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Children's Panel Training Organisers - Scotland: Annual Report 2002/2003
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CPTO SERVICE
The statutory duty for training Scotland's 2400 panel members rests with the local authority. Scottish Ministers exercise their discretionary power to assist panel members' training by financing the provision of the children's panel training organiser structure throughout Scotland. The training organisers are responsible for organising and ensuring the delivery of induction training (pre-service and new member) and in-service training for panel members. This includes the preparation of training materials.
Panel members are required to complete pre-service training satisfactorily and are expected to attend new member training as part of the full induction course. Panel members are also expected to attend in-service training and in many areas, there will be a range of local training events available to them.
In June 1995 the CPTOs produced a core curriculum which covered the content and intended outcomes for training of children's panel members. The document was subsequently reviewed, and in 1999 a booklet was produced which set out guidance, content and evaluation of children's panel training.
Following local government reorganisation and the inclusion of Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross into the CPTO structure in 1996, the training organisers presently work with 32 local authorities covering the whole of the mainland and island areas of Scotland. Of the 32 children's panels, half have fewer than 40 members and 12, fewer than 30. Before local government re-organisation, with the exception of the island authorities, most of these were part of larger regional children's panels. It is widely accepted that when training is shared between areas, it is very successful. Panel members benefit from sharing knowledge and expertise with a wide and diverse group of adult learners.
Prior to local government reorganisation, there were 12 Children's Panel Advisory Committees - at present there are 30 (3 local authorities having agreed to work jointly). There are approximately 2400 panel members - a record high. This can fluctuate from year to year but in recent times has never dipped below the 2000 mark.
In 2000 Scottish Ministers agreed that existing arrangements within Children's Panel training should be changed. The recommendations made within the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 required local authorities to train Children's Panel Advisory Committee (CPAC) members and Safeguarders. Scottish Ministers wished to assist this process in a similar way to training panel members by making use of the CPTO network to develop and deliver the training needed. It was considered that additional staff resources would be required to deliver the wider remit for CPTOs and in May 2002, an assistant CPTO was appointed to the Edinburgh unit. It is envisaged that this post will be a useful resource for helping to relieve pressure points within all CPTO units.
During 2002/03 the CPTOs provided induction training for 467 panel members. Three of the CPTUs (that is Glasgow, Edinburgh and St. Andrews) were involved in pilot areas identified to take forward the Executive's piloting of "fast track" hearings. This meant additional training was required to be organised and delivered to panel members by the CPTUs within 6 local authority areas involved in the pilot areas.
The country is separated in to 4 areas - the map and list attached indicate the divisions. ( See Appendix 1)
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