Redress Scotland - Financial Redress From Survivors Of Historical Child Abuse In Care

1st December 2021

A panel of experts has been appointed to consider applications for financial redress from survivors of historical child abuse in care.

The 20 panel members bring a broad range of experience and expertise from education, social work and the legal, health and charity sectors.

The appointments follow a robust recruitment process which included interviews with a panel of survivors.

The Chair of Redress Scotland, Johnny Gwynne, former Deputy Chief Constable of Police Scotland, was appointed earlier this year.

Welcoming the appointments, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:

"For decades, some children in residential care were failed by those trusted to look after them. Scotland's Redress Scheme is a national endeavour to acknowledge what happened, and provide recognition of the harm caused to children who were abused historically in care.

"While nothing can ever make up for what survivors experienced, the scheme offers an alternative to court action that is a faster, more survivor-focused route to redress.

“Redress Scotland panel members have an important role to play in the scheme by bringing independent, fair and consistent decision-making to all applications. Their work will help ensure we deliver a scheme that is robust and treats applicants with fairness, dignity and compassion. This is a strong pool of panel members with a breadth of knowledge and experience."

Mr Gwynne said:

“I would like to welcome all 20 panel members to Redress Scotland. Each brings a set of skills and expertise which will be invaluable as we work together to deliver a redress scheme that earns the trust of survivors."

Background

The members appointed to Redress Scotland are: Andrea Darling; Andrea Higgins; Andrew Mason; Anne Houston; Bill Matthews; Brian Houston; Eileen Skinner; Emma Lewis; Jacqueline McGarvey; Jane Gordon; Lynne Harvie; Marcia Samuels; Mary McCallan; Paul Gilroy; Rachel Happer; Safina Din; Sam Gower; Sara Lurie; Susan Fallone; Zeenat Islam.

Biographies for Redress Scotland panel members can be seen below.

The scheme is established by the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Act 2021 which received Royal Assent in April. It will be open for applications to those who experienced abuse prior to 1 December 2004 in eligible residential care settings. The scheme will be open for applications before the end of 2021.

Survivors will be able to apply for a fixed rate redress payment of £10,000, or an individually assessed redress payment which will involve a more detailed examination of their experience. The individually assessed redress payment levels are set at £20,000, £40,000, £60,000, £80,000 or £100,000.

Survivors who apply for financial redress will also be offered access to some non-financial elements of redress such as acknowledgement, apology and therapeutic support.

Redress Scotland is an independent public body.

The 20 Redress Scotland panel members bring a broad range of experience and expertise from social work, education, legal enforcement, psychology and the charity sector.

Here is the list of panel members:

Andrea Darling
Dr Darling has a background in safeguarding. She is a Research Associate at Durham University, and Senior Research Fellow for a programme examining vulnerability hosted by the National Police Chiefs Council of England and Wales.

Andrea Higgins
Dr Higgins is a consultant clinical psychologist with expertise in trauma associated with historical abuse. She has led and contributed to psychological services within the Republic of Ireland and Scotland.

Andrew Mason
An advocate at the Scottish Bar, Andrew has over 14 years' experience in courts and tribunals. In 2020 he was selected as a panel member for the Disabled People’s Organisations COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

Anne Houston
A social worker with 40 years’ experience, Dr Anne Houston OBE led the development of ChildLine for 17 years, and was CEO of Children 1st. She is currently Vice Chair of the Care Inspectorate.

Bill Matthews
Chair of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission and a member of the Unitary Board of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (England and Wales), Bill has wide experience across the public sector, particularly in criminal justice.

Brian Houston
A qualified social worker, Brian has more than 30 years’ experience working with children, young people and families. He has worked in different settings as a practitioner and leader. Brian is currently Head of Support at The Promise.

Eileen Skinner
A solicitor specialising in child protection cases, Eileen has wide experience of cases of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. She is currently a member of a number of regulatory committees in the medical and healthcare sector.

Emma Lewis
With over 23 years’ experience of working on complex casework with vulnerable groups, Emma founded the Roots Foundation, a charity which supports people who are or have been in care. She is a panel member for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Jane Gordon
Jane is a lawyer with 25 years’ experience that includes human rights, criminal justice reform an advising national policing bodies. She co-founded and led a charity that worked to address discrimination and violence against women and girls.

Jacqui McGarvey
A social worker with over 35 years’ experience with children and families, adult and disability services, Jacqui was Policy Advisor for Safeguarding in Northern Ireland. She is a panel member of the Historical Institutional Abuse Statutory Redress Board.

Lynne Harvie
Lynne has supported survivors of sexual abuse for a decade with the Strathclyde Rape Crisis Centre, providing face-to-face, telephone and group counselling support. She has 25 years’ experience as a senior leader across the public, private and third sectors.

Marcia Samuels
Marcia is a social worker with over 30 years’ experience, including work with survivors of historical abuse. She is a panel member for the Redress Board in Northern Ireland and a facilitator for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Mary McCallan
A qualified solicitor, Mary worked at the WAVE Trauma Centre and Victim Support Northern Ireland before joining Relatives for Justice in 2016. She is a member of the Appeals Panel Northern Ireland and the Gender Legacy Integration Group.

Paul Gilroy
Before retirement, Paul was Head of Service in CrossReach. He has over 35 years’ experience in the care and education sectors. He was the joint chair of the Interaction Action Plan Review Group with the Scottish Human Rights Commission.

Rachel Happer
A clinical psychologist with over 20 years’ experience in complex trauma, with a particular focus on institutional abuse. Rachel is the former head of Scotland’s acknowledgement forum and is experienced in working with survivors of historical abuse.

Safina Din
A practicing solicitor and academic, Safina is a member of both the Employment Tribunal and the First Tier Social Entitlement Chamber. She is also an independent chair for NHS England.

Sam Gower
Currently Clinical Services Director with the Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit, Sam is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in complex trauma, child development and residential care.

Sara Lurie
Sara is a qualified social worker with wide experience of working with children and families. She recently retired from The Fostering Network, where she was the Director of Scotland and the UK safeguarding lead.

Susan Fallone
An advocate at the Scottish Bar and JP in Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Susan’s legal practice and experience has a particular emphasis on child and family law. She was appointed a Children’s Safeguarder in 2013.

Zeenat Islam
A public law barrister, Zeenat has experience in working with community organisations, vulnerable individuals and people from minoritised groups. Since 2017 she has been instructed as Junior Counsel to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.