« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Topic 1 The Children's Hearings System
Teachers' Sheet
Fascinating Facts Sheet 1 The
Children's Hearings System
Fascinating Facts Sheet 2 People
Profiles
Activity 1 Who Does What?
Activity 2 Crossword
Teachers' Sheet
TOPIC 1 - THE CHILDREN'S HEARINGS
SYSTEM
Activity:
Fascinating Facts 1 - The Children's
Hearings System
Fascinating Facts 2 - People Profiles
Activity 1 - Who Does What?
Activity 2 - Crossword
Aims:
To introduce pupils to the Children's
Hearings system, the key stages of the Children's Hearings
process and the key people who work in the system.
Materials:
A copy of Fascinating Facts sheets 1 and 2
and Activity sheets 1 and 2 for each pupil.
Method:
Ask pupils what they think the Children's
Hearings system is and record their ideas. Hand out
Fascinating Facts sheet 1 and read through with the
pupils.
Notes on terminology:
- 'Being abused' covers physical, sexual and
emotional abuse.
- Emotional abuse could include the child/young
person always being put down by the adults in his/her
life or not being allowed to develop properly.
- 'Offending' is anything which breaks the law -
stealing, vandalism or assault are things that pupils
might relate to.
Divide the pupils into groups of four or five and ask
them to discuss the three questions.
Allow an appropriate amount of time to do this.
Possible answers you may get are:
- staying out very late
- running away
- always in trouble
- might get into trouble if not at school and mixing
with older people
- getting drunk and hurting themselves
- their parents may not know what they are
doing.
Discuss each group's answers and record them.
Hand out the People Profiles and read through with the
pupils. These introduce the key people who work in the
system, and pupils will be introduced to their roles at
different stages of the materials. This information will
act as a reference point for the pupils. Activities 1 and 2
are to consolidate their learning. (Suitable for homework
activities.)
Tell the pupils that there are four steps to the
Children's Hearings process - The Referral,
The Investigation, The Hearing, The Outcome - and
that they are going to look at each in turn, starting with
The Referral.
Fascinating Facts 1 - The
Children's Hearings System
Facts
The Children's Hearings system helps children and young
people up to 17
who are vulnerable.
They may be, for example:
- being abused
- out of the control of their parents or carers
- offending
- not going to school
- taking drugs or alcohol
- not being looked after properly by their
parents.
They may also be at risk of these things happening.
Questions
Can you think of an example when a child or young person
might be out of the control of their parents or carers?
Why are children or young people at risk if they are not
going to school?
Why are they at risk if they take drugs or alcohol?
WORD CHECK
vulnerable = defenceless, may be physically or
emotionally hurt
at risk = in a dangerous situation
abused = being hurt by someone in some way
offending = breaking the law
carers = other adults who look after a child or
young person instead of their parents
Fascinating Facts 2 - People
Profiles
My name is Moira Hunt. I am a Children's Reporter.
There are lots of people like me in every
area of Scotland. If a parent or professional, like a
teacher, health worker or social worker, or a neighbour or
friend is worried about you, they will get in touch with
me. This may be because they think you are not being looked
after properly or are being abused, or you are getting into
a lot of trouble. You can get in touch with me yourself if
you want to. It is my job to find out what is happening and
decide if you should come to a Children's Hearing.
I am Fred James. I am a panel
member.
I live in my local area and volunteered to
be a panel member. I have had a lot of training which helps
me do my job. Before the Hearing, I will read all the
reports that have been written about you and think about
the questions I would like to ask. I sit on the Children's
Hearing with two other panel members and we make the
decision about what should happen to you in the future.
I am Alan Wood. I am a social
worker.
I will tell the Children's Reporter about
any children or young people that I am worried about. I
will write reports to help the Reporter to decide whether
there needs to be a Children's Hearing. I will write a
report for the panel members and go to the Hearing to
discuss this with them. If the Hearing decides that a
Supervision Requirement is needed, I will work with you and
your family to try to make things better.
My name is Anila Khan. I am a
teacher.
I may be worried that things are not good
for you at home. If I see that you are not coming to school
very often or that when you do you are tired or hungry or
that your behaviour is really bad, I might contact the
Children's Reporter. I will write a report to help him or
her to decide whether you need to go to a Children's
Hearing, or if there is something else that can be done. If
you go to a Hearing, I will go to the Hearing too and tell
the panel members how things are at school.
My name is Jack Thomson. I am a
Safeguarder.
Sometimes, a Children's Hearing might ask
me to look after your interests in the Hearings. I am
independent of everyone else involved in the Hearing.
Before the Hearing I will meet with you and your family,
and your teacher and a social worker. This is so that I can
write a report for the panel members which explains your
views and what your life is like. My report will say what,
in my opinion, should happen in the future.
My name is Fiona McClelland. I
am a solicitor (lawyer).
I sometimes go to Children's Hearings to
speak for a child or young person if the case is so
complicated it might stop them being able to take part in
the Hearing. If the panel members are discussing whether a
young person should be sent to secure accommodation (locked
up for their own safety or the safety of others), I will
also go to the Hearing.
I am P.C. Debbie Ferguson. I am
a police officer
who works with children and young people.
If I arrest a child or young person under 16 I will contact
the Children's Reporter. If I hear about a child or young
person who is being hurt by an adult I will help take them
to a safe place. I don't normally go to Children's
Hearings.
Activity 1 - Who does
what?
Draw a line joining each job title with the job
description (what a person does).
Activity 2 - Crossword
Can you name the people who are jumbled up here? The
vertical line is filled in as a clue to help you.
1. CELIOP
2. LAPEN BEMMRES
3. EETORRRP
4. CLOSIA RKOWRE
5. ETRCAEH
6. RADREUFAESG
7. STOIROICL
« Previous | Contents | Next »