still be needed to better protect children in the future.

SCAI would like to hear from anyone who 

• was in care and wishes to share their experience of grooming or exploitation, whether it took place within or outside an institution, foster home, or other placement
• works or has worked with children in care and is aware of grooming or exploitation involving those children
• was not in care but has evidence about the exploitation of children who were in care.

Lady Smith added: ‘We know how difficult it can be to talk about the experiences of children in care — whether because you were a child in care or you want to talk about what happened to other children — and we want you to feel safe when you speak to us.

‘The Inquiry takes a trauma-informed approach to how we gather evidence and we have a Witness Support Team to support anyone who provides evidence to the Inquiry.

‘If you would like to talk about coming forward to provide evidence, or if you have any questions about the Inquiry, you can contact our Witness Support Team. Please get in touch, we want to hear from you.’

Anyone wishing to contact the SCAI’s Witness Support Team can do so:

• by telephone: Freephone 0800 0929 300
• by email: TalkToUs@childabuseinquiry.scot
• by post: 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 

Following today’s announcement by the Scottish Government of a new public inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, a spokesperson for the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) said:

SCAI has heard and continues to hear evidence of grooming for sexual exploitation of children in care, whether this is by a single person or groups of people who persuade a child to engage in sexual activity.

We can also investigate grooming children for other harmful activities including any criminal activities.

SCAI's Terms of Reference require it to consider not only past systemic failures but, importantly, also whether such failures have been or are being addressed and what still needs to be done to address them.

Anyone who has relevant evidence should get in touch with SCAI's witness support team on talktous@childabuseinquiry.scot or 0800 0929 300.

Regarding today’s announcement, we are reassured by the Minister’s commitment to ensuring the new inquiry will not duplicate the ongoing valuable work of SCAI. We, of course, await further details of the new inquiry’s Terms of Reference.


 

The Inquiry has published a spotlight newsletter focussing on Phase 9 of our investigations (the provision of residential care in establishments for children and young people with long-term healthcare needs, additional support needs, and disabilities).

Lady Smith, Chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI), has today, Wednesday 28 January, published her findings relating to the provision of residential care for children at Fettes College in Edinburgh.

On Friday, 17 October the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) will hear closing submissions relating to Phase 9 of its investigations. 

Beginning in April, this evidential section related to the provision of residential care in establishments for children and young people with long-term healthcare needs, additional support needs and disabilities.

This included residential schools which provided care for deaf or visually impaired children, including St Vincent’s School for the Deaf and Blind in Glasgow, Harmeny School in Midlothian, and the Royal Blind School and Donaldson’s School for the Deaf, both in Edinburgh.

Senior Counsel to SCAI, Ruth Innes KC said: “The Inquiry has heard evidence that children and young people suffered physical and sexual abuse.

“There was also serious emotional abuse and neglect, some children and young people were not afforded any dignity or humanity.

“Children and young people were placed in institutions for the purposes of containment or control of what was viewed as ‘challenging behaviour’.

“The regimes to which they were then subjected reflected that view. Abusive staff behaviour was, on occasion, mirrored by children. Corporal punishment was deployed contrary to government guidance, policy and legislation. 

“In institutions targeted at the provision of education for deaf children, for part of the period, the use of sign language or gesture was physically punished.

“As a result, some children were unable to access the education which was being provided.” 

Phase 9 spanned 43 days and heard evidence relating to 133 witnesses, relating to 17 institutions.  This included the evidence of 63 applicants.  Nearly 11,500 documents were in-gathered as relevant to the case study.

Themes which have emerged from the evidence include:

• Failures to listen to children or to allow them to communicate effectively to enable them to report abuse
• Inadequate staff training, particularly where institutions tried to adapt to survive
• Poor supervision and lack provision of appropriate sex education allowing sexually abusive behaviours to flourish
• Excessive and inappropriate use of restraint, which disproportionately affects children with additional support needs
• Excessive and inappropriate use of sedation
• A complete lack of, or ineffective, governance
• Leadership which was autocratic, dysfunctional or absent
• Gaps in inspection regimes

Phase 9 provided a unique challenge, both in terms of taking evidence from deaf or visually impaired witnesses and how that evidence could be made accessible to all members of the public during hearings.

A spokesperson for SCAI, said: “The inquiry started early engagement with support organisations across the sector to ascertain what requirements people would need and how we could best meet them. A series of meetings were held with key stakeholders in the 18 months leading up to the case study and a suite of easy read materials were produced, ensuring they were accessible to all and readily available, where appropriate. 

“We spent significant time looking at best practice and ensured there were options, such as audio, Braille and British Sign Language (BSL). A lot of work was also done to ensure our website was as accessible as possible.

“It was also important evidential hearings were accessible, proceedings were interpreted in BSL for deaf witnesses and for any members of the public who are deaf.

“Our ambition was to make all necessary adjustments and support all witnesses to be able to share their experiences.”

A range of organisations have been involved in the provision of care examined in Phase 9, including the National Health Service, local authorities, voluntary providers, and private providers. 

The case study explored the nature and extent of all forms of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse including the abusive use of corporal punishment and restraint.

Reporting systems and the wide-ranging impact of abuse were also, and continue to be, aspects of SCAI’s investigations, as are staff recruitment, training, and organisational culture.

Parties with leave to appear will make closing submissions in relation to the Phase 9 case study from 9:30 am tomorrow (Friday, 17 October). No evidence will be led on this date.

A BSL translation of the closing submissions notice can be found here

Announcement: the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is holding public hearings about Donaldson’s School for the Deaf in September and October 2025. 

On 10 December 2025, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) will begin its public hearings in relation to Phase 10 of its investigations: the provision of residential care for children and young people in establishments run by Local Authorities and establishments run by voluntary providers used by Local Authorities to place children in care.

SCAI’s investigations into this area of residential care have been ongoing throughout the life of the Inquiry.

The period examined by SCAI’s investigations into abuse at these establishments extends from within living memory until the end of 2014.

This case study will explore the nature and extent of all forms of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, including the abusive use of corporal punishment and restraint.

Reporting systems and the wide-ranging impact of abuse have been and continue to be aspects of SCAI’s investigations, as do staff recruitment, training, and organisational culture. 

The case study will include the presentation of evidence from individuals who experienced abuse when in residential care in one of these settings and from providers.

Hearings will be held at the Inquiry’s venue at Mint House, 20 West Register Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2AA. 

At this stage, applications may be made for leave to appear for this case study. Anyone wishing to apply should do so as soon as possible and, in any event, no later than Friday, 3 October 2025. 

What is involved in having leave to appear is explained on the Inquiry’s website: www.childabuseinquiry.scot/procedure/pre-hearing-procedures. Application forms are also available on the website: www.childabuseinquiry.scot/procedure/application-leave-appear.

Members of the public do not need leave to appear to watch hearings from the public areas in the Inquiry’s venue. They are welcome to do so at any time.

SCAI has also created an Easy Read information guide with simple language and pictures to help people understand more about the Inquiry. This is available on the website: www.childabuseinquiry.scot/accessibility-support

Twenty establishments have now been confirmed as being included in the case study: 

Lady Smith, Chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI), has today, Wednesday 20 August, published her findings relating to the provision of residential care for children at Keil School in Dumbarton.