Meet the Participation Team
At Children’s Hearings Scotland, part of our commitment to children and young people with lived experience of the hearings system is an ambitious programme of participation activities – and this can’t happen without a team of people to support them.
Angela Phillips
Hi I’m Angela and I’m the Participation Coordinator here at Children’s Hearings Scotland.I joined CHS in November 2023 and my role is to create the space, audiences and opportunities so that the views of children and young people are listened to and influence decision making within CHS and across the Children’s Hearings System.
Keira Kerracher
Hello - I'm Keira! I joined CHS in June 2026 as the Participation Advisor.A big part of my role is to make sure that lived experience voices are central to any decisions and can help shape positive changes making hearings better for other children and young people.
I work alongside our Experts by Experience, supporting them to have a meaningful voice and influence in shaping the system.
If you would like more information about participation within Children’s Hearings Scotland please email: chsparticipation@chs.gov.scot and one of the team will get back to you.
Our model of participation
By adopting the four principles of the Lundy Model of Participation, CHS will provide space for children’s views, enable their voice, and ensure they have both an audience and influence.
This model is a way of realising Article 12 of the UNCRC. The four elements have an easy to follow order:
Space: Children must be given safe, inclusive opportunities to form and express their view.
Voice: Children must be facilitated to express their view.
Audience: The view must be listened to.
Influence: The view must be acted upon, as appropriate.
There is a strong commitment to participation at CHS, and alongside the Promise and Children’s Hearing’s Redesign reform, now is an exciting time to further embed the voice of lived experience in all areas of our work.
Our Children's Participation and Rights Strategy
Our strategy, has been co-designed with young people who have first hand experience of the hearings system and reinforces our purpose at Children’s Hearings Scotland to ensure our hearings make child-centred decisions which respect and protect children’s rights and support them to thrive.
We have worked with young people with experience of the hearing system to pick out the things that are most important.
They created four principles which CHS must follow - Respect, Inclusion, Empowerment and Accountability.
You can read more about the aims of the strategy and how Children’s Hearings Scotland will ensure that those people with lived experience can continue to shape and influence change within CHS.
With special thanks to the young people who gave their time, commitment, views and ambition to improve the way in which we involve those with lived experience in the work of CHS.
Groups who took part in the co-design are:
Members of the previous CHS Participation Group
