Too serious to be secret: Council under pressure to make public a damning but concealed report into secure units

Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner has demanded a damning report exposing grave, systemic failures in the capital’s secure units for vulnerable young people is made public.

Bruce Adamson has said it is unacceptable that the city council has refused to release the report which exposed “serious and sustained failings” at Edinburgh Secure Services (ESS) before cutting short councillors’ discussion.

An internal investigation found “illegality, maladministration and injustice” including the physical and mental abuse of children aged 10 to 17 over a 10-year period at ESS but the council insisted it was too sensitive to be made public.

Adamson said those concerns cannot outweigh the safety of children in the council’s care and demanded greater transparency about the problems laid bare in the report and the council’s proposed remedies.

The Sunday Post understands the report, which found “serious and sustained failings” as part of a toxic management culture, makes more than 40 recommendations after an investigation prompted by a whistleblower in 2020 revealed mental and physical abuse of children, including assaults, inappropriate restraints, and abusive language. Adamson, the country’s Children and Young People’s Commissioner, said: “The report and findings should be made public while respecting privacy rights of the children.”

Councillors wishing to read the full report can only do so online with access password-protected. Adamson said: “It is essential the investigation undertaken by the City of Edinburgh Council into the rights breaches which have been reported is effective, robust and rights-compliant.

“The process and reporting from the investigation must be as transparent as possible while ensuring that children’s rights to privacy are protected. The views of the children affected, some of whom will now be adults, should be sought appropriately and their contribution to the investigation must be facilitated in a safe space and without fear of reprisal.

“Children who have had their rights violated should have their experiences acknowledged, with clear mechanisms to ensure accountability and redress. Without providing accountability and access to remedy, we risk exacerbating trauma and abuse and ultimately delaying recovery.

“I have sought an urgent meeting with the chief social work officer for City of Edinburgh Council to set out my concerns. I will be seeking assurances the appropriate and necessary supports, including independent legal and human rights advice, are being made available to those affected.”

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His concern was echoed by Fiona Duncan, who led an independent review of care in Scotland which found the system had failed children. She is also seeking an urgent meeting with council bosses. After her review she was appointed chair of The Promise, an organisation set up to drive the change demanded by her review’s findings.

She said: “Whilst details of the abuse that took place at ESS have not been made public, it is already clear that the experiences of children are very far from The Promise Scotland made.

“That this took place in Scotland as recently as 2019 is a stain on a nation that had already committed to be a place where children should grow up loved, safe and respected.

“Action must be taken now to properly support those affected and ensure their experiences are never repeated. The knowledge this happened in the first place must be used to shape how Scotland supports, cares and protects children.”

The report made 44 recommendations and a further five were made by Safecall, the whistleblowers’ hotline. It revealed how previous concerns were ignored or failed to trigger effective action including a report in 2018 which included 55 recommendations for change.

The report was due to be discussed at an online meeting of Edinburgh’s councillors where the Conservative group had lodged an amendment expressing no confidence in the local authority’s chief executive, Andrew Kerr. However, the SNP/Labour administration voted to close the debate at 5pm citing official rules governing the running time of meetings.

The investigation was launched in 2020 after a whistleblower alleged serious malpractice in Edinburgh’s two secure units – Howdenhall and St Katharine’s – which are residential care for children regarded as a risk to themselves or others.

One source said investigators found a toxic culture in which abusive behaviour was normalised. They said: “There was an absence of management and leadership at all levels.”

The report also revealed staff had no confidence in the procedures meant to encourage whistleblowing despite a 2012 Care Inspectorate report suggesting they did.

During the decade covered by the report, the Care Inspectorate had concluded the quality of care, staffing, management and leadership was very good. The watchdog said it has a copy of the report and the implications for the service and for any future inspections is being considered.

Edinburgh Council said: “Wider publication of the report, which contains sensitive and personal information, could lead to the identification of young people and also impact ongoing internal disciplinary investigations. The welfare of those affected remains our key priority.

“We want to apologise to the young people affected by this and praise those who contributed to the investigation.”