Scotland’s statutory public inquiry into grooming gangs formally begins today, 11 November 2026, with Professor Alexis Jay in the chair. The Jay Inquiry will examine the scale of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation in Scotland over the past three decades and how institutions responded to it.

The inquiry was set up under the Inquiries Act 2005 and is independent of Scottish ministers, meaning Professor Jay decides how it is run within its terms of reference. Its formal setting-up date is today, although its terms of reference were published last week, on 5 November.

What the Jay Inquiry will examine

Under its terms of reference, the inquiry will investigate Scotland’s response to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, covering the period from 1 January 1996 to 11 November 2026. It will look at the scale, extent and prevalence of the abuse, scrutinise failures by the organisations responsible for protecting children, including any deliberate concealment, and explore the characteristics of perpetrators so that risk factors can be better understood.

The inquiry will also identify what needs to change in practice, policy and, where required, legislation to protect children more effectively in future. It will avoid duplicating matters already examined elsewhere, including the separate Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry chaired by Lady Smith.

Education Secretary Màiri McAllan, who announced the inquiry’s terms of reference to the Scottish Parliament, said the inquiry would not only seek to understand what happened but to make sure it cannot happen again. She said survivors would be listened to, supported and believed, and warned those who would harm children that there would be nowhere to hide from justice.

Survivors to be heard

A pilot of the Truth Project will launch this month, ahead of a national rollout next year, giving survivors the chance to share their experiences and contribute directly to the inquiry’s work. Professor Jay said the focus of the inquiry would be on making practical recommendations that improve policy, practice and, where necessary, legislation to better protect children in Scotland.

Ms McAllan also said the Scottish Government was not waiting for the inquiry to conclude before acting, pointing to work already under way to strengthen the collective response to child sexual abuse and exploitation, including accepting the recommendations of the National Review and providing additional funding for Police Scotland’s Operation Decerno.

Why the inquiry was ordered

The Scottish Government ordered a public inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation in February 2026, eight months after a similar inquiry was announced in England and Wales. That statutory inquiry in England and Wales was announced by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in June 2025 and started work in April 2026.

Professor Jay previously chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales. The Scottish inquiry will report on specific aspects of its findings as they emerge, rather than waiting until the end of its work to publish everything at once.