The Act – this is an act of of the Scottish Parliament, called the Redress for Survivors (Historical Abuse in Care) (Scotland) act, which sets out the right of survivors to apply to the Scottish Government for redress. It became law in 2021.
Apology – an apology from the Scottish Government for the abuse suffered by a survivor and help to receive an apology from others.
Care setting – a place or institution where a survivor was staying while in care. This does not include all care settings, but does include most children’s homes, some residential schools, detention centres, boarded-out and foster care environments and in some cases long-stay hospitals. It does not include places where the survivor was living with a parent or guardian, or which was arranged by a parent or guardian.
Case worker – a professional person who is trained to help survivors apply for redress. In Scotland’s redress scheme, case workers are employed by the Scottish Government.
Historical abuse – abuse which happened in the past. For this redress scheme, the abuse must have occurred before 1st December 2004, and when the survivor was below the age of 18.
Next of kin – a spouse, partner or cohabitant, or if no one eligible is in that category, a child of a survivor. If a survivor died on or after 1st December 2004, that person’s next of kin may be eligible for a redress payment of £10,000.
Review – if a survivor is not satisfied with the offer of redress, they can ask for a review. A different group of people from Redress Scotland will then look at the original decision and tell the Scottish Government if they think it was correct, or if a new offer should be made. A survivor can ask for another review about a different issue, but can’t ask for a second review on the same issue.
Survivor – anyone who has suffered historic abuse while under the age of 18 and in care in Scotland before 1st December 2004.