For those following the progress of #PE1979, the new Scottish Parliament Petitions’ Committee have just informed petitioners that our petition (and the other 7 legacy petitions) was privately discussed at their meeting on Thursday 25th June (writes ALISON DICKIE).
There, committee members agreed to write to the Scottish Government about all legacy petitions.
In February, PE1979 received the previous committee’s cross-party support when they continued our petition into the 7th parliamentary session to be ‘rigorously pursued’ by the new committee.
Since May’s election, we have continued to build on that support, and initiated meetings with individual and supportive MSPs before the summer recess.
For nearly four years, petitioners have been calling for independent investigation of allegations relating to the mishandling of child abuse concerns by public bodies and an independent national whistleblowing office for education and children’s services.
Behind the petition’s calls are families, former and current staff and others who have had their health, career and lives negatively impacted for raising child abuse concerns. Importantly, it includes CSA & CSE survivors who have been further traumatised by the mishandling of their disclosures.
The allegations raised are diverse but include cases relating to serious and organised child abuse, with links across them. Given this, petitioners continue to highlight the vital need for robust and independent investigation and an INWO to amplify the voice of whistleblowers and survivors and limit the marking of one’s own homework that thrives at public body, multi-agency and even national strategic group levels.
Ultimately, we highlight how determining the child safeguarding truth directly relates to the level of confidence we can have in current child safeguarding – the systems and personnel in place – and particularly where the alleged predators still work with children and young people.
It is our hope that the new Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, members of the Petitions Committee and MSPs across all parties will show an understanding of these serious matters and more urgently help to deliver the petition’s calls to better keep children safe.
We await the SG response and the committee’s deliberations with interest.
Read more about it via the online briefings below.
