Child sexual abuse and exploitation are among the most serious harms that can be inflicted on a child. Our responsibility is to ensure that every child is protected, that perpetrators are pursued, and that survivors are listened to, supported and believed.
I want to assure victims and survivors that the Government will never shy away from addressing the difficult truth that children and young people in Scotland are abused, that this is most often done by people who know them, but also by strangers, and, in some cases, by groups of perpetrators.
That is why, in February 2026, the Government announced its intention to establish a public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation. That reflected the significant public concern surrounding the issues, the cross-party support in the previous parliamentary session, and our determination to protect children and young people from harm in Scotland.
The Government established the inspectorate-led national review into group-based abuse in December 2025, which published its findings in September 2026. Although the findings provided a baseline in our understanding of that type of harm, the scope of the review was limited to recent practice and responses. It was based on local data or knowledge of known or reported instances of group-based abuse.
The statutory public inquiry is a separate and independent undertaking, with the strongest possible powers to examine the full extent of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, including historical events, systemic issues and potential institutional failings.
Ministers have listened to victims and survivors who highlighted the hidden or unreported nature of group-based abuse, the overlap with child criminal abuse and the circumstances in which harm took place. Survivors’ testimony was instrumental to the Government’s decision to establish the inquiry, and their stories demonstrated the complexity of group-based abuse, which must be unpicked to fully identify past failings and the action that is needed to address them now and in the future.
I announce to Parliament today the publication of the inquiry’s terms of reference. I confirm that the chair has no personal or professional relationships, interests or associations relevant to the inquiry that require declaration.
This marks a significant milestone and provides a clear framework to guide the inquiry’s work. I confirm that the statutory inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation will begin on 11 November.
Professor Alexis Jay will chair the inquiry, bringing her substantial experience and knowledge on the issue, as evidenced by her groundbreaking work as chair of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse and exploitation in England and Wales.
I have been pleased to meet Professor Jay, and we have discussed our shared determination to confront and address this appalling form of abuse. I am assured by Professor Jay’s commitment that the inquiry will be timely and conducted at pace, and her advice has been instrumental to ministers’ consideration of the terms of reference.
As regards the remit, the inquiry will undertake a thorough examination of Scotland’s response to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, both non-recent and in the present day. Its purpose is not only to understand what has happened but to ensure that it cannot happen again, that accountability is strengthened and that we do everything possible to better protect children and young people in the future.
The terms of reference commit the inquiry to examining the scale, extent and prevalence of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation in Scotland and to examining their impact on victims and survivors. It will examine the characteristics of perpetrators, so that risk factors can be better understood and stronger protections can be developed.
The inquiry will scrutinise any failures in practice by state and non-state bodies and relevant institutions, and the extent to which those failures occurred. That includes consideration of any deliberate concealment or failures to disclose information.
The inquiry will examine any actions taken to address such failures and their effectiveness, as well as the actions that are required now to strengthen policy, practice and, where required, legislation.
The inquiry’s function is not to determine, attribute or rule on civil or criminal liability. Its purpose is to provide clear, evidence-based recommendations that strengthen the protection of children and help to ensure that failures are never repeated.
Careful consideration has been given throughout to the views, experiences and priorities shared by survivors. Ministers and the chair are all determined that survivors be at the heart of the inquiry’s work. In February, the Government announced the establishment of a truth project, so that survivors can share their experience and contribute directly to the inquiry. I announce today that the beginnings of the truth project will launch this month, before national roll-out in 2027.
On temporal scope, the inquiry will examine the period from 1 January 1996 to the setting up of the inquiry on 11 November 2026. That timeframe was carefully determined by considering evidence of the time that it can take survivors of child sexual abuse to disclose their experience, which, understandably, can be many decades.
The timeframe also pragmatically reflects the likely availability of records in local authorities under their current boundaries, which were established under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994 and took effect at the beginning of 1996. However, the inquiry will have latitude to consider any relevant evidence or findings relating to its scope that fall outside that timeframe.
In establishing this inquiry, careful consideration has been given to the important wider work that has already been undertaken by the Scottish child abuse inquiry, chaired by Lady Smith, and the United Kingdom Government’s grooming gangs inquiry, chaired by Baroness Longfield.
The Scottish child abuse inquiry has demonstrated the importance of creating opportunities for survivors to be heard, of rigorous examination of systemic failings and of ensuring that public institutions are held accountable.
It is ministers’ expectation that the Scottish and UK inquiries, which are operationally independent, will engage appropriately to ensure that they complement and do not replicate each other’s investigations.
The terms of reference also set out that the inquiry has a clear aim to make recommendations for action. I am assured that the chair will identify and report those recommendations to Scottish ministers as soon as reasonably practicable. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that lessons are translated into action.
I understand that the chair intends to report on specific aspects of her findings as they emerge, and we will consider any more immediate opportunities to improve the response to group-based child sexual abuse ahead of the conclusion of the inquiry. That is very important to me; we will not wait to take action.
We have worked at pace, balancing our ambition to bring the inquiry to fruition as quickly as possible against the time required to develop thorough and robust terms of reference. However, that has not been our sole focus.
Work has already been underway to strengthen Scotland’s collective response. As I set out earlier, the national review published its findings in September, recommending actions to improve the consistency of definitions in data collection, support intelligence sharing and increase workforce guidance and capability. The Scottish Government accepts those findings in full, and we will work with partners to implement recommendations at pace.
The national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group has continued to bring together key partners to deliver its work on data improvement, workforce training and skills, and it has informed the Government’s commitment to legislate for mandatory reporting of abuse of children in Scotland.
I attended the group in September, where I held positive discussions on its future direction and on how that important work can continue to evolve and align with the group-based inquiry.
I also highlight the ongoing work of Police Scotland’s operation descerno, which is reviewing disclosures, intelligence and cases relating to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation. Although the review remains an operational matter for the chief constable, the Government has provided additional funding to support that important work, recognising its complexity and sensitivity.
Our determined and ongoing work to keep the Promise is another vital part of that work. So, too, is the roll-out of our bairns’ hoose programme, our public health approach to online harm, our national and local responses to the family C learning review, and the work of our newly established National Social Work Agency, among many other strands of work.
This inquiry represents the strongest of measures in our efforts to address the scourge of child sexual abuse and exploitation in Scotland. It reflects our commitment to listen to survivors, examine institutional responses honestly and transparently, and ensure that all lessons are learned and translated into action.
Above all, it is about strengthening our ability to protect children and young people from harm now and in the years to come.
I want survivors to know that their voice will be heard. The inquiry will investigate what they went through without fear or favour, and action will be taken as a result. To those who would seek to perpetrate harm to our children in Scotland, I say simply and directly: there will be nowhere to hide from justice.
The picture at the top of the page is of Professor Alexis Jay, who will chair the public inquiry.