Authorities have until the end of this month to comment on the Children’s Safeguards Review. Since 1990, 11 care staff in a variety of settings, including schools, have been jailed for abuse.
The review makes 62 recommendations to tighten procedures for children living away from home and for pupils on outdoor pursuit courses and trips abroad.
It praises the Scottish Council of Independent Schools’ guidelines on child protection but warns that independent schools that take boarders may be more lax than children’s residential care in recruitment and vetting.
“It is time to ensure that all house staff and residential care staff in boarding schools are vetted and selected in the same way as care staff in children’s homes,” the report states. It also demands an “independent visitor” for children in boarding schools.
