Family C Learning Review information: FOI release

Information requested

Review notification and progress

1. Any notification, terms of reference, progress report, update or completed report concerning the Family C Learning Review received by the Scottish Government.

2. Any record showing when the Scottish Government became aware of:

• the decision to conduct the review;
• the appointment of the independent reviewer;
• the appointment or involvement of Professor Alexis Jay;
• the anticipated and actual completion dates;
• delays to the review;
• departures from the expected Learning Review process.

3. Any correspondence concerning the approximately 20-month period between the reviewer’s appointment and completion of the report, including explanations, revised timetables or concerns about delay.

Evidence and witnesses

4. Any record concerning:

• the completeness or sufficiency of the review evidence;
• records requested but not received;
• records supplied only in summary or redacted form;
• access by the independent reviewer to primary agency evidence;
• access by Professor Alexis Jay to primary evidence;
• any difference between the evidence available to the reviewer, expert adviser, Review Team or oversight bodies.

5. Any record concerning the absence or non-participation of relevant practitioners, managers, former staff, carers, family members or other witnesses.

6. Any record concerning the statement that staff declined because of trauma or welfare, including whether:

• this was supported by recorded individual or anonymised evidence;
• independent support or alternative participation was offered;
• the effect of non-participation on findings was assessed.

7. Any consideration of whether the absence of powers to compel witnesses or documents limited the reliability or completeness of the review.

8. Any record concerning the joint COPFS–Police Scotland debrief that was unavailable when the Learning Review was completed, including whether:

• the Scottish Government was informed;
• the report should have been delayed or qualified;
• an addendum or supplementary review was proposed.

Independence and conflicts

9. Any record considering the independence of the Family C Learning Review, including:

• the role of agencies whose conduct was under review in supplying and selecting evidence;
• the involvement of agency representatives in analysis and factual-accuracy checking;
• the role and membership of the executive or oversight group;
• actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest;
• declarations of interest;
• recusals;
• independent quality assurance.

10. Any record mentioning Susanne Millar, Pat Togher or Colin Anderson in connection with the commissioning, oversight, governance, quality assurance, approval, implementation or independent scrutiny of the Family C Learning Review.

This question does not allege misconduct. It seeks recorded information concerning governance roles and any consideration of actual, potential or perceived conflicts.

Factual accuracy, amendments and approval

11. Any record concerning:

• agency factual-accuracy comments;
• objections or proposed amendments;
• changes to draft findings or recommendations;
• legal or reputational review;
• communications review;
• quality assurance;
• approval or sign-off of the final report.

12. Any record showing whether the Scottish Government was provided with or requested:

• an evidence inventory;
• a document schedule;
• a participant list;
• an evidence-gap log;
• a factual-accuracy or amendment log;
• declarations of interest;
• a record of final approval;
• the Family C action plan.

Care Inspectorate and national oversight

13. Any correspondence between the Scottish Government and the Care Inspectorate concerning:

• the Family C Learning Review;
• observations made on the completed report;
• compliance with national guidance;
• evidential or participation limitations;
• further assurance, inspection or follow-up.

14. Any Care Inspectorate observations, summaries or advice concerning Family C that were provided to the Scottish Government.

15. Any record considering whether the Care Inspectorate’s 2025 inspection of Glasgow services provided assurance about:

• the historic failures affecting Family C;
• the completeness or integrity of the Learning Review;
• senior leadership and governance;
• the risk of similar failures recurring.

Action and escalation

16. Any record showing what action the Scottish Government expects Glasgow bodies to take in response to Family C.

17. Any record showing how implementation will be monitored, independently verified or escalated if recommendations are not completed.

18. Any discussion of:

• ministerial intervention;
• further inspection;
• independent audit;
• statutory intervention;
• national policy change;
• referral to another oversight or investigatory body.

Response

1. I enclose copies of most of the information you requested, please see attached documents:

• 202600528245 - Response for questions 1-3 - FINAL REDACTED
• 202600528245 - Response for questions 10, 12, 16 & 17 - FINAL REDACTED
• 202600528245 - Response for questions 13-15 - FINAL REDACTED

2. The answer to questions 4-9 and 11 is that the Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. This is because the Scottish Government does not have oversight over learning reviews. As the National Guidance for Child Protection Committees Undertaking Learning Reviews sets out, learning reviews are overseen by Child Protection Committees, on behalf of the Chief Officers Group. Glasgow Child Protection Committee may have some of the information you requested.

As such, for your questions 4-9 and 11, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

3. In respect of the information you requested in question 18, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600 due to the number of documents found. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.

4. You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. For example, this could include reducing the time frame to a shorter, more specific period, refining the list of search terms to focus the request on those that are more specific, rather than broad terms. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner’s ‘Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs’ on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202600528245 - Information Released - Documents

File type

PDF

File size

6.1 MB