The Children's Hearings System

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Children’s Hearings Scotland is one of a number of dedicated organisations that work as part of the Children’s Hearings System. This care and justice system is unique to Scotland and exists to protect the safety and wellbeing of infants, children and young people nationally.

The system is made up of lots of partners who each have a different role. Our role is to ensure children's hearings take place by having three skilled and trained Panel Members on every hearing. We provide legal and practice advice to Panel Members but they are independent decision makers. Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) are another main organisation which works within the children's hearings system. They receive referrals when people are worried about children and then arrange the children's hearings.

If you have been asked to come to a children's hearing, you should contact SCRA directly as we do not hold any information about individual cases.

We work closely with many partners, across projects and groups at both a national and local level. Our goal is to improve children’s hearings and to consider how the wider system can best support the wellbeing of Scotland’s young people.

Our partners

In alphabetical order.