The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) welcomes the passage of the Children’s Hearings Bill and the opportunities it presents to strengthen and improve the Hearings System, reinforcing the importance of putting children and young people at the centre of the System.

The legislation provides the structure and the framework for the changes, but the legislation alone, won’t make things happen. Whilst much hard work has taken place so far, we are only at the beginning, the biggest challenge is to bring about a change in culture and practice. So whilst it might be tempting to relax having  reached this stage, it is important to  now focus upon implementation, turning  the policy intentions, principles and dry legal sections  into making a real difference to families.

SCRA has not been sitting back waiting for the passage of the Bill, we have been preparing for some time and begun to put in place the changes required. So what have we done so far? We have embarked upon organisational change, to make sure we have the right people in the right place doing the right things and that we making the best use of the skills, expertise and knowledge of our staff.

We are looking at how we work with children and young people to help them understand what is happening to them and to support them so they can better  participate in Hearings. It is critical they have a clear voice in the system.

Our participation project is working with and learning from Young Scot. Our goal is to be a more child friendly organisation. We are also putting time and resources into building our relationships with our partners, looking at how we can work better together, to improve the processes and outcomes for children and their families.

The changes required cannot be delivered without organisations working together, this is always challenging and will be more so in the current economic climate. Partners must not retreat in the face of the pressures but look at working together more effectively. SCRA is committed to working with Scottish Government, the National Convenor, and our existing partners in the Children’s Hearings System to deliver a more positive future for children, young people and their families.

Carole Wilkinson, Chair, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration