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Children's hearings system
31/07/2008
Proposals to reform and streamline Scotland's Children's Hearings system, to improve the support given to vulnerable young people and create a more integrated system, have been published today.
Central to the 'Strengthening for the Future' consultation, are plans to create a single national body which will bring together the work of the Children's Reporter service, the delivery and administration of Children's Hearings, and the recruitment and training given to panel members.
It will also assist the work of safeguarders, who provide children's hearings and courts with an independent assessment of what action is needed to ensure the best interests of a child.
Minister for Children and Early Years, Adam Ingram, said:
"Our distinctive Children's Hearing's system - which is recognised by experts across the world - makes a huge difference to young people's lives, guiding them through difficult times, behaviour and circumstances.
"This may include ensuring appropriate services are in place to help vulnerable children who have been abused or neglected, or even those who have committed a crime so that they can get their lives back on track.
"By improving support for those who deliver that system, both professionals and panel members, they can in turn focus their skills on creating a better and brighter future for the children who need our help.
"The creation of the single national body will also allow us to reduce bureaucracy in the system while ensuring services continue to be delivered locally and with great consistency in decision-making for the benefit of everyone involved."
Douglas Bulloch, Chairman of the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration, said:
"We welcome the publication of the consultation document on the reform of the Children's Hearings System in Scotland. SCRA looks forward to reviewing the proposals and contributing to the consultation process in support of the Government's view that the Hearings System is the best way of providing assistance and support to Scotland's vulnerable children and their families."
Gerard McEneany, Chairman of the Children's Panel Chairman's Group, said:
"I welcome the publication of the consultation document and look forward to considering in more detail the proposals which will help shape the future of the Children's Hearings system."
Today's consultation follows an announcement in January of the Scottish Government's intention to create a single body to improve services for vulnerable children. Since then, Ministers and officials have been discussing reforms of the Children's Hearings system with key stakeholders.
The consultation runs until the end of October. The Scottish Government announced its intention to create a single new body to improve services for vulnerable children in Januar.
The Children's Hearings system is Scotland's unique approach to dealing with children and young people in trouble or at risk. The system was created in the 1960s after it was recognised that young people appearing before the juvenile courts, whether they had committed offences or were in need of care and protection, had common needs. The system is founded on the principle of local people from the children's own communities making decisions about how best to address children's needs.
There are 2,700 volunteer panel members who are recruited through an annual national campaign supported by local campaigns. Panel members are carefully selected and undergo continuous training.
The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) was created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994 to support the work of the Principal Reporter. SCRA has a statutory role of facilitating the work of the Principal Reporter and providing accommodation for children's hearings. The work of SCRA is overseen by a board.
In 2006-07, SCRA received more than 100,000 referrals involving 55,000 children and 42,000 hearings were held. The majority of referrals related to care grounds (e.g. parental neglect).