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Appendix 1: Summary of Children's Hearings
System Process
The Children's Hearings System is a four stage
process.
INCIDENT INVESTIGATION HEARING OUTCOME
STAGE 1
INCIDENT: A child's safety and welfare is
at risk, or a child has suffered abuse and/or neglect, or
has committed an offence.
STAGE 2
INVESTIGATION: A child is referred to the
Reporter. Anyone can refer a child, but most referrals are
from the police or Social Work Departments.
Reporters investigate each referral to decide if
compulsory measures of intervention are needed to protect a
child and/or address his/her behaviour.
In approximately two thirds of cases, the Reporter is
satisfied that alternative measures are appropriate.
STAGE 3
HEARING: For approximately a third of
cases, the Reporter decides that compulsory measures are
necessary and refers the child to a Children's Hearing.
Each Hearing comprises 3 Panel members - volunteers from
the local community - 2,500 Panel Members in Scotland. The
child and family/carers sit at the centre of a Hearing, and
decisions are made in the Hearing - an open and transparent
decision-making process.
STAGE 4
OUTCOME: Hearings can decide to discharge
the case, make a Supervision Requirement or Emergency
Measures - warrants, Child Protection Orders.
Local authorities have a statutory obligation to
implement Hearing decisions.
The most common outcome from a Children's Hearing is a
Supervision Requirement.
There are approximately 10,500 Supervision Requirements
in force in Scotland at any one time - non-residential
supervisions (with parent, relative or foster parent) to
residential supervisions (Residential Schools/Homes and
Secure Accommodation).
Source: Scottish Children's Reporter
Administration, Parliamentary Briefing Note
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