MORE than 60 residential care establishments for youngsters are being investigated by the team working on Scotland’s national child abuse inquiry, its chairwoman has said.
They are among more than 100 locations where the abuse of children is alleged to have taken place, Lady Smith announced.
Boarding schools, institutions run by religious orders and local authorities are among the establishments being probed.
The schools specifically being investigated by inquiry staff are Fettes College, Gordonstoun, the former Keil School, Loretto School, Merchiston Castle School, and Morrison’s Academy when it was a boarding school, the hearing was told.
Faith-based organisations being looked at include those run by religious orders including the Benedictines, Sisters of Nazareth and the Christian Brothers.
The inquiry is also investigating the relationship between the Catholic Church in Scotland and these religious orders, as well as three establishments run by the Church of Scotland.
Inquiry chair Lady Smith named a list of places being probed as she provided an update on its progress during a preliminary hearing in Edinburgh.
The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is examining historical allegations of the abuse of children in care and has been taking statements from witnesses since the spring of last year.
Lady Smith told the hearing at Parliament House that the inquiry is “determined to get to the bottom of any systemic failures that occurred”.
She appealed to anyone with relevant evidence to come forward and speak to the inquiry.
“We are determined to find out the truth about what happened to children in care, where, how and why,” she said.
“We want to find out why the abuse was not prevented, why it was not stopped, and what needs to be done to protect children in care in the future.” Senior judge Lady Smith said 170 people had contacted the inquiry by June last year and “many more have done so since then”, but she said she would not give a running commentary on the number of individuals coming forward.
Turning to institutions, she said: “So far, we have identified more than 100 locations where abuse of children is said to have taken place but we know that there are many more than that.
“The inquiry team is currently investigating over 60 residential care establishments for children in order to gather, from those who ran them and others, evidence about how children who were being cared for in a range of different settings and by a number of different types of care organisations were treated.”
Other current investigations are focusing on religious orders the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, the Sisters of our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, the De la Salle Brothers and Marist Brothers, the hearing was told.
Church of Scotland-run establishments being probed are Ballikinrain School, Geilsland Residential School, and the Lord and Lady Polwarth Home for Children in Edinburgh.
The team is further looking at how children were treated at institutions run by “major care providers” Quarriers, Barnardo’s, Aberlour Child Care Trust, as well as Widower’s Children’s Home. Eight children’s homes and secure units across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Fife are also being looked into, the inquiry team revealed. In her first public remarks since she became chair last summer, Lady Smith confirmed child migrants will be included in the inquiry’s remit.
Staff are said to be working to identify and contact people in countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand who may have suffered abuse.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here