The Children's Hearings System Secondary Teaching Pack

POWERPOINT PRESENTATION (VERSION 1)

Slide notes

Slide 3: What is the Children's Hearings system?
Note: Age range from birth to 16th and in some cases to 18th birthday.

Slide 4: What are the key stages in the Children's Hearings process?
Note: Going to look at each in turn.

Slide 5: Step 1 - The Referral
Note: Victim - abused.
Offended - for example, shoplifting, assault or vandalism. The age of criminal responsibility is eight in Scotland, 12 in England and Wales. Only the very serious offences of under 16s are dealt with in the courts, for example murder.
Non-attendance - give example from own experience.

Slide 6: Step 1 - The Referral
Note: Most referrals made by police and social work. A child/young person can refer themselves but this is very rare.

Slide 7: Step 2 - The Investigation
Note: Reporter has a duty to investigate all referrals and will gather as much information as necessary to make a decision.

Slide 8: Step 2 - The Investigation
Note: No further formal action - informal action may include a police warning, Reporter warning or involvement of the social work department on a voluntary basis. Refer - usually to social work department. Arrange a Hearing if they think that compulsory measures are needed.

Slide 9: Grounds for referral
Note: There are more referrals for care and protection grounds than offending grounds.

Slide 10: Step 3 - The Hearing
Note: Relevant professionals are usually social worker, teacher, sometimes health visitor, educational psychologist.

Slide 11: The Panel
Note: Can become a panel member at 18 and no upper age limits. The pool of panel members should be representative of the local community.
Glasgow has approx 600, Orkney approx 25.
There will be three panel members at a Hearing.
There must always be a mixture of male and female and a balance of age and experience.

Slide 12: What happens at a Hearing?
Note: The Hearing is usually held in the local area. Everyone sits around a large table to encourage discussion.

Slide 13: What happens at a Hearing?
Note: Children's Hearings are tribunals and the child/young person and/or their family have the right to agree or disagree with the grounds for referral. The Sheriff Court will hear evidence to decide if the grounds are established and if so remit it back to another Hearing to deal with.
The Hearing is concerned not only with what the child has done but the bigger picture and the long-term well-being of the child/young person.

Slide 14: Role of panel members in Hearings
Note: Everybody (children over 12) gets copies of the reports at least three days in advance of Hearing.
Full and frank discussion with all present.
Everyone entitled to have a say.
Decision made in front of family (unanimous or majority).

Slide 15: Step 4 - The Outcome
Note: Will discharge if they believe that compulsory measures of care are not needed.
Will continue (defer) usually for additional reports or for a key person to attend.
Will remit to Sheriff if child/young person is unable to understand the grounds after explanation due to age or ability.

Slide 16: Step 4 - The Outcome
Note: The local authority holds the supervision requirement.
Programme of work usually supported by a social worker but schools have a role too.
Conditions are on the child and are only used if necessary.
Programmes used might be to address offending behaviour, anger management, self esteem.
Review - child/young person and/or family can ask for review after three months; the local authority can ask for review at any time. Reviews are called when things go well as well as when things go not so well.

VERSION 1 SLIDES (also available in PowerPoint format (644k)