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