This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Help for child witnesses in court
05/05/2004
New guidance has been issued on providing court visits for children who have been victims or witnesses of crime.
This follows guidance on dealing with child witnesses published in September 2003 and provides a full range of advice for those working with children who need help to participate in the legal process.
Court familiarisation visits are designed to help reduce the anxiety and stress experienced by children when attending court and are run with the support of various agencies.
Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry said:
"I am grateful to the agencies currently involved in conducting those visits including the Witness Support Service run by Victim Support Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurators Fiscal Service including the Victim Information and Advice Service, Scotland Children's Reporters Administration, and social workers based in the High Court.
"The aim of this guidance is to make sure that standards of best practice are implemented consistently by all agencies across Scotland, and, to make sure that whether the child is a victim or a witness, in criminal, civil or children's hearings court proceedings, there is some one responsible for organising and conducting a visit for them."
The Principal Reporter of the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration, Alan Miller backed the guidance and said:
"A visit to the place where a child is to provide evidence before that evidence is given is an important part of the support that is available to a child witness. Such visits have a proven track record of reducing anxiety for such young witnesses."
The Solicitor General, Elish Angiolini also endorsed the material and said:
"This guidance provides clear parameters and best practice for those involved in arranging for these visits to occur. The endorsement by the key agencies in the criminal justice process demonstrates the collaborative approach that has been taken to the development of the guidance and COPFS is pleased to have been involved."
The Acting Chief Executive of Victim Support Scotland, Neil Paterson, sees the guidance as an essential way to back up current good practice in Scottish courts and said:
"Victim Support Scotland believes it is vital to the well-being of our children that measures to alleviate the stress of the court experience are in place. Our experience has been that many child witnesses find the court environment intimidating and distressing and therefore welcome the opportunity for court familiarisation visits to alleviate some of their fears."
This guidance complements a whole range of initiatives currently addressing the needs of victims and witnesses, including the implementation of the Scottish Strategy for Victims, the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act and the provisions in the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill. This guidance will remain alive to all those developments and contribute to better support for and best evidence from child witnesses.