Topic 2 The Children's Hearings Process - The Children's Hearing
Teachers' Sheet
Fascinating Facts Sheet 5 The Children's Hearing
Fascinating Facts Sheet 6 Key People at the Hearing
Activity 6 Panel Member Questions
Case Studies for Activity 6
Teachers' Sheet
TOPIC 2 - THE CHILDREN'S HEARINGS PROCESS: Step 3 - The Children's HearingActivity
Fascinating Facts 5 - The Children's Hearing
Fascinating Facts 6 - Key People at the Hearing
Activity 6 - Panel Member Questions
Aims:
To help pupils to understand who the key people are and what happens at a Hearing.
To introduce pupils to the role of the panel member in the Hearing.
Materials:
Copy of Fascinating Facts sheets 5 and 6 and Activity 6, and selected case studies for each pupil. Large sheets of paper. (A panel member would be useful for this activity, to outline what they do and to give feedback on Activity 6. Contact the local authority panel chair via the Authority Reporter.)
Method:
Ask pupils who they think might be at a Children's Hearing and what might happen. Note down their answers. (This could be done as a small group or class activity.)
Hand out Fascinating Facts sheet 5. Read it with the pupils and link it back to the previous steps and particularly the Reporter's decision.
Hand out Fascinating Facts sheet 6 and discuss the key people in the Hearing. In their view is there anyone missing? Discuss the different roles of the professionals. Emphasise that the most important people are the child and their family.
Activity 6 - Panel Member Questions
Decide which case studies you will use. Prepare four large sheets of paper headed Child, Family, Social Worker, Teacher. Divide pupils into groups of three (to mirror the three panel members) and hand out Activity Sheet 6 and the case study. Ensure that the pupils understand the task and allocate sufficient time for completion.
Collate their questions on the large sheets of paper under the appropriate headings. Find out why they want to ask particular questions and what information they hope to find out. As an extension activity you could allocate each group a different person in the Hearing and ask them to think about how that person might answer the questions that they have posed.
Fascinating Facts 5 - Step 3 - The Children's Hearing
A Children's Hearing can only take place if the child or young person and their family agree with the reasons why the Children's Reporter has arranged it.
At the Hearing, three people called panel members will make the decision about what should happen next. There must be at least one man and one woman on every panel. The Hearing will usually take between 45 minutes and an hour.
The Hearing takes place in private and the Hearing room is usually set out like this:
There are usually toys for young children to play with while the meeting is taking place. The panel members will ask the child or young person and their family if they agree with the reasons why they are there. If they do, then the Hearing can go on.
The panel members will talk to the child and the family and ask questions to find out more information. The child or young person's views are very important and the panel members will ask the child for his/her opinion. They will ask the social worker and the teacher what they think. They then make their decision in front of everyone and give the reasons why they have reached that decision.
The decision that the panel members make has to be followed, but if the child or young person or the family do not agree with it, they can ask a Sheriff to look at it in court to try to change the decision.
WORD CHECK
Sheriff = the name given to the judge in the Sheriff Court
Fascinating Facts 6 - People who attend the Children's Hearing
The key people at the Children's Hearing are:
1. The child or young person and their family or carers
They will talk with the panel members and answer questions.
2. The Children's Reporter
He/she invites all the people to the Hearing and makes sure that they have copies of the reports. He/she will keep a note of what happens at the Hearing and then send this to the child and their family after the Hearing.
3. The three panel members
They will ask questions, listen to what is said and make a decision about what should happen next.
4. A social worker
The social worker will tell the panel members what he/she knows about the child's situation and suggest what could be done to make it better.
5. A teacher
The teacher will tell the panel about school and if this is the problem, suggest what could be done to make it better.
Sometimes there will be other people at the Hearing to help the child or young person.
They can take a representative - someone to support them in the Hearing. This might be a friend or relative or their solicitor.
If the panel has asked a Safeguarder to write a report for them, the Safeguarder will also be there.
A Legal Representative is sometimes needed to help the child take part in the Hearing. The Hearing will ask the Legal Representative to be there if the panel members think this is needed.
WORD CHECK
Safeguarder = an independent person asked by the panel to look after the child or young person's interests
Legal Representative = a solicitor/lawyer who speaks for the child or young person
Activity 6 - Panel Member Questions
Read the case study that you have been given.
Why has the Children's Reporter arranged a Hearing?
Write down two questions that you would like to ask each person at the Hearing. Remember to begin these with Who, What, When, Where and How.
Child's Name
1.
2.
Family Names
1.
2.
Social Worker's Name
1.
2.
Teacher's Name
1.
2.
Case Studies for Activity 6 - Panel Member Questions
JOHN
John is 12 years old and lives with his mum and his younger brother Andrew, who is 10. Six months ago the Children's Reporter asked the social work department to work with the family after John had been caught shoplifting. He has been arrested again for shoplifting so the Reporter has decided to arrange a Hearing.
In her report, Anne Cairns, the social worker, says that John's behaviour at home is very difficult. He swears and shouts at his mum and does not listen to what she says. He comes home late and will not say where he has been, who he has been with or what he has been doing.
John says that he did steal the things but he does not think that it is wrong because everybody does it.
In his report, John's guidance teacher Mr McKinley says that John started S1 very well, but that this term, his behaviour has got worse. He is very rude to some of his teachers and is not handing in his homework on time. Because of his bad behaviour he has been excluded for two days. In the last month he has been disappearing from school a lot of the time. Neither the school nor his mum know where he his, but they think that he is with older boys.
CLAIRE
Claire is 11 years old. The Children's Reporter has arranged a Hearing because she has been absent from school for a large number of days this term without a good reason.
The social work report tells you that Claire lives with her mum and dad and her granny. She has no brothers or sisters. Her dad owns a business and her mum works for him full-time in the office until 5.30pm. They live in a three-bedroom house in an estate just outside of the town.
Since her granny came to stay after her grand-dad died, Claire goes straight home rather than stay at the after-school club until her mum has finished work.
Claire had her appendix out three months ago. She had a month off school because she was unwell. Since then her granny has told her to stay off school if she feels too tired or not well and Claire has done this. Alan Wood, the social worker, thinks this is really because Claire's granny is lonely.
Claire's mum and dad are angry about this as they had no idea what was happening until the school told them.
Claire is unhappy and not sure what to do because she loves her granny but likes to go to school. She liked the after-school club too.
The Head Teacher, Mrs Armstrong, is worried that Claire is missing a lot of important work that she needs to do before moving to the high school. Claire is also not seeing her friends.
JANE & JIM
Following an investigation, the Children's Reporter has decided to arrange a Hearing for Jane, who is seven years old, and Jim, who is five years old.
Alan Wood, the social worker, in his report for the Hearing, explains that Jane and Jim live with their mum, Mrs Wilson, and her boyfriend, Paul. Paul and Mrs Wilson shout at each other and he hits her. Jane says that she does not like it. Paul has never hit Jane or Jim but they have been there when he hits their mum.
Mrs Wilson is very angry that a neighbour reported screaming and shouting coming from the flat and that the social work department is involved. She told the social worker that she would not let anybody hurt Jane or Jim. The social worker reports that she was not very helpful when he called at the flat and that she shouted at him. The social worker says that Jane is upset and worried that she will not be able to stay with her mum.
The school report says that Jane and Jim are doing OK. They are at school and nursery every day.