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National Confidential Forum and Providers’ Guidance:

meeting the needs of survivors and other former residents.

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Overview

1. Introduction and background2. The guidance: key points3. Challenges and opportunities

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Background: where did the guidance come from?

• Victims and Witnesses (S) Bill, Health and Sport Committee, 3rd report 2013 recommendation 12:

‘… to explore the links between the NCF and care providers’

• NCF duty to signpost

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The Forum and providers: bridging the gap

NCF Providers

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The providers’ guidance working group

Membership:• Scottish Government• Third sector providers• Survivor support organisations (In Care Survivors Service Scotland)

• CELCIS• Scottish Churches• Social Work Scotland • Former Boys and Girls of Quarriers Abused• Consultation with Aberlour, Children First, Action for Children, Barnardos,

Quarriers

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Definitions

• Providers: former and current social care and health

• Survivors and other former residents• Historical abuse: defined in guidance

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The guidance: responding to survivors and other former residents

• “The greatest thing that you can give a survivor is acknowledgement, not sympathy but acknowledgement”.

Front cover of Time to be Heard: a Pilot Forum, 2011

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The guidance: key points

• Step-by-step guide• References to best practice• Acknowledgment/corporate responsibility• Opportunity to meet the needs of survivors

and other former residents

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The needs of survivors and other former residents

• Can’t generalise• Possible outcomes: see chart page 10

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Learning from research

Tom Shaw report: Time To Be Heard, 2011, Recommendations for Service Providers (section 4.2.1, pages 106–108): • ‘Provide skilled assistance and supported arrangements to

those former residents who are seeking information about themselves or about the institution which was their home’

• ‘Ensure that responses to former residents are objective and supportive – they were, after all, your children.’

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Possible outcomes

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Challenges include…

• Numbers not known• Consistent national approach• Legal and insurers• Access to records, archiving and redaction

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In summary

• Guidance: helping to bridge the gap• Not just about ‘access to records’• Some of today’s child protection cases…

tomorrow’s historical abuse cases• Positive opportunity for survivors, other

former residents and providers

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