SPECIAL FEATURE
Scotland's Minister for Education and Young People writes about an interesting program for young people at risk
Could you give them a fair hearing?
WHICH system is unique to Scotland, has been working for more than 30 years, and deals with children and young people who are at risk or in trouble? The answer - although many Scots may not realise it - is the Children’s Hearing system, sometimes better known as the Children’s Panel.
Its aim is to protect those children most at risk and to change the behaviour of young people who offend or are out of control.
My aim, as I launch a major advertising campaign today, is to ask you as Evening News readers to think about giving up some of your valuable time to make a difference locally.
So, who is referred to a panel? And how do panels help Scotland’s most vulnerable young people?
Each year, more than 30,000 children - mainly up to the age of 16 - are referred to hearings because they are at risk. More than 55 per cent of referrals are now on care and protection grounds, the remainder being for offending.
Children may be in danger, or their health or development may be at risk because of parental neglect. They may be the victim of an offence, including physical or sexual abuse. Or they may be playing truant or abusing drugs or alcohol.
Lay volunteers - people like you - give up their time to be on one of Scotland’s 32 panels .
They are trained to ensure they are able to conduct the hearing, assess reports and take decisions on what needs to be done for the child.
They sit on a local tribunal of three members - all of whom are "ordinary" members of the public.
Anyone can refer a child to the Children’s Reporter if they have concerns. The reporter is a professional who gathers information from agencies such as the police, social work and education departments to consider what needs to be done.
Sometimes voluntary action may be enough, if the child and family agree to work together to solve the problems. If compulsory measures are needed - for example, supervision by a social worker, a requirement to attend a programme or stay away from a place or people, admission to residential care or even secure accommodation - the child will be referred to a hearing.
The panel members must decide whether compulsory measures of supervision are justified .
AS a panel member you would consider the reports and discuss the issues with the child, his or her parents or carers, and, if chosen, their representatives. You have the responsibility to decide what has to be done to help the child or young person in the future.
Where offences have been committed, the range of programmes open to hearings is increasing. The Executive has pumped funding into each local authority area to ensure effective programmes are in place.
These are not soft options. They may last over several months, and may make the young person confront the impact of his or her behaviour on individuals and the wider community. Progress will be reviewed regularly and supervision may last until the child is 18. So where do you come in? None of this would be possible without the 2000 volunteers serving on Children’s Panels across Scotland. Because their work is private and confidential, the enormous contribution they make is largely "invisible" to the general public. But we need members of the public to come forward and apply.
The volunteers are not just "middle class, middle-aged" people who join by invitation only. Panel members come from all walks of life. They may work full-time, part-time, shift work, or could be unemployed. Anyone over the age of 18 may apply. Panel members are drawn from a cross-section of the community. Life skills - not academic skills - are what volunteers can bring.
Training will enhance your existing skills, and prepare you for the challenges ahead. Panel members have a statutory right for reasonable time off to attend hearings, but employers’ and colleagues’ support is also crucial.
There is pressure on the hearings system and I recognise that. Referrals are up 50 per cent since 1997 with the increase mainly in care and protection cases. Numbers of persistent young offenders have also risen recently.
I certainly don’t need to tell the staff and parents of Hailesland Primary in Wester Hailes about offending behaviour. Equipment and teaching resources at their school were destroyed recently, causing dismay and disruption to the whole community. Crimes like this should not be tolerated, and effective action is needed.
Where young people continually disrupt the lives of others in the community, special action is needed. Our ten-point action plan for youth crime responds to this public concern. We aim to ensure that the public has confidence that offending behaviour is being tackled. We are proposing measures to allow children’s hearings to fast-track persistent offenders and national standards to improve the effectiveness of the system and build on its strengths.
On a more positive note, it’s worth remembering that overall referrals to hearings for offending have reduced by 19 per cent over the last three years. More than 90 per cent of Scotland’s 920,000 young people do not offend, and less than one per cent are persistent offenders.
MY own experience, as a social worker dealing with young people, let me see at first hand what good can be done and where the hurdles lie. I know there are recruitment and retention problems in social work departments in some parts of the country.
A full-strength, well-trained social work profession is essential to back up the hearings system. This is one of the reasons why I launched an action plan for the social services workforce earlier this year to ensure that we have the staff in place.
It’s not easy being on a panel, as any member can tell you. The cases are complex, sensitive and often emotive. It is a real challenge - but it can also be very rewarding.
Scotland has a unique approach to dealing with children - one that looks at the underlying problems and sets out to tackle them. You can play a part. Find out more by contacting the inquiry line on 0845 601 2770 or use our website www.childrens-hearings.co.uk. Information for employers can be found there too.
Over the course of this year’s recruitment campaign, and well beyond, I want to turn the spotlight on the hearings system. It’s a service Scotland should be proud of.
Cathy Jamieson, Minister for Education and
Young People
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