Fit for the Future and for Purpose Netta Maciver Principal Reporter/Chief Executive Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration Date: 25 September 2008 www.scra.gov.uk

Children’s Hearings System Care and justice system for children in Scotland. Deals with care and protection of children as well as offending. Key principles: Child’s welfare should be paramount in all decisions. Child’s views should be taken into account in decisions about them.

Historical Context Rapid rise of non-offence referrals to the Reporter (graph shows number of children)

Historical Context (cont’d) Recognition that not all of these referrals were necessary Feeling that the CHS was becoming a gateway to service provision Need to allow the Reporter to concentrate on those children requiring compulsory measures of supervision

The Children’s Hearings System Review Scottish Government Review in 2004 Found broad support for the principles and ethos of the CHS Identified some challenges and scope for change and development of the system

Getting it Right for Every Child Getting it Right for Every Child established some key principles Every child gets the help they need, when they need it Integrated, co-ordinated approach across agencies Child at the centre of the system

GIRFEC & the Children’s Hearings System GIRFEC’s fundamental principles are aligned with those of the CHS CHS is the means of providing compulsory intervention where necessary Children should receive help on a voluntary basis wherever possible, without the need for referral to the Reporter Child is always at the centre

Workstreams Ministerial Task Group on non-offence referrals Pre-referral screening initiatives Pathfinder projects SCRA initiatives Single agency for the CHS

What’s the impact locally? Local Authority 2006/07 2007/08 Change Dundee 711 502 ▼ 29% Edinburgh 4,346 3,401 ▼ 22% Falkirk 1,893 1,495 ▼ 21% Highland 1,633 1,393 ▼ 15% Perth and Kinross 213 161 ▼ 24%

What changes are we seeing? Reduction in the rate of non-offence referrals 40,204 children in 2007/08 However numbers of Hearings and Supervision Requirements are both up in 2007/08 Hearings Supervision Requirements 42,302 13,219 Up 1% Up 4.5%

What changes are we seeing? Child Protection Orders slightly down from 624 to 518 in 2007/08 SCRA research into CPOs in Edinburgh 30% newborn babies Half on child protection register 52% had open referral or subject to SR 87% of grounds were lack of parental care

So where are we? Reporters dealing with increasingly complex cases, but more of the right children Change in the source of referral Better working practices

Focus on outcomes-the so what question? Looking forward Focus on outcomes-the so what question? For children who do not require compulsory measures And for those who do More multi-agency planning and delivery Clarity around interventions A single body-an administrative change or one that is more aspirational that can answer the so what question?