Scottish football’s child protection policies have been criticised in a damning report which calls for a comprehensive culture change across the country’s footballing community.

The independent inquiry, commissioned by the Scottish Football Association in December 2016 following allegations of historic abuse spanning decades, published its interim findings on Thursday afternoon. The report cannot be published in full until legal proceedings relating to allegations of abuse have concluded.

Calling on the Scottish FA to work closely with survivors of abuse, the report warned that, until very recently, moves to keep young players safe had been “unacceptably slow and random”. It added that, even with the greater commitment brought about by the abuse revelations, progress remained “inadequate to meet the challenges of reducing risk and protecting young people now and in the future”.

It went on to suggest that poor governance may have put some children at risk, stating: “An over-complex structure, lack of leadership and inadequate governance in relation to ‘child protection’ has also contributed to risk and general ineffectiveness.”

The independent review was led by Martin Henry, who was previously national manager of the child sexual abuse prevention charity Stop it Now! Scotland. Henry told BBC Scotland that he believed that the “vast majority” of victims affected by historic abuse in Scottish football had not yet come forward.

The recommendations in the report highlight:

• The need to protect children must never be superseded by concerns about a club’s reputation

• An “urgent” need for a comprehensive Safeguarding Strategy which involves the entire game beyond the governing body alone

• The need for more money and resources focused on the problem

• Football clubs must accept greater responsibility for affiliated youth clubs

• The need for better support for abuse survivors who come forward

• The need for a culture change within the footballing community, so that early indicators of risk are picked up and challenged, as well as changing attitudes to mental health, homophobia and the “widely held perception of ‘men in blazers’ controlling the delivery of the sport in Scotland”.

Ian Maxwell, the Scottish FA chief executive, apologising directly to abuse victims, admitted that there was still much to work to be done.said: “On behalf of Scottish football I would like to offer my most heartfelt apology to those with personal experience of sexual abuse in our national game,” he said. “We acknowledge the very deep impact experiences of sexual abuse has had on many individuals and that is why we are strongly committed to learning from these experiences.”

However, the report concluded that “learning lessons is insufficient”, adding: “A clear, unequivocal and permanent commitment to ensuring that such past events will not be repeated and that young people who participate in our national game in whatever way are protected from harm must be demonstrated by positive change. The time for such change is overdue.”

Responding to the report, Mary Glasgow, interim chief executive of Children 1st – the Scottish national children’s charity, which runs Safeguarding in Sport – said: “The SFA can no longer say they did not know what was going on, or what they need to do about it. Football is the biggest, most resourced sport in Scotland and must now focus on developing stronger leadership, clearer lines of accountability and measures to give children a greater voice within their clubs and associations to keep children safer.”

Earlier that year, an investigation for BBC Scotland revealed an ongoing gap in background checks for coaches working with children across the country.

When the abuse first came to light in December 2016, the Scottish Premiership club Patrick Thistle admitted firing one of their employees in 1992 over abuse claims. The club disclosed that a former physiotherapist, named as John Hart, who died in 1995, was dismissed but denied any cover-up.

A former youth couch for three of Scotland’s other major clubs pleaded guilty to a series of child sex offences in Northern Ireland in May this year.

As of November 2017 a total of 298 criminal cases have been recorded with Police Scotland linked to sexual abuse in Scottish football.