The overall aim and purpose of this Inquiry is to raise public awareness of the abuse of children in care, particularly during the period covered by the Inquiry. It will provide an opportunity for public acknowledgement of the suffering of those children and a forum for validation of their experience and testimony.
The Terms of Reference set out the matters the Inquiry must consider, we cannot look at anything outwith these. The Terms set out the Inquiry's timescale and require it to make recommendations.
The Terms of Reference were set by Scottish Ministers before the Inquiry started and revised slightly in November 2016. The Terms of Reference were revised again in June 2018. The changes were for clarification and to recognise that, given the nature and extent of the Terms of Reference, it's not realistic to require the Inquiry to issue its final report by a specific date.
The final report will be issues 'as soon as reasonably practicable'. In the meantime, the Inquiry has been publishing the Chair's findings in relation to each case study and will continue to do so.
The Inquiry will do this by fulfilling its Terms of Reference which are set out below.
- To investigate the nature and extent of abuse of children whilst in care in Scotland, during the relevant time frame.
- To consider the extent to which institutions and bodies with legal responsibility for the care of children failed in their duty to protect children in care in Scotland (or children whose care was arranged in Scotland) from abuse, regardless of where that abuse occurred, and in particular to identify any systemic failures in fulfilling that duty.
- To create a national public record and commentary on abuse of children in care in Scotland during the relevant time frame.
- To examine how abuse affected and still affects these victims in the long term, and how in turn it affects their families.
- The Inquiry is to cover that period which is within living memory of any person who suffered such abuse, up until such date as the Chair may determine, and in any event not beyond 17 December 2014.
- To consider the extent to which failures by state or non-state institutions (including the courts) to protect children in care in Scotland from abuse have been addressed by changes to practice, policy or legislation, up until such date as the Chair may determine.
- To consider whether further changes in practice, policy or legislation are necessary in order to protect children in care in Scotland from such abuse in future.
- To report to the Scottish Ministers on the above matters, and to make recommendations, as soon as reasonably practicable.
Definitions
‘Child’ means a person under the age of 18.
For the purpose of this Inquiry, “Children in Care” includes children in institutional residential care such as children’s homes (including residential care provided by faith based groups); secure care units including List D schools; Borstals; Young Offenders’ Institutions; places provided for Boarded Out children in the Highlands and Islands; state, private and independent Boarding Schools, including state funded school hostels; healthcare establishments providing long term care; and any similar establishments intended to provide children with long term residential care. The term also includes children in foster care.
The term does not include: children living with their natural families; children living with members of their natural families, children living with adoptive families, children using sports and leisure clubs or attending faith based organisations on a day to day basis; hospitals and similar treatment centres attended on a short term basis; nursery and day-care; short term respite care for vulnerable children; schools, whether public or private, which did not have boarding facilities; police cells and similar holding centres which were intended to provide care temporarily or for the short term; or 16 and 17 year old children in the armed forces and accommodated by the relevant service.
“Abuse” for the purpose of this Inquiry is to be taken to mean primarily physical abuse and sexual abuse, with associated psychological and emotional abuse. The Inquiry will be entitled to consider other forms of abuse at its discretion, including medical experimentation, spiritual abuse, unacceptable practices (such as deprivation of contact with siblings) and neglect, but these matters do not require to be examined individually or in isolation.