Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions relating to Scotland's redress scheme and Redress Scotland.
Support is available through the Scottish Government. You can get help filling out your application, finding your records and writing your statement of abuse.
Support is also available through the Redress Support Service.
A fixed payment application only requires you to name one care setting and provide a single document showing you were in care, and you do not need to submit evidence supporting your statement of abuse.
An individually assessed payment requires you to name every care setting where abuse happened and provide a document confirming you were in each one. For this option, you should give as much detail as possible in your statement about what happened and include any evidence you have that supports it.
No, payments should not negatively affect your benefits, tax, legal aid or social care entitlement.
You can request a Benefits Disregard Letter from Scottish Government explaining this.
Your personal information will be viewed by authorised people within Redress Scotland for the purposes set out in our privacy notice. Only those who need to see your personal information for the purposes set out in our privacy notice will be allowed to view your information.
After the panel sitting day, your decision letter will be sent to your Scottish Government caseworker who will then send it on to you. It will include your offer which you can choose to accept or reject. You can also request a review of your decision if you disagree with it.
Certain types of serious convictions need to be disclosed as Redress Scotland needs to consider if making a redress payment in certain cases would be against the public interest. The types of offences that need to be disclosed as part of your application are listed below. You will need to provide more information as part of your application for redress.
If you have a relevant unspent previous conviction (whether the offence was committed in the UK or elsewhere in the World) if you: • have been found guilty of rape or murder; or • have received a sentence of imprisonment of five years or more for a violent or sexual offence. You will need to provide this information to Scottish Government as part of your application. You do not need to include information about any other convictions. Further information can be found on the Scottish Government website.
Yes, you will be able to apply for an Individually Assessed Payment if you have received a fixed rate payment. The fixed rate payment amount will be deducted from any further payment.
Redress Scotland will write to let you know once they have received your application and how long you might have to wait for a decision. You will then receive a further letter to let you know that your application has been allocated to a panel and the date the panel sitting day will happen.
If you request it, we can provide regular progress updates on your position in the queue via phonecall, email or text.
We regularly update timescales for decisions on our website.
Redress Scotland will be able to give you a progress update on your application once it has been sent to us from Scottish Government. If your application is still with Scottish Government, you can ask your caseworker for a progress update.
You can request a review of your decision if you are not happy with it. You must ask for a review within 8 weeks of the date you receive a decision letter and before you accept any payment. The review will be considered by a different Redress Scotland panel. You cannot be offered a lower payment as a result of a review, and you can submit further information if you wish. Redress Scotland will ensure that a new panel meets to review the decision within 2 months of us receiving the request.
You should contact Redress Scotland with any general enquiries, comments, feedback or complaints. Our Contact Us page explains the different reasons you might get in touch and how to reach the right team.
As part of their decision, the panel will decide if a previous payment is relevant. This means a payment made in relation to the abuse you experienced may need to be deducted from any redress offer that is made.
Yes, you can ask Redress Scotland to erase personal information we hold about you. However, the right to erasure (sometimes called the "right to be forgotten") is not absolute and each request must be considered on a case-by-case basis. We will carefully consider every request, but we may need to retain some or all of the information where this is necessary to fulfil our legal and statutory responsibilities.
We will explain any decision we make in writing and explain your rights if you are not happy with our response.
No, the panel will meet online and you are not required to join. In most cases, panel members will make decisions based on your application pack. In some circumstances, they may need to get in touch with you following the panel sitting day to ask for more information.
Panel members are appointed by Scottish Ministers to make decisions on applications to Scotland’s redress scheme. They come from different backgrounds such as law, social work, health and trauma support. There is a list of all Redress Scotland panel members on our website where you can find out about their backgrounds.
There are usually 3 panel members on a panel but for some applications, only 2 panel members are required.
A 2-person panel will look at Fixed Payment and Next of Kin applications while a 3-person panel will look at Individually Assessed Payment applications and most other application types.
By law, the panel members are required to start with the presumption that any information provided by the applicant in respect of the application is true and accurate to the best of the applicant’s knowledge and belief.
Panel members use the Act, Statutory Guidance and the Assessment Framework when making a decision about the abuse you have stated in your application.
If you have submitted an Individually Assessed Payment application, the panel will discuss the appropriate level of award, using the Assessment Framework.
Sometimes panel members need more information before they can make the most appropriate decision. If they need more information they will ask you for this by writing a letter to your Scottish Government case worker.
You will have a choice as to whether or not you want to give any more information.
The same panel will meet again to make a decision once more information has been provided or, if no further information is available, the panel will make a decision based on what they already have.
Yes, Redress Scotland is fully operationally independent of the Scottish Government and panel members make their own decisions on applications.
This varies on a month by month basis, however, information on past performance is available in our Applications Facts and Figures reports.
No one from Redress Scotland will contact you on social media channels. If you would like reassurance on any external contact you have received, please get in touch with us on hello@redress.scot
No, you do not need a solicitor to apply to the scheme. You can apply independently using the online application form, however, solicitor support is available to you along with other external support.
If you choose to use a solicitor to apply on your behalf, legal fees will be covered by the Scottish Government. However, you should check with your solicitor about the terms of your contract.
