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The Independent Review of Sexual Abuse in Scottish Football was commissioned by the Scottish FA Board in late 2016 and began work in the first quarter of 2017. In summary the terms of reference (developed in conjunction with some survivors) were to examine what was known at the time of the abuse in Scottish Football, who knew and what action was taken as a result.

The purpose of the Review was not to find fault or to attribute blame but rather was about learning from the experiences of the past with a view to improving the way that Scottish football assures the safety, rights and wellbeing of children involved in the game today where necessary. This is set out at para 1.2 of the full report when it says “the Review is not concerned with attributing culpability or liability” and further “Attributing blame and engaging in a finger-pointing exercise is not helpful and is almost always unproductive, detracting from ensuring that the right change takes place with the commitment of us all” and “the narrative of ‘failure’ and ‘blame’ is one which the Review is keen to resist in order to focus on learning and improvement which is of more productive value.”

The Review accepts that knowledge and practices were markedly different in the past than they are now, and recognises the recent efforts of the Scottish FA and its members to put in place a Child Protection and Wellbeing Strategy. It makes clear that continued culture change is imperative – this includes continuing to work closely with survivors to improve processes, challenging distorted thinking about sexual conduct or violence and creating positive attitudes to mental health. The Scottish Government fully support those aims.