Children's hearings redesign
Feedback updated 26 Feb 2025
We asked
We asked for your views on proposals for children’s hearings redesign. The consultation focussed on potential legislative changes required to redesign Scotland’s children’s hearings system to build on its strengths so that it can deliver the best possible experience to the children and families in need of its support.
The consultation opened on 26 July 2024 and closed on 28 October 2024.
You said
105 responses were received across the 13 week consultation period. Of those 105 responses, 56% were from organisations, and 44% were from individuals. The consultation was supported by a series of online and in person engagement events throughout August, September and October which reached over 500 people.
The wide ranging responses to the consultation and the lack of consensus between many respondents on several of the areas in the consultation reflects the fine balance and interaction between the various sensitive issues at play and the complexity of redesigning the children’s hearings system.
We did
The Scottish Government commissioned The Children and Young People's Centre for Justice (CYCJ) to undertake an independent, impartial analysis of the responses to the consultation. This analysis was published in early 2025, the responses themselves will also be published (where permission to publish was given).
We are carefully considering what we have heard during the consultation process to help inform development of future legislation and practice and will continue to engage with key stakeholders along with representatives of those with lived and living experience of the children’s hearings system in Scotland.
Published responses
View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.
Overview
This consultation is part of a series of steps to ensure that Scotland’s children’s hearings system can be redesigned to build on its strengths so that it can deliver the best possible experience to the children and families in need of its support. It focusses on areas which may require changes to the law.
The policy aims are:
- to ensure that the children’s hearings system meets the needs, and respects the rights, of all the children and families it serves
- to ensure that the processes of the children’s hearings system support children and families to properly participate and engage - with the referred child always at the centre
- to support the children's hearings system to become more inquisitorial and to minimise the application of adversarial proceedings, without diminishing the significance of the process
- to ensure that the children’s hearings system and the professionals operating within it have the capacity to deliver what each child needs
- to ensure each child continues to be treated in a way that is trauma-informed and accounts for their age and stage of development
- to make other technical and procedural alterations where it is necessary, appropriate or beneficial to ensure processes and procedures work more effectively
Read the consultation paper. The consultation paper contains full background information for this consultation. You may find it useful to read or refer to while responding.
Useful information about responding to this consultation
As you complete your response, each page will provide the option to 'Save and come back later' at the bottom. This means you can save your progress and return to the consultation at any time before it closes. If you don't use this feature and leave the consultation midway through, your response will be lost.
Once you have submitted your response, you can enter your email address to get a pdf copy of your answers sent to you.
On the 'About You' page at the end of this consultation, organisations will have the opportunity to tell us more about their work and/or how their response was informed.
After the consultation has closed there will be a few months delay before any responses are published. This is because we must check any responses to be published abide by our Terms of Use.
A analysis report will usually be published some months after the consultation has closed. This report will summarise the findings based on all responses submitted. It will be published on the Scottish Government website and you may be notified about it if you choose to share your email address with us. You can also join our consulation mailing list where we regularly list newly published analysis reports (as well as new consultations).
Why your views matter
This formal public consultation is not the only means by which the Scottish Government will seek views on the proposals and related issues. Many of these matters are subject to ongoing and in-depth engagement with partners and stakeholders, whilst others have already been subject to primary legislation or other public consultation in preceding years. Throughout the period of this consultation, engagement work with key partners and stakeholders will continue. Scottish Government will be providing input to existing groups and meetings. If it would be helpful to engage with you or your organisation in a specific arrangement, please get in touch at childrenshearingsconsultation@gov.scot
Interests
- Children and Families
- Main hub
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