Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry to resume hearing evidence

By Dan Vevers
SBS
August 09, 2017

https://stv.tv/news/scotland/1395317-scottish-child-abuse-inquiry-to-resume-hearing-evidence/

Inquiry: It is looking into historical allegations of child abuse. Photo by Nick Mailer

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry will resume hearing evidence as part of the first phase of its investigations in October.

The inquiry is examining historical allegations about the abuse of children in care and has been taking statements from witnesses since last spring.

Fresh hearings to wrap up the inquiry's first phase will begin in Rosebery House in Edinburgh on October 31 and will include expert testimony.

Investigators also announced they will launch the second phase of the inquiry on November 28, which will start by focusing on two children's homes in South Lanarkshire run by the Catholic Church.

They are Smyllum Park in Lanark and Bellevue House in Rutherglen, both run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul.

The deadline for applications for leave to appear in relation to either of these cases is September 4.

The inquiry ultimately intends to look at more than 100 locations identified as places children are believed to have been assaulted.

These include other residential child care establishments run by Christian religious orders as well as prestigious private schools including Fettes College and Loretto.

On its first day of hearings in May, the inquiry heard a succession of apologies to survivors who say they were abused as children in residential care from various religious organisations, including Quarriers and Crossreach, the social care arm of the Church of Scotland.

The inquiry's chairwoman Lady Smith told the groups in her opening remarks that the process would be "painful" but necessary to achieve "real, substantial and lasting change".

She is the second person to chair the inquiry after Susan O'Brien resigned in July 2016 citing government interference. The Scottish Government denies the allegations.

Education secretary John Swinney and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon rejected calls to widen the inquiry's remit by some abuse survivor campaign groups.

It will only hear evidence on those who were abused while in the care of the state or another institution, not those in the care of parents or guardians.