Children's hearings redesign
Grounds of referral: concept and language
Hearings for Children recommended that: The drafting of grounds and the Statement of Facts should be reframed to take a rights-based approach to help families to better understand why grounds are being established and recognise themselves in the drafting. (See section 6.1 of the consultation document)
Related information
Hearings for Children recommended at 5.1 that the “process of establishing grounds must change” and specifically:
“5.1.3 Grounds must be established in a separate process before a child and their family attend a Children’s Hearing. There must be no more Grounds Hearings.
“5.1.4 A more relational way of working to agree grounds and confirm the Statement of Facts should be encouraged, where the Reporter exercises professional judgement to determine when children and families might be able to discuss grounds.”