Www.scra.gov.uk Neil Hunter Principal Reporter/Chief Executive Scottish Children's Reporter Administration Young people in the Hearing System – towards.

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Neil HunterPrincipal Reporter/Chief ExecutiveScottish Children's Reporter Administration

Young people in the Hearing System – towards change, relevance and improvement

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Getting it Right in the Hearing System

Clarity on a national referral criteria to the Reporter for compulsory measures

Taking advantage of the statutory plan and CSO’s Refreshing the Reporters relationship to EEI – more

consistency in working arrangements Collectively working on inter-agency approaches

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Whole Systems Approach – the 3 big issues for SCRA Early and Effective interventions for low level offences,

offering support and advice to young people in order to address need and change behaviour.

Retaining more young people on compulsory supervision orders through the children’s hearing system, where there is a need to do so.

Encouraging more cases to be dealt with through the children’s hearings system rather than adult court.

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Criteria for Referral to Reporter – a reminder

Where local authority, constable, other person considers(a) that the child is in need of protection, guidance, treatment or control, and(b) that it might be necessary for a compulsory supervision order to be made in relation to the childthen local authority and constable MUST - other person MAY - give all relevant information to the reporter.

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Role of the Reporter in EEI/Whole System Approach – Experiences across Scotland

Significant involvement in developing WSA processes and approaches (the “setting up”). Obvious that different authorities at different stages in this development.

Clear that the reporter should have no role in decision-making around referrals being made.

Varying involvement in other discussions about young people already known to reporter. Varying role for reporter in providing information to inform multi-agency discussion. Reference to a range of issues around sustainability and the impact of the creation of

Police Scotland and implementation of Management of Concerns structure Children and Young People’s Act – sharing information. Multi-agency Group being chaired by SCRA to look at the relationship between the

Hearing System and GIRFEC – WSA issues will be central to this.

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Information gathering, assessment and decision making

Bringing information to a single place Ordering it and making sense of it Informed decision making about need for

compulsion to be considered Utilising the arms length objectivity of the Reporter Providing maximum information at the point of

referral – streamlining subsequent investigatory processes

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Criteria for Referral to Reporter – Referral trends• Consider referral rates for all ages to reporter for offending:

That’s a reduction of 68%.

• Referral rates for 16 and 17 year olds:

That’s a reduction of only 20%

 YEAR 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13

Offence Referrals 25004 21373 16444 11690 8082

16 1013 1176 894 631 793

17 176 238 162 161 156

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Purpose of Compulsory Supervision – retaining 16 and 17 year olds within the Hearing System

  08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

All Children 13503 13808 13448 13067 12460 11428

Children aged 16,17 976 1011 889 850 934 911

% 16,17 7.2% 7.3% 6.6% 6.5% 7.5% 8.0%

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16 and 17 year olds subject to compulsory measuresRegional variations – a selection

% 16,17 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Aberdeen City 4.7% 5.3% 4.7% 6.4% 7.7% 7.8%Dumfries & Galloway 7.9% 10.9% 11.4% 10.0% 13.8% 10.4%

Dundee 5.6% 4.1% 3.4% 3.3% 4.5% 5.5%

East Dunbartonshire 11.9% 15.0% 14.2% 8.8% 3.7% 4.1%

East Lothian 2.6% 4.1% 4.3% 2.6% 12.6% 5.6%City of

Edinburgh 7.4% 5.1% 4.9% 6.3% 8.4% 8.3%

Glasgow 9.2% 9.4% 8.1% 8.1% 9.0% 9.5

Highland 8.1% 8.6% 7.3% 7.2% 10.4% 11.2%

Perth & Kinross 2.1% 3.5% 1.3% 5.2% 3.3%

2.0%

Scottish Borders 8.1% 8.5% 6.0% 6.5% 12.4% 13.6%

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16 and 17 year olds – cases remitted by the court

References for Advice

Remits for Disposal

16,17 yr olds 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13

Sum: 353 324 332 278 231

16,17 yr olds 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13

Sum: 183 165 183 151 122

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Development of Criteria for Referral to SCRA in WSA cases

Factors Change in definition of “child” – s.199 of Children’s

Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 Change to the Lord Advocate’s Guidelines: (i) Joint Reporting where s.199 applies, and (ii) No need for joint reporting of minor offences by 16/17 year olds on CSO EEI Guidance – children on CSO, “rebuttable presumption”

that referral made to reporter

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Purpose of Compulsory Supervision – retaining 16 and 17 year olds within the Hearing System

Termination due to age/continued offending/lack of engagement.

ADSW (Social Work Scotland) Position Statement & Guidance for Panel Members

Signs that more 16 and 17 year olds remain within hearings system

There are regional variations

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Summary

The Hearing system must be seen in the context of GIRFEC

We are not making sufficient progress everywhere on retaining 16/17 years olds in the Hearing System

We need to develop further clarity on referral and compulsory measures

The relevance and efficacy of our interventions requires constant review

We need to keep sharing our professional resources and expertise in the best, most effective way possible