Your rights

In Scotland, your rights are protected under law which means no one can take them away from you.

• You have the right to have a say about how you would like to take part  

• You have the right to talk and have your voice heard at your hearing  

• You can bring someone along to the hearing with you like a friend or family member  

• You have the right to an advocacy worker, to help represent your views  

• You can also bring a legal representative, called a solicitor, with you  

• You can ask for a break during your hearing  

• You do not have to agree with the reasons why you are at a hearing and you can say this  

• You can appeal against the decision, if you’re not happy with it  

• You can ask for another hearing after three months  

• You can give us feedback or complain if you want to tell us about your hearing or if you are not happy about the way you were treated 

To make your hearing easier, you can also ask the Panel Members to think about:

• speaking with you on your own

• having one of the same Panel Members at your next hearing, if you have one