The abuse of children in care in Scotland: A research review

Abstract

This report was commissioned by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry to inform their work on raising public awareness about the abuse of children in care. It was a desk based review of research evidence and published sources on the prevalence and nature of child abuse and neglect in Scotland from 1930 to 2014. Sixty one studies were included in the review.
The research aimed to address the following questions:
1. What is known from the current research literature in high income countries about the nature and prevalence of child abuse?
2. What is known from research into the nature, prevalence and incidence of child abuse in the UK generally and in Scotland in particular within the selected time period, 1930 to 2014?
3. What are the significant gaps in knowledge within this literature on prevalence from high income countries?
4. What is known from the current research literature in high income countries about the nature and prevalence of the abuse of children in care?
5. What is known from research into the nature, prevalence and incidence of the abuse of children in care in Scotland within the selected time period, 1930-2014?
6. Are there any significant gaps in the existing published research on child abuse relating to Scotland , what gaps might be addressed by further research, and could these gaps be addressed in time to inform the Inquiry’s work?