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Information
for referees
I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO BE A REFEREE FOR AN APPLICANT TO THE NATIONAL
CHILDREN’S PANEL
This leaflet sets out what is involved in membership of the national
Children’s Panel and what is required from referees. Please note
we are unable to accept references from partners or
relations of applicants.
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL CHILDREN’S PANEL?
Since 1971 children’s hearings have been making important
decisions about children and young people who are at risk.
These decisions are made by lay members of the community –
Children’s Panel members – who are aged 18 or over and come
from a wide range of backgrounds. They give their services
voluntarily and are unpaid.
Children and young people may be referred to a children’s
hearing for a number of different reasons and referrals are
split into two broad categories. The first is care and protection,
where the welfare of the child or young person is causing concern.
The second is where the child or young person is believed to have
committed an offence. The majority of children and young people
are referred on care and protection grounds. Children’s hearings
make decisions that are in the best interests of the child or young
person, taking all the surrounding circumstances into account.
They must decide whether compulsory measures of supervision
are required to ensure that the child or young person’s needs are
met, and what these measures should be.
Children’s hearings put children and young people first. Panel
members have to deal with cases that are often complex, difficult
and emotionally challenging, so they have to be carefully selected
and highly trained to carry out their role.
Join the Children’s Panel. It’s life changing.
WHAT KINDS OF PEOPLE JOIN THE NATIONAL CHILDREN’S PANEL?
The national Children’s Panel promotes equal opportunities.
Anyone over 18 who cares about the welfare of children and young
people may apply. The aim is that the panel is representative of the
local community, so panel members should sit on hearings in the
local authority area where they either live or work.
Applications are encouraged from people from all walks of life,
irrespective of their experience, age, ethnicity, gender or social
background. Previous knowledge of the Children’s Hearings
System is not necessary as full training is provided. Panel
membership is rewarding but it is also demanding, both because
of the circumstances of the children and young people who come
to children’s hearings and the nature of the decisions that panel
members have to make.
Applicants’ first language does not need to be English, but they
must be able to understand and communicate effectively in
English and have the right to work in the UK.
WHAT TIME COMMITMENT DOES A PANEL MEMBER HAVE TO MAKE?
New panel members must commit to an initial training programme
which is spread over two years and starts with pre-service
training. This typically consists of two or three evening sessions
and seven full days’ training, as well as some online study and
assessment. Trainees must also observe two or three children’s
hearings (during a weekday) as part of their initial four month
training period.
Following completion of pre-service training and appointment to
the national Children’s Panel, new panel members will be asked to
undertake a further review and revision training day, plus a two
day course on the management of hearings. Having fully qualified,
panel members must continue to maintain their skills through
attending nationally provided core and mandatory training courses,
as well as local learning and development sessions.
childrenspanelscotland.org
Training is normally held in the evenings or at the weekends,
but sometimes weekdays are available too. For more information
about the training, please visit www.childrenspanelscotland.org.
As members of statutory tribunals, Children’s Panel members
are entitled to reasonable time off work to carry out their duties
(Section 50, Employment Rights Act 1996) but should discuss this
with their employers first. Information for employers is available
on our website at: www.childrenspanelscotland.org.
WHAT DO PANEL MEMBERS GAIN?
Children’s Panel members gain skills that are useful in other areas
of their lives.
Following successful completion of the pre-service training and
management of hearings training, panel members will receive
a Professional Development Award for ‘Children’s Hearings in
Scotland: Panel Members’ at Scottish Credit and Qualifications
Framework (SCQF) Level 7. The award has been designed to
provide panel members with a national recognised, certified
and accredited qualification.
The training is funded by Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS)
and delivered by the CHS Training Unit, which is run in partnership
with West Lothian College. It develops skills which include:
•an ability to listen to and communicate effectively with children,
young people and their families
• an ability to work as a member of a team
•an ability to read, understand and process complex information
and reports
• capacity to take responsibility for making difficult decisions
•an ability to maintain confidentiality and handle
sensitive information
• an ability to manage conflict
• effective chairing and management of meetings
Join the Children’s Panel. It’s life changing.
Panel members learn to absorb, consider and critically analyse
large quantities of detailed information from the professional
reports produced for hearings. These skills help the panel member
become more confident and effective in almost any personal or
professional situation.
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME AS A REFEREE?
We would like you to give your honest view of whether you
think the applicant would be suited to this role. Firstly, it would
be helpful if you can confirm that you know the applicant well.
We would normally expect you to have known them for two years
or more in a personal or professional capacity. You will be asked
to comment on the applicant’s reliability, honesty, team working
and communication abilities. You can draw on your knowledge of
the applicant in any setting. Similarly it is helpful to know if, in your
view, the applicant will be able to deal with written documents and
respect confidentiality.
It will also be useful to know how familiar and comfortable the
candidate is with basic information technology, for example using
email and the internet. Finally, you will be asked to give your
opinion on the skills and qualities that the candidate would bring
to panel membership. Please answer each of the questions as
honestly and as fully as possible on the form provided.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD PANEL MEMBER
(Taken from a young people’s report, All About Me, 2012)
• good listener
•reliable
•kind
• good communicator
•caring
• makes an effort
• confident in themselves
• understands their role and legislation
• does not judge
• gives young people the time to say what they need to say
childrenspanelscotland.org
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE
CHILDREN’S HEARINGS SYSTEM?
To find out more, please visit our websites:
www.childrenspanelscotland.org
www.chscotland.gov.uk
You can also phone the Clerk to the Area Support Team for your
local area. The Clerks’ contact details can be found at:
www.chscotland.gov.uk/contact-us/
area-support-team-contacts
www.childrenspanelscotland.org