Report Calls for Change in Safeguarding Young People in Scottish Folk Music

Safeguarding in Scottish Folk Music: New Report Highlights Challenges and Paths Forward

A newly released report is drawing attention to safeguarding concerns within Scotland’s folk and traditional music community, addressing what researchers and campaigners say are long-standing gaps in policy, awareness, and accountability. Titled Safeguarding Young People in Traditional Music 2025, the report was commissioned by advocacy group The BIT Collective and is intended to prompt discussion and reform within the sector.

Focus on Safeguarding and Cultural Norms

The report explores how child protection frameworks intersect with the often informal, community-based nature of traditional music. It also addresses cultural dynamics that, according to the report, can contribute to a lack of accountability around harmful behaviours. Topics covered include systemic silence around misconduct, safeguarding policy gaps in education and performance contexts, and the perceived tension between preserving cultural heritage and reforming harmful norms.

The research was conducted by Dr Diljeet Kaur Bhachu, Luisa Brown, and musician and activist Maddie Morris. According to the team, the report is designed to serve as a resource for educators, organisations, and musicians across the sector.

In a statement accompanying the release, the authors said: “The Safeguarding Young People in Traditional Music report commissioned by The BIT Collective is a really valuable resource both for musicians, educational facilities and anyone who feels connected to the traditional music scene. Not only does it highlight the current cultures seen within the traditional scene in Scotland (relating to safeguarding), but also provides solutions as to how things can be improved and how this will benefit everyone engaging in traditional music.”

“Not only does it highlight the current cultures seen within the traditional scene in Scotland, but also provides solutions as to how things can be improved.”

– Report Authors

A Wider Context of Reporting and Concern

The report comes amid wider conversations about safeguarding and misconduct in the traditional arts, both in Scotland and internationally. Since 2020, several articles and testimonies have drawn attention to what critics describe as a persistent lack of structural safeguarding in the trad music world, particularly where it comes to young women.

BIT Collective’s report does not reference specific cases, but instead examines broader cultural patterns and suggests areas for further inquiry.

BIT Collective says the report is part of a longer-term strategy that includes upcoming projects and community initiatives aimed at addressing inequality and representation within the folk scene. These include a mentoring programme for women and gender non-conforming individuals, a national outreach and engagement plan, and new research projects analysing diversity at festivals.

Organisational Aims and Approach

The BIT Collective was established in 2017 and describes its mission as working towards structural change within the Scottish folk and traditional music sector. It focuses particularly on gender-based barriers and representation, and often takes an intersectional approach to its advocacy. In recent years, it has facilitated workshops, events and data-gathering projects to document issues and raise awareness across the community.

Its 2025 report includes a list of community-based recommendations, and it will be interesting to see how the industry responds. However good their case, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the funding-absent existence of most of our folk institutions and professionals seem makes a significant hurdle for any admin or cost-increasing steps.

The group says it will continue to engage stakeholders through events and campaign activity over the coming year.

A statement from The BIT Collective reads: “Scottish culture is at a crossroads. Through consideration and collaboration, we can all step up to the challenge of real structural change to ensure a positive future that welcomes all musicians and participants in equitable ways.”

Sector Response and Questions Ahead

While the report has been welcomed by some campaigners and educators, only time will tell how public bodies or major institutions within the Scottish music sector will respond. The BIT Collective has said it hopes the report will act as a prompt for future dialogue with industry representatives and policymakers.

It’s no secret that safeguarding practices across the arts vary widely between disciplines and organisations. Within traditional music, the lack of formal infrastructure, especially in grassroots or volunteer-led spaces, does present challenges for standardised training and reporting mechanisms.

The report suggests that these gaps may leave some young people particularly vulnerable, whilst recognising the tension between introducing formal structures and practices and the informal soul of traditional culture.

Nevertheless, advocates say that clearer, culturally-specific frameworks are needed – not only to respond to harm, but to prevent it. The BIT Collective plans to release additional research on gender representation at folk festivals later this year.

“Scottish culture is at a crossroads… we can all step up to the challenge of real structural change.”

– The BIT Collective

Access and Availability

Safeguarding Young People in Traditional Music 2025 is available to read via the BIT Collective website. The organisation says it will be using the findings to shape further work over the next two years.

For those seeking to engage with the findings or learn more about the group’s work, the report and further resources can be found at: www.thebitcollective.co.uk/safeguarding-report