Council leaders have been condemned for silencing debate about the abuse of children at the city’s residential school.
Edinburgh councillors were expected to discuss a report concluding that vulnerable pupils at Howdenhall and St Katharine’s had suffered physical and mental abuse for more than a decade.
A procedural manoeuvre at a full meeting of the council, however, allowed the ruling SNP-Labour coalition to accept the report without any public discussion of its findings.
Alison Dickie, a teacher and the former vice convenor of the education committee, said she was flabbergasted and outraged by the move. “We have already let down these young people, as the report makes clear, and we have let them down again, because we chose not to give them any time today,” Dickie said. “It is utterly shameful.”
The report by Nick Smith, the city’s monitoring officer, found “significant failings” within Edinburgh Secure Services, the body responsible for the school, and described “illegality, maladministration and injustice”.
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The brutal treatment of children aged 10-17 was uncovered following a complaint in 2020 by a whistleblower, and is alleged to include “George Floyd stuff — knees on the back of the head”, although the details are deemed too sensitive to be published in full.
Ahead of yesterday’s meeting, Adam McVey, the SNP leader of the coalition, Frank Ross, the lord provost, and Andrew Kerr, the chief executive, apologised for wrongly suggesting that whistleblowers would be able to meet Susanne Tanner QC, the author of two reports into the council’s management culture. McVey said the mistake was an “honest misunderstanding”. He later joined with SNP and Labour members to support a Green Party move to guillotine proceedings, preventing a debate about the Smith report.
Dickie, until recently an SNP group member, said that to prevent discussion of Edinburgh Secure Services “tells the story of a culture and priorities that need to change”.
Howdenhall and St Katharine’s provides residential education for young people with significant social, emotional and behavioural needs.
Smith’s inquiry began in late 2020 after an employee contacted the chief social work officer alleging serious malpractice. A full report was given this week to councillors and selected staff on a “confidential basis”.
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Fiona Duncan, chairwoman of The Promise Scotland oversight board, said she was “appalled” by the ill treatment described in the outline report. Her organisation is responsible for transforming the care system.
She said: “There is no place in Scotland for such brutality towards anyone, let alone children placed in a setting that is meant to nurture, protect and love them. While The Promise Scotland is clear that secure care should be used as an alternative to young offender institutions, it must not be routinely used to house children and young people who need community based, trauma-informed care and support. Scotland must urgently reform the provision and use of secure care.”
