Questions and answers for children
You have been asked to go to a Hearing because the Children’s Reporter has decided that this is the best way to help you. The Children’s Reporter will write to you and the people who look after you to tell you when and where the Children’s Hearing will be. The Children’s Reporter will also tell you why you are going to a Children’s Hearing.
Children are asked to go to a Children’s Hearing for lots of reasons, for example:
- If you are having problems with going to school,
- If you have been in trouble with the police,
- If people are worried that you are not being properly looked after at home,
- If people are worried about your safety.
Yes, unless the Children’s Reporter has told you that you do not have to go. The Children’s Hearing is about you. It is important that you are there to let the people at the Children’s Hearing know what you think.
Generally speaking, children over the age of 12 years automatically receive the same reports as the Panel Members and your parents or carers. Children between eight and 12 years may receive the reports, if they wish to see them.
If you are about to go to a Hearing and have not yet received any information, please contact your local Children's Reporter office or email inforequest@scra.gsx.gov.uk
- You, unless you have been told by the Children’s Reporter that you do not need to be there,
- The people who look after you,
- Three people called Panel Members who will decide what to do next,
- The Children’s Reporter who will write down what has been decided,
- A social worker,
- There may be a person called a Safeguarder – they are there to help the Panel Members make the right decisions for you.
If you want to, you can bring someone along like a friend or your teacher. They can help you talk to the Panel Members.
You are the most important person at a Children’s Hearing. Sometimes the Panel Members can ask some people to leave the Children’s Hearing if this would help you.
Children’s Hearings can be in different kinds of buildings. Usually there is a waiting room and you can bring a game or a book to use when you are in the waiting room. Then you go into the Children’s Hearing room and meet the Panel Members.
Most meetings should take less than an hour - that is about the same time as your lunch break at school. If you miss some school, then that’s OK. You are allowed to miss school to go to a Children’s Hearing.
Remember that you will be the most important person there. The Panel Members will tell you why you have been asked to come to the Children’s Hearing. The Panel Members will tell you who everyone is and what their names are. Everyone will get a chance to speak. But people will be really interested in the things you want to say.
Then the Panel Members will decide how best to help you. This might mean that there are changes for you at home or at school.
Ajay, aged nine, said: “I kept missing school because I was being bullied and getting into fights, so I had to go to a Hearing with my mum. The people at the Hearing were friendly and they listened to what I had to say. They really wanted to help me.”
Marie, aged five, said: “When mum gets ill, I have to look after my little sister. The people at the Hearing were worried about us as they think a grown up should be doing this stuff for us. They helped make sure that we were looked after properly.”
