The Right to Recover

That the Parliament welcomes the publication of The Right to Recover by NSPCC Scotland; notes that the research looked at children’s access to recovery services after experiences of sexual abuse; understands that, because of the barriers to disclosure, very few children disclose their experiences; acknowledges that this report looks at what help is currently available to the children and young people who do report this, to help them cope and overcome the problems arising from it and to prevent them experiencing further pain; notes that it looked at services in the west of Scotland that offer responsive face-to-face therapeutic support to under-18s, including those who have experienced any form of sexual abuse and/or exploitation, children who have been identified as being at risk and those who might have displayed sexually worrying or harmful behaviour; understands that, in 1992, the provision of therapeutic services to help children recover from sexual abuse was described as "patchy, poor and inadequate", and that a 2008 study of therapeutic provision in Scotland found a similar picture; welcomes the Scottish Government’s awareness of the life-long impact of adverse childhood experiences, the national strategy, Equally Safe, which aims to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls, and the national taskforce that is reviewing services for child and adult victims of sexual crime, and considers that this research provides a missing piece of the jigsaw for ensuring a joined-up child-focused response to sexual violence in Glasgow and across Scotland.