BBC Scotland Home Affairs Correspondent
Getty imagesA charity has apologized for “disabled” destruction of about 4,800 individual records associated with adoption in Scotland, including irreparable photos and handwritten letters from birth parents.
A fine of £ 18,000 has been imposed after cutting the files to vacate the space in the filing cabinets four years ago at Edinburgh’s birthlink.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), who imposed a fine, described the lost material as “deep personal pieces in the history of a person’s history, some now lost for eternity”.
The board of charity said that it was “deep sorry” and it was impossible to say how many people were impressed.
A statement said: “We want to assure all those who have interacted with birth that we will do everything in our power to ensure that this is not the case again.”
A spokesperson for the movement for The Adoption Apology Scotland campaign said: “These items were not stored out of administrative duty, but were held in the hope that one day, someone would see.
“This hope is now severed, quite literally.”
Files were destroyed
Whatever the birthlink had destroyed, not kept a log of it, but it believes that only the “a very small ratio” of the records included individual documents, which are not anywhere else in any form.
Since 1984, the company has operated Adoption Register for Scotland,
It enables the adopted people, the parents of the birth and others to enter their details in terms of being “linked” and reunite potentially.
If a connection was created, the birthlink maintained the “linked records” – the closed paper files stored in the cabinet filing – if they can use further in the future.
But by January 2021, the charity was running out of space and reviewed if it could destroy the files.
After the board meeting, it was agreed that only the changed records could be settled.
PA mediaA few months later, the contents of the 24 filing cabinet drawer were up and chopped up.
Birthlink has speculated that personal data of about 4,800 persons was destroyed and less than 10% lost files included “nourished items”.
These include photographs, handwritten letters from birth mothers and father to their children and handwritten letters from birth families to brothers.
Another 8,300 files survived the process.
After a short-neotis inspection at the birthlink in September 2023, the record began only two years later.
An internal investigation ordered by the interim CEO of the birthlink found that a member of the employees had expressed concern about the photos and other records at that time.
But they were told that “needs to do it”.
Birthlinks informed themselves to ICO, who said that the donation could prevent destruction to implement “cost -effective and easy” policies and procedures.
The regulator fined £ 45,000, later decreased by £ 18,000 to promote data security compliance and prevent others from “making similar mistakes”.
‘Poor understanding’
Sally Anne Pule, head of ICO’s investigation, said: “The destroyed record had an unknown memory, an identity, a sense of belonging, the ability to be answered.
“It is unimaginable to think, due to the nature of your work, that the birthlink had such a poor understanding of both its data protection and record management process.”
The ICO welcomed the steps taken by Birthlink to ensure that it would not be again, including the appointment of new policies and data security officer.
Birthlink interim CEO Abbi Jackson told BBC Scotland News that Dan mainly worked with people affected by “historic forced adoption” between 1930 and 1980.
He said: “We want to repeat our deep and most honest regret that this happened.
“We have failed those who have kept their trust in us. We want to urge anyone who thinks that they should know the file to call our helpline.
“We have many experienced, knowledgeable employees who are there to help in every personal case.”
In 2023, the then first minister Nikola Sturgeon released “honest, hearty, hearty and unreserved” to the people affected by forcible adoption practice.
The movement for the adoption of adoption forgiveness Scotland campaign said: “The emotional and historical significance of what was lost cannot be oversight.
“These were not administrative items, but the last remaining marks of relationships were shattered by policies and practices that many now accept unjust and excessive trauma.”
Any person who is worried about the disadvantage of personal information can contact the date of birth of the date of birth [email protected]
