What is the Children’s Hearings system?

What does it do?

What are the key stages of the process?

What is the Children’s Hearings system?

It helps children and young people who are vulnerable because they are, for example:

being abused out of control of their parents and carers offending not going to school taking drugs or alcohol not being looked after properly by their parents

What are the key stages in theChildren’s Hearings process?

There are four key stages:

the referral the investigation the hearing the outcomes

Step 1 – The Referral

Something has to happen to start the process. For example:

the child/young person

- may be a victim of crime or have offended

- may not have been going to school

someone may be worried that a child is not being looked after properly

Step 1 – The Referral

The child/young person is referred to the Children’s Reporter by:

the police a social worker a teacher anyone who is worried about the child

The child can refer him/herself

Step 2 – The Investigation

The Children’s Reporter investigates the child/young person’s case by asking for information from different people, for example:

social worker police teacher health worker

Step 2 – The Investigation

The Children’s Reporter has three decisions to choose from:

not to arrange a Children’s Hearings to refer the child/young person and his/her family

for voluntary support from the local authority to arrange a Children’s Hearing

Grounds for referral

(Ground for referral = reason for referral)

The child/young person

is out of control of their parents or carers is not being cared for well enough by their parents has been abused is not going to school regularly is misusing alcohol, drugs or solvents has committed one or more offences

Step 3 – The Hearing

Who is involved?

the child/young person and his/her family the Children’s Reporter the three panel members relevant professionals

The Panel

What/who are panel members?

they are volunteers from the local community

they are appointed by Scottish Ministers

they are carefully selected and trained before they can sit on a Children’s Hearing

What happens at a Hearing?

the style and setting of Hearings is not too formal usually everyone sits around the same table everyone is encouraged to take part in the discussion they are held in private they take between 45 minutes and an hour

What happens at a Hearing?

the child/young person and their family have the right to agree or disagree with the grounds for referral

if they disagree, the Sheriff Court decides whether the grounds are correct

Role of panel members in Hearings

The panel members will:

ask the child/young person and their family about the situation and the issues

ask the professionals who have written the reports what they think

make their decision in front of everyone and give reasons why they reached that decision

Step 4 – The Outcome

The Hearing has several decisions to choose from. The main ones are:

to discharge the referral to impose a Supervision Requirement on a

child/young person to refer the case to the Sheriff Court if the

child/young person is unable to understand the grounds for referral because of their age or ability

to hold the Hearing at a later date

Step 4 – The Outcome

The most common outcome of a Hearing is a Supervision Requirement. What’s that?

a plan of work, support and services to help the child/young person

it may have conditions attached, for example:

- where the child/young person is to live

- who they may have contact with

- attendance at programmes to help improve their behaviour

Step 4 – The Outcome

most children or young people on Supervision Requirements stay at home

the Supervision Requirement lasts as long as it is needed

it must be reviewed within a year at another Children’s Hearing

Summary

the Children’s Hearings system is a child-centred system where the child/young person’s views must be considered

it is a welfare-based system where the needs of the child are most important

it is based on the panel members and professionals working together in the best interests of the child/young person