YOU COULD
BE ALL
THAT’S
BETWEEN
KATE AND
ANOTHER
NIGHT
OF ABUSE.
Being a
Children’s
Panel member
– what will it
mean for me?
If you are interested in applying to be a Children’s Panel member,
this leaflet should tell you what you need to know and where to
get further information. In order to become a panel member you
will need to:
INTRODUCTION
WHO ARE CHILDREN’S PANEL MEMBERS?
• Provide two satisfactory references
A panel member is a lay tribunal member who volunteers to
sit on children’s hearings (sometimes called children’s panels).
Panel members are people from the community who come from
a wide range of backgrounds. Panel members should either live
or work in the local authority area in which they sit on hearings.
This ensures that they are familiar with the local area in which
the children and young people they see at hearings are from.
Panel members sit on hearings on a rota basis. Each children’s
hearing has three panel members and there must be a mix of
men and women.
•Be subject to a check under the Protecting Vulnerable Groups
Scheme (PVG Scheme)
WHAT DO CHILDREN’S PANEL MEMBERS DO?
• Be at least 18 years of age (there is no upper age limit)
•Either live or work in the local authority area in which you
wish to serve as a panel member
•Be able to attend the panel member training dates set out
for your area during January to June (these are available on
www.childrenspanelscotland.org)
The role of a panel member is to make decisions in the best
interests of the children and young people who come to
hearings. Panel members must decide whether compulsory
measures of supervision are needed to help improve the lives
of those children and young people and, if so, what they should
be. Children and young people may be referred to a children’s
hearing for a number of different reasons. Referrals are split into
two broad categories – care and protection, where the welfare
of the child or young person is causing concern, and offence,
where they are believed to have committed an offence. The
majority of children and young people are referred on care
and protection grounds.
Before each hearing, panel members are sent reports and
papers relating to the child or young person. Panel members
must prepare thoroughly for each hearing, reading the papers
to make sure they are fully informed as to the circumstances
and reasons why that child or young person has been asked
to go to a hearing.
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During a hearing panel members should:
•encourage effective participation by the child or young
person and relevant others
•ensure that their practice in the hearing is fair and that they
understand and uphold the rights of everyone at the hearing
•make clear, well founded decisions in the best interests of
the child or young person and communicate these both orally
and in writing
•ensure that the reasons for and the decisions themselves
are clearly recorded in line with procedural guidance
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL CHILDREN’S PANEL?
All panel members belong to the national Children’s Panel,
although they sit on hearings in the local area in which they either
live or work. There are around 2,700 members of the national
Children’s Panel across Scotland.
WHAT DOES CHILDREN’S HEARINGS SCOTLAND DO?
Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) is a non-departmental public
body established to support panel members across Scotland.
CHS has a National Convener, who acts as a figurehead for
Scotland’s 2,700 volunteer panel members, to ensure they are
consistently supported to a high standard. CHS itself is a
dedicated national body, established to support the National
Convener in the delivery of functions relating to the recruitment,
selection, appointment, training, retention and support of
panel members.
WHAT ARE AREA SUPPORT TEAMS?
An Area Support Team (AST) is made up of a group of volunteers,
who carry out functions on behalf of the National Convener to
support members of the national Children’s Panel who sit on
children’s hearings in their local area. There are 22 ASTs
across Scotland.
HOW ARE PANEL MEMBERS SELECTED AND APPOINTED?
Members of the national Children’s Panel are appointed by the
National Convener. The ASTs are responsible for recommending
individuals to the National Convener for appointment as panel
members. For new panel members this normally involves
attending information sessions, completing an application form
and attending interviews and group discussions.
The initial period of appointment is three years and is renewable
on further recommendation from the AST, following monitoring
of performance.
More information about CHS, the ASTs and the Children’s
Hearings System is available on our website at
www.chscotland.gov.uk
TIME OFF WORK
WILL I NEED TO TAKE TIME OFF WORK TO ATTEND HEARINGS?
Children’s hearings take place on week days during daytime
hours. Panel members are normally called upon to attend either a
morning or an afternoon session once or twice a month on average.
For those panel members who are in employment, this usually
means asking their employers for time off work.
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Join the Children’s Panel. It’s life changing.
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WHAT IS THE LEGAL POSITION?
Since children’s hearings are statutory tribunals, employees
have a statutory right to take reasonable time off work to sit
on these hearings, as set out in section 50 of the Employment
Rights Act 1996. What is considered ‘reasonable’ includes the
circumstances of the employer’s business and the effect of
the employee’s absence on the running of that business.
AM I ENTITLED TO PAY DURING TIME OFF FOR HEARINGS?
The statutory right to time off for public duties does not in itself
carry an entitlement to pay during that time. Many employers do
allow their employees paid time off and we welcome this level
of support for the Children’s Hearings System from employers.
PANEL MEMBER TRAINING
WILL I RECEIVE ANY TRAINING?
As a new panel member, you will take up a programme of training to
prepare you for your new role. All panel members must carry out
at least 45 hours of pre-service training. This will take place over
a number of weeks and will be held mainly at weekends or in the
evenings. Activities include group work, case studies, visits to
local resources, observing children’s hearings and opportunities
to meet others involved in the system. Pre-service training
provides the foundation of knowledge that panel members need
to enable them to fulfil their statutory duties and to develop and
practice necessary skills. Panel members who successfully
complete this training will then take up their appointment and
be able to sit on hearings.
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Join the Children’s Panel. It’s life changing.
In addition, six to nine months after appointment, panel members
also need to complete ‘management of hearings’ training. This is
designed to enable panel members to reflect on their experience
of children’s hearings and to develop the necessary skills and
knowledge to carry out the role of chairing member effectively.
The ‘management of hearings’ unit comprises around 16 hours
of training, again often held at weekends and during evenings.
WHAT SKILLS WILL I LEARN?
Panel member training is an intensive learning process. It is
linked to the core competences for panel members:
• law and procedure
• equal treatment
• communication and children’s views and participation
• conduct of hearing
• management of information
• decision making
• protecting rights
You will develop skills such as:
•leadership
•teamwork
• effective communication
• analytical thinking
• decision making
• influencing and negotiating
All of these skills can be of great use in other areas of your life.
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WILL I RECEIVE A QUALIFICATION AFTER THIS TRAINING?
Following successful completion of the pre-service training and
management of hearings training, you 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 certified and accredited qualification, which is recognised
nationally and usually takes between nine to 18 months
to complete.
You will be required to maintain a workbook throughout the
pre-service training. The completed workbook must be submitted
within two weeks of your last day of pre-service training.
IS ANY OTHER TRAINING OFFERED?
During panel member service, other in-service training will also
be available. If panel members are reappointed for a further
period of service, there are opportunities for refresher training
(at least seven hours).
AST’s also arrange their own local based training. Your AST
will be able to give you information on the local learning and
development programme.
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Join the Children’s Panel. It’s life changing.
WHAT ELSE WILL BE EXPECTED OF ME AS A PANEL MEMBER?
COMMITMENT
The time commitment required to be a panel member is
considerable and you need to think about this carefully before
applying. As well as attending training, panel members are
expected to prepare in advance of each hearing. Then there is
attendance at the hearings themselves. You have to be prepared
to commit to this important role.
USING TECHNOLOGY
All panel members are expected to use the IT systems provided
by CHS to support them in their role. CHS provides all panel
members with access to ‘CHIRP’ – the Children’s Hearings
Information and Resource Portal. This portal provides access
to news, practice materials and is the main method used by
CHS for communicating with panel members. It also provides all
panel members with a secure email address which must be used
for all panel business.
Panel members must use these systems for keeping themselves
up to date with the latest news and practice, for keeping CHS
informed of their availability to attend hearings and for keeping
CHS informed of their contact details.
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KEEPING INFORMATION SAFE
As a public body CHS has responsibilities under Data Protection
legislation. The papers that you will receive in advance of
attending a hearing will contain extremely sensitive information
about the vulnerable children, young people and their families
who come to hearings. Every panel member is responsible for
keeping this information safe at all times, including when
travelling to the hearing. If these papers are lost, the distress
caused to those children and families can be far reaching and
the Information Commissioner can impose fines of up to £500,000
if data breaches occur. CHS has therefore produced a suite of
information management policies, which must be adhered to
by all panel members.
PAYMENT
The role of a Children’s Panel member is a voluntary one and
is therefore unsalaried. However, panel members can claim
reasonable expenses for attending training, hearings and
Children’s Panel events. In addition, panel members can claim
for financial loss, which includes dependent care costs and loss
of earnings, where a panel member’s employer does not grant
them paid time off to attend hearings. All claims need to be
made in line with CHS’s expenses policy, which is available on
our website.
WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?
You can either complete the application form enclosed in this
pack or apply online at www.childrenspanelscotland.org. If you
are in employment, it is advisable to speak to your employer and
line manager to ensure they will support you in your application
to be a panel member.
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Join the Children’s Panel. It’s life changing.
If you have a disability or any special requirements that need
to be considered to enable you to carry out the role of a panel
member, please speak to the Clerk to the AST who will be happy
to discuss your requirements with you.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:
www.childrenspanelscotland.org
www.chscotland.gov.uk
childrenspanelscotland.org