Child abuse survivor slams Scottish Government redress scheme
Too many delays, too much red tape, a lack of communication and no empathy - a scathing review of the redress scheme intended to pay compensation to child abuse survivors
Last updated 16th Nov 2022
A survivor of childhood abuse is slating the redress scheme set-up by the Scottish Government, less than a year after it's launch.
It's as a number of victims suggest the programme needs a radical overhaul.
Designed to compensate survivors, the redress scheme allows people to apply for pay-outs of anything from £10,000 to £100,000.
It comes from a large pot of money contributed to by the likes of religious group and local councils - but it does limit other legal action victims can take.
Some are claiming the system is too complicated, has far too many delays and issues and also doesn't offer enough empathy to applicants - which is putting many off from making their claims.
But the Scottish Government say it's already paid out £8 Million, and have made changes based off of applicant feedback - and will continue to do so.
One victim, who was abused by foster parents in East Lothian, gave up on Redress after initially hoping to get recognition after battling with the trauma in secret for decades.
The woman, who gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry under the name ‘Rosie’, said: “I was taken in by the assurances but I couldn’t believe the utter mess of the process after I applied.
“I was sent away to fill out huge forms and given no guidance and when I did speak to someone I was met with exasperation like I was a bulletpoint on their to do list.
“I was sexually abused as a teenager by a family that was meant to care for me.
“It took me years to come to terms with things and all I hoped for at this stage was some sense of recognition but Redress turned it into an ordeal of its own. The whole process is cold.”
Redress Scotland was launched on 8 December 2021 by the Scottish Government but it was more than six months later than pledged and without appropriate staffing in place.
Before receiving any money a survivor must sign a legal waiver to never take a scheme contributor to court in the future.
The most recent data shows application numbers have plummeted from 402 in January 2022 to just 83 in August – while appeals of low offers rocketed from 9 in February 2022 to 37 in August.
As of August 2022 there were also 1,167 applications that still didn’t even have a case handler allocated.
Kim Leslie, Partner at Digby Brown Solicitors, said: “No tariff-based system is ever fair as capped payments stop survivors getting the recognition they deserve while the waiver strips them of their legal rights.
“Those who stand to benefit the most from Redress are perpetrators because the scheme lets liable organisations hide from public accountability all while saving cash as it’s cheaper to pay into the scheme than settle court actions.
“Despite the pledges Redress Scotland is clearly still not fit for purpose and it needs a drastic overhaul if it’s to play any positive part in the kind of life-affirming support survivors deserve.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said:
"Scotland’s Redress Scheme is designed to be swifter and less adversarial than civil court action, and the number of applications received to date is in line with projections.
“More than £8 million has already been paid out to survivors in less than one year of the scheme being in operation, with 8% of applicants having requested a review out of 189 payment offers.
“As each application is unique to an individual's experience it is not possible to determine an average timescale however priority is given to applicants with a terminal illness and those over 68 years of age.
“In response to feedback received from survivors, the operating model for Scotland's Redress Scheme has been improved to ensure that applications can be progressed prior to applicants having a case worker allocated. To support the efficient delivery of the scheme additional case workers have been recruited.
“Feedback from applicants on their experiences of the process is encouraged to ensure that the scheme is robust, credible and operates efficiently with survivors at its heart. Practical and emotional support is available to applicants at each stage of the process.
“The restriction order issued by the Chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry prevents applicants from using their inquiry statement as part of their application. The Inquiry operates independently of Government.”