Scotland's Redress Scheme: combined annual report 2025

4.21 Salesians of Don Bosco

The Salesians of Don Bosco were the providers of the following historical residential care provision in Scotland. All were for boys of secondary school age:

1. St Teresa’s (residential care home for boys), Hillside House, Aberdour, Fife, KY3 0RH (1950-1960).

2. St John Bosco School (Approved School and then List D School for boys), Hillside House, Aberdour, Fife, KY3 0RH (1960-1983).

3. Bosco House (residential care home for boys), 7 Hamilton Road, Mount Vernon, Glasgow, G32 9QD (1972-1984).

The Salesians of Don Bosco have not been a provider of any childcare provision in Scotland since the closure of Bosco House in 1984 but resolved to be a Contributor to Redress Scotland from its establishment in December 2021. As part of joining the Scheme we submitted an acknowledgement of non-recent abuse in our care and committed ourselves to providing an annual statement of our redress activity provided in addition to our financial contribution to the Scheme.

Not being a childcare provider in Scotland for 40 years our current safeguarding policies and practices have been developed in relation to our work in England. This has involved compliance with and adoption of the polices and guidelines of the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service (CSAS) and more recently its replacement the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA), along with the Religious Life Safeguarding Service (RLSS). There has been a renewed emphasis on care and support for abuse victims and survivors with the establishment of ‘Safe Spaces’ to provide free independent counselling and support to anyone who has been abused in a Catholic or Anglican church context.

Anyone in England who now approaches us about past abusive experiences is offered a formal apology and the Safe Spaces support, in addition to the offer of meeting with us in person. We consider these policies are largely transferrable and will inform our practice in relation to anyone approaching us in connection with abuse experienced during residence at the childcare provision we provided in Scotland.

During the period December 7 2023 to December 6 2024 we have assisted past residents of our care provision in Scotland by promptly confirming dates of attendance and by providing any personal records that we might hold in response to Subject Access Requests (SARs). We have also responded, usually within a day or two, to requests from Redress Scotland as to whether or not past residents have received any compensation payments from the Salesians.

For St Teresa’s, St John Bosco School and Bosco House the total number of Subject Access Requests during the twelve-month period December 7 2023 to December 6 2024 was five. There were 14 in the previous twelve months.

We have not received any requests during 2024 from a recipient of a Redress settlement for a written apology. We have not received any other requests for contact, apologies, or support.