Meeting of the Parliament 05 March 2026 [Draft]
Safeguarding loses effectiveness when ideological confusion weakens practical protections across public policy. The catastrophic consequences of diluting sex-based safeguards leave the vulnerable exposed to avoidable risks. Children in care are among Scotland’s most vulnerable to exploitation, yet children in care were sold a promise instead of a plan to protect them. Brave survivors and whistleblowers have been left pleading for decisive action to close those safeguarding gaps, against talk of political legacy from those who walked away from an unkept promise.
Leadership is judged by outcomes, not slogans, and promises are not protection. Frankly, can the lack of delivery of robust safeguarding and the lack of legal consequences for all those who exploit vulnerable children be judged to be anything other than a failure?