Your reference: J.K. Convery

NRS reference: NRS-DP-2025-882

SG reference: SAR25/26 – 304/Redress

Dear Sirs,

Subject Access Request

Thank you for the subject access request of 7 October 2025 you made = on behalf of your client.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) holds records on behalf of SG. Th= ese records include exempt/closed government files relating to approved and Lis= t D schools, children's homes, and prison and borstal services. SG remains the = data controller for these records and makes all decisions on access.<= /span>

We carried out searches of the NRS archival catalogue for records relating to the Wallhouse and Uphall Children’s Homes where your clie= nt was placed, in the timeframe specified. This search returned no SG records relevant to your request for the specified time period.

We also sent your request to the SG Information Assurance and Data Protection Branch (SG IADP) mailbox at dpa@= gov.scot. This branch coordinates searches of the exempt/closed records for which SG = are responsible. They will be in contact with you, unless they have already responded to a request you made for this information.

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Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) Records= <= /o:p>

NRS also holds historical court records on beha= lf of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS). These include exempt/closed records created around the time a child was pla= ced in care which may sometimes contain relevant information. Sheriff court rec= ords include Juvenile Court Registers (up until 1971), Social Work Court Records (1971 onwards) and ‘B’ Registers of summary applications. Other court records may also contain evidence of time spent in care, such as adult court records and parental divorce records.

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Please = note, some Sheriff Court record types have only survived for certain courts and in certain areas. For more information regarding court records, please see our= Time in Care Records resear= ch guide.

Based on the information provided in your reque= st, we have not identified any court records which are or may be relevant to yo= ur request. Both care settings were local authority-run children’s home = and Sheriff Court records would not be relevant for these.

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Other resources=

Care home, residential school records

NRS is the archive of the Scottish Government (SG). The information produced by SG is about the direction of the care service across the whole country, but not individual care records. We may, for example, hold records about the Government’s position on the provision of care, about the legislation governing care and directives about the regulation of residenti= al care across Scotland, but NRS does not hold case files on residents of care homes, or residential schools.

The case files of residents and the records of the schools and homes, should they have survived, tend to be held by the Council that had responsibility for providing care locally. The local authority archivists a= re often best placed to know the extent of the records held by the authority. =

We recommend you contact the following organisation, if you have not already done so, and hopefully they might be able to help you further with = your search:

- Wallh= ouse, Torphichen and Uphall Children’s Homes: West Lothian Council Archi= ves

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Social work records

NRS does not hold social service records. Social work records should= be held by the appropriate local authority, and you should contact them to ask= for their help in finding and accessing the relevant case files, if there are a= ny. You could do this through the local Social Services Department, but you mig= ht also want to speak to the local authority archivists who are often best pla= ced to know the extent of the records held by the authority.<= /p>

The National Archives directory of archives lis= ts contact details for local authority archives in the UK: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/find-= an-archive.

Medical/Health Records <= /o:p>

While NRS does maintain the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR), we do not hold health/medical records.

For access to health/medic= al records we usually recommend to make a subject access request directly to a place of treatment, e.g. hospital, GP practice or relevant NHS Health Boa= rd. You will find information on how to access medical records on their individ= ual websites.

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Supplementary information=

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When you make a subject access request, we are required by data protection law to provide you with other information about how we process y= our personal data. Our main privacy notice provides further information about h= ow we may process personal information: https:/= /www.nrscotland.gov.uk/privacy.

Your ri= ght to request a review

If you = are not satisfied with the way NRS has responded to your request or handled your information by the response from NRS to your Data Subject Request, you shou= ld first ask us to conduct an internal review.

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Thereaf= ter, if you still believe that NRS has not dealt with your complaint properly or= if you believe your personal information is being processed in a way that does= not comply with legislation you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO helpline number is 0303 123 1113, or you may access further information on their website = https:/= /ico.org.uk/concerns/.

I hope you find this information of assistance.

Kind regards,

Maggie

Malgorzata (Maggie) Palgan | Senior Information Governance Officer

National Records of Scotland | HM General Register House | 2 Princes Street | Edinburgh = EH1 3YY

Malgorzata.Palgan@nrsco= tland.gov.uk | www.nrscotland.gov.uk

Preserving the past | Recor= ding the present | Informing the future

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