VWTC/11/05
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1. The Victims and Witnesses unit has produced drafts of booklets for child witnesses whether they are for the Crown or the defence or in the case of Children's Hearings court procedures for the use of witnesses of both parties to replace those currently used by COPFS and the SCRA.
2. These drafts have been issued for comment by the Crown Office, VIA, SCRA and the Law Society and will now be tested out on children through the good offices of Justice for Children and Childline. The Victims and Witnesses Unit, in collaboration with COPFS, SCRA and the Law Society, will engage some art students to provide accompanying graphics.
3. The next step will be for the comments received to be collated and the revised draft texts to be issued for wider comment before publication in the early summer.
4. Member organisations are invited to say by 29 March whether they would be happy for their logos to be issued on these booklets and, if so, to let the Unit have copies of their logo for incorporation in these publications.
5. Members are invited to note that as an interim measure the Unit has produced inserts to the existing COPFS booklets to highlight the changes brought about by the Act. The inserts are currently being designed.
SEJD
Victims and Witnesses Unit
March 2005