Abuse survivors abandon “disgusting” national redress scheme

Abuse survivors are turning their back on the national redress scheme claiming that delays, failures and broken promises are worsening their trauma.

The controversial quango is meant to provide one-off payments of £10k to £100k but victims report struggling with confusing paperwork, long delays and being made to feel “like a bulletpoint on a to-do list”.

The damning feedback comes one year after the scheme - and overseeing body Redress Scotland - was launched and follows a 12-month saga of previously reported issues such as the legal waiver. 

Recent data also shows application numbers have plummeted while appeals to low offers have spiked - sparking fears the scheme is still not fit for purpose.

"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 this scheme 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 the scheme 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.”

The redress payment scheme was launched on 8 December 2021 by the Scottish Government - however this was more than six months later than pledged.

Since then Deputy First Minister John Swinney has been complaints of application backlogs, a low rate of payments and a lack of scheme contributors paying into Redress.

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.

One survivor, who gave evidence at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry under the false name 'Rosie', was abused by foster parents in East Lothian.

She gave up on trying to make an application and came to Digby Brown for help after feeling traumatised by the process.

Our client 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.”

A second Digby Brown client echoed Rosie's complaints.

He made a redress application after being sexually abused at Balgowan D-List School in Dundee in the 1960s.

Our client, who chose to remain anonymous, said: “I applied after providing a 42-page statement to the SCAI where it will be heard in summer of 2023.

“Redress asked for the same information but demanded I write a fresh copy. The time and upset of writing it out twice is disgusting and shows officials either don’t know or don’t care about the way the Redress process impacts people.

“Swinney assured us everything would be swift, professional and caring but it’s been nothing of the kind. All we see is problems, delays or silence and I got so fed up I sought legal advice instead.”

In addition the issues around the application process further concerns around the payment values were raised.

The redress tariff scheme is seen by victims as unfair because it only considers the type of abuse that happened.

However civil courts consider the total effects the abuse had on a person’s life which is why many survivors can recover sums up to £1million via historic abuse claims. 

MORE - Rosie's traumatising experience of the government's redress scheme was reported in the national media, including STV News, Daily Express and Radio Forth.

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