ENGAGE
Children's hearings are designed to help kids get through stormy times, when a clear view of the child's situation is vital
Care not punishment
As volunteering goes there are few initiatives as challenging or life—changing as becoming a children’s panel member, writes Mark Edmundson.
t is often said that children are
our future; the start we offer
them will be reflected in the world they shape for themselves and subsequent generations. It follows that those youngsters who are offered inadequate or damaging care. those already set on a destructive path. should be offered every opportunity to forge a more positive future for themselves. (‘hildren‘s hearings. a phenomenon still largely unique to Scotland. have been in operation since the l‘)7()s and provide just such a gateway to social education when a young person‘s development has gone awry.
It has been a common misconception that these hearings act as little more than courts for under age offenders. when the reality is that today the locus is firmly on child welfare. Kathleen Marshall. a children‘s panel member and chair of lnverclyde children‘s hearings. often finds herself putting this misconception straight. ‘lt seems that everyone I
talk to is quite shocked because of
a belief that the children are offending. when in my area it is only in the region of 15“}. The fact is that even those who have offended are always in need of care and protection as well. L‘ltimately'. we're keeping children. as far as possible. out of residential care and keeping family contact up.‘
Each of Scotland‘s 102 THE LIST 7—21 Sep 2006
local
authorities has a children‘s panel. with a total of 2.500 panel members nationwide. initially serving a three-year. renewable appointment. The Scottish Executive is about to launch a drive for further volunteers to ensure a continuing balance of gender. age and experience in panel members. ‘We look for ordinary people with an ability to listen to children and their families. and make a decision considering the family as a whole‘ explains Kathleen of the wide net
required to ensure a representative volunteer workforce. ‘I came to it through doing voluntary work. I
just felt that I wanted to put
something into the community. and I can say it has been really. really the tnost worthwhile thing I've ever done.‘
Brought into operation in NH. child hearings were set up for the comparable needs of 'young offenders and those with care and protection needs‘. the balance having shifted towards the latter
CASE STUDY: THE CHILDREN'S PANEL MEMBER
Joy Kinna, now chair of the Children’s Panel Advisory Committee for Fife and Scotland, talks about her experiences of children’s panels both in her current role and previous experience as a panel member for the region for 13 years.
‘My experiences were very positive; I felt very DH‘JIlGQGd to be a panel member. I knew nothing aboat ll when l deeded to get lflVOlVGd. and when yOLl start yOLlr training yeti only know what y'OLl've read. Then. when
domg here? Why do I think I can do this?" But it's one of these things that y/OU always get far more out of
panel members get ls second to none - tt' excellent. Nobody can be fully prepared for some of
‘WE LOOK FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE WITH AN ABILITY
TO LISTEN TO CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES'
ov er the lttsl 35 years. 'lille hearings themselves take the form of a reasonably informal discussion between the young person. their guardians and a panel of three trained adult volunteers on what measures of supervision would best serve the needs ol‘ the eltlld. 'l‘ltc volunteers can. and indeed should. be from all walks of life and represent a range of ages. While no special qualifications are required for application. panel members are carefully selected and cart expect to be highly trained in leadership. teamwork. communication. analytical thinking. decision— making and negotiation. "l'he training is excellent' says Kathleen enthusiastically. 'I would also say the volunteers also get a great sense of doing good or helping the community. I think it gives them confidence ill all spheres of life.‘
(ienerally entitling participants to leave the workplace to take part in one or two half-day sessions each month. the programme offers a challenging but ultimately rewarding opportunity for anyone with a concern for child welfare and justice to contribute in addressing the needs of the most vulnerable and troubled of our future citi/ens.
To find out more about volunteering for children’s panels, call 0845 601 2770, or visit www.childrenshearings scotland.gov.uk
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yOu go to year llt'Si meeting to observe a hearing yOu actually wonder. “what am l
than yoa coolct ever possibly hope to put :nto it. 'I have tO say the training
the Qtllie dlfitCUlt families ano scenarios they've got to cope wrth. but by the
IlllS ll we didn't feel that in some way we were making a difference.‘