Mandatory Reporting Task and Finish Group minutes: March 2026

Attendees and apologies

Chair 

• Dr Ariane Critchley, University of Stirling  

Group members in attendance 

• Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS) 
• Child Protection Unit Officials and Professional Advisors, Scottish Government 
• Children First 
• COSLA 
• Child Protection Committees Scotland 
• CYCJ 
• Education Scotland 
• Lucy Faithfull Foundation Scotland 
• Police Scotland 
• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) 
• Scottish Nursing Leadership for Child Protection (SNLCP) 
• Scottish Children’s Reporter’s Administration (SCRA) 
• Social Work Scotland 
• Society of Personnel and Development Scotland (SPDS) 

Apologies 

• Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES) 
• COPFS 
• National Social Work Agency 
• Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) 

Secretariat 

• Child Protection Unit, Scottish Government 
   

Items and actions

Welcome, introductions and apologies 

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted apologies. New members briefly introduced themselves to the group. 

Broader context 

Scottish Government briefly set out the key elements of the announcement made by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in her Parliamentary statement on 25th February 2026. This included the establishment of an inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse to be chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, and the establishment of a Truth Project for Scotland which will be led by John O’Brien. 

It was clarified that these developments will not affect the work of the Mandatory Reporting Task and Finish Group and the other subgroups and that these workstreams should proceed as planned. 

The Chairs of the existing sub-groups on workforce, data and mandatory reporting will meet to discuss shared opportunities across these workstreams and to ensure a joined-up strategic approach to our collective work in this area. Members noted that it will be helpful to ensure that the different strands of work complement each other. 

Final agreement on the Terms of Reference 

The Chair sought agreement from the group regarding the updated Terms of Reference. No group member dissented. 

Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS) Discussion Paper 

CELCIS provided a summary presentation drawing on the key points from its Mandatory Reporting discussion paper, which set out recent developments in England in relation to mandatory reporting, briefly outlined the legislative frameworks in four countries outside the UK and began to explore the evidence base through a rapid review of UK and international research papers and articles. 

Group members discussed the limited evidence base to indicate whether mandatory reporting prevents harm or abuse or impacts long term outcomes. Members noted that responding to reports of abuse or harm is essential to ensure positive impacts on outcomes for children and young people.  

During discussions, members noted that there could be learning from the introduction of the Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019 in terms of clear communication with the workforce and the public, and how legislation may strengthen the implementation of UNCRC within the system.  

Group members discussed how to measure success of mandatory reporting, and how to do so in a child-centred manner. For example, it was discussed that an increase in the number of children and young people receiving support through therapeutic or recovery services may be a more child-centred outcome and indicator of success than an increase in prosecutions.  

The group considered whether it might be helpful to consider case studies to understand whether and how mandatory reporting could have made a difference in individual cases.  

There was discussion around the reasons behind the assumed underreporting of child sexual abuse. Members explored potential elements including practitioners not acting on concerns they may have, practitioners not recognising indicators of abuse, or waiting for children to make the disclosure. It was noted that the national review being led by the Inspectorates may provide additional information to understand where the challenges are in terms of underreporting.  

The group noted that child protection registration is only one possible outcome from an Inter-agency Referral Discussion or child protection investigation. If a child is not placed on the register it does not mean that there was no intervention as intervention can take many forms. It was discussed that is often the case that sexual abuse is not the initial presenting concern that professionals are aware of. It could be that sexual abuse is identified later on, but as it was not recorded as the initial concern this may impact on how child sexual abuse is captured in data collections. 

Members highlighted that child sexual abuse rarely occurs in isolation and that in practice professionals consider the child’s needs more holistically rather than focusing on one form of abuse. There was a recognition that a duty to report concerns around emotional abuse or neglect would require very careful consideration and clear definition as these forms of abuse can be difficult to define and can be cumulative. Noting these challenges, the group saw merit in considering a duty that covers all forms of abuse and neglect and in doing so avoids any perception of a hierarchy of harm. 

The Chair will meet with the chair of the data subgroup to understand the crossover between the two groups’ work and to share data and learning. It was agreed that the Task and Finish group could collate questions for the data subgroup about national data which could support the consideration of mandatory reporting. 

Members noted that the Welsh Government have recently published a national strategy for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse that spans 2026 – 2036. The strategy does not include provision for mandatory reporting.  

Workplan 

The Chair explained that she is developing a workplan to share with the group. It is being informed by the discussions she has had with group members and the range of issues that have been raised. 

The Chair noted that it may be helpful to have focused sessions planned to provide opportunities for detailed consideration around particular workforces, such as health.    

Next steps and close 

The Chair will share the draft workplan at the next meeting. A further virtual meeting will be arranged for late April/early May. An in-person session will be held in May.  

Actions 

• Chair to meet with the Chairs of the other subgroups 
• Secretariat to circulate the confirmed Terms of Reference 
• Chair to develop a draft workplan to discuss at the next meeting 
• Secretariat to send a poll for dates/locations of future meetings