Our Stories: Programme 2 – Connect

Our People

In 2024, SCRA launched its People Strategy 2024–2027, setting out four key aims: to recruit and retain talent, support and engage staff, and foster continuous development across the organisation. This strategy underpins our commitment to building a resilient, inclusive, and skilled workforce.

Learning and Development
We published our Learning Plan 2024–2027, which includes a wide range of training opportunities:

• Trauma-informed practice to enhance awareness of trauma in the workplace and service delivery.
• Inclusion and Equalities training, including Active Bystander, British Sign Language (BSL), Pronoun Awareness, Neurodiversity, and Imposter Syndrome training.
• Practice-focused modules such as Harmful Sexual Behaviour, UNCRC Incorporation, and training for Locality Support Administrators (LSAs).
• Operational training in breach prevention and complaints handling.

We exceeded our learning Key Performance Indicators, averaging two learning events per employee. A new digital skills strategy was also introduced to boost confidence in digital capabilities.

Supervision and Support
The Supervision Framework was revised to integrate annual development reviews, personal development, and wellbeing. Managers received guidance and support from HR Business Partners to embed the new approach.

Our e-learning platform was enhanced to improve accessibility and support internally produced content, including podcasts and policy briefings.

Inclusive Culture and Engagement
Following the rollout of the Inclusive Behaviours Framework (ISBF), we embedded equalities learning throughout the year.

Staff Charter workshops were held to deepen understanding and application of inclusive behaviours. We also reviewed and updated key policies:

• The Dignity at Work Policy was simplified and now includes cyberbullying.
• A revised Staff Code of Conduct was adopted, reinforcing our commitment to high standards.
• A new Retirement Policy was introduced, covering various retirement options and support.

Health, Wellbeing and Mental Health
We trained our fourth cohort of Mental Health First Aiders, bringing the total to 31 across the organisation. We supported national campaigns such as Mental Health Week, Time to Talk, and Carer’s Week, and ran a 31-day wellbeing calendar in October.

Our annual walking challenge in May saw over a third of staff participate, promoting physical and mental wellbeing. Based on staff feedback, we focused on topics such as menopause, baby loss, and sleep during October, and raised awareness of men’s health during ‘Movember’.

We also supported carers through dementia awareness webinars and updated policies to reflect new statutory carer’s leave and neonatal leave and pay ahead of 2025 legislation.

In addition, we offered staff flu vaccination vouchers, with 85 taken up, as part of our ongoing commitment to staff health and wellbeing.

Recruitment
To support inclusive recruitment, we trialled a process allowing candidates to view interview questions in advance, with a launch to roll out fully in April 2025. We also developed new eRecruitment functionality, set to go live after testing.

We welcomed a new Board Chair and two new Board Members to SCRA.

Staff Engagement
A detailed review into the role of the Reporter job description and person specification got underway. This involved extensive consultation with staff across the organisation and was supported by an external consultant.

We carried out our annual staff survey and continued to work closely with UNISON through the National Partnership Forum, which hosted two development days and regular face-to-face meetings.

Policy and Partnership

The policy landscape for children and public services in Scotland has evolved over many years and continues to grow. The Children’s Hearings System, alongside SCRA and Children’s Hearings Scotland, plays a central role in this landscape. In 2024/25, the focus has shifted towards collaborative improvement, legislative reform, and system-wide transformation.

Working in Partnership
SCRA staff across Scotland maintain strong working relationships with key partners, including social work services, Police Scotland, health and education professionals, Safeguarders, and advocacy providers. Joint corporate parenting and collaborative working at the local level are actively championed.

At the national level, SCRA’s work reflects the broad remit of the Children’s Hearings System. We responded to several key consultations, most notably the Scottish Government’s extensive consultation on Hearings System redesign, which saw positive engagement from staff across the organisation. SCRA remains a committed member of the Children’s Hearings Improvement Partnership (CHIP), and we continue to play a central role in the development of local CHIP initiatives across Scotland.

We also work closely with a range of national groups addressing issues such as child protection, trafficking and exploitation, Bairns’ Hoose, youth justice, safeguarding, and secure care. In preparation for the implementation of the Children

(Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024, we are collaborating with partners to ensure a coordinated, whole-system response. While we await the implementation timetable, we are actively engaging in discussions about the resources required to support these changes – particularly for services supporting 16 and 17-year-olds.

Bairns’ Hoose and Child Protection
SCRA is proud to contribute to the progress of the Bairns’ Hoose initiative. Our staff are involved in both national and local discussions, including planning for Pathfinder Pilot sites and affiliated projects exploring new ways of working.

In 2024/25, we published a new Practice Note on Child Criminal Exploitation, complementing existing guidance on Child Sexual Exploitation and Missing Children. We continued to focus on this area in 2024/25, including contributing to a national conference on child exploitation hosted by Action for Children.

Contextual Safeguarding and Risk Outside the Home
While the Children’s Hearings System traditionally focuses on individual children, there is growing interest in contextual safeguarding – an approach that addresses risks outside the home, such as unsafe public spaces or community environments. This model brings partners together to improve safety in shared spaces, and interest in its application is growing across local authorities in Scotland.

Family Group Decision Making (FGDM)
SCRA continues to support Family Group Decision Making at both national and local levels. We are active members of the national steering group and are working with Children 1st and other partners to explore how FGDM can be further embedded across Scotland.

Trauma-Informed Practice
Our ambition to become a trauma-informed organisation continues to progress. In partnership with NHS Education Scotland (NES), we have trained staff to deliver trauma-skilled training across SCRA. Following this rollout, we will assess next steps to further develop our workforce. In March 2024, we also launched a new psychological support process, offering staff access to additional support through self-assessment and professional screening.

Training and Knowledge Sharing
We have expanded our online training provision for partners, supported by our Learning Leads. In collaboration with CELCIS (Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection)and Social Work Scotland, we updated and relaunched A Guide to Referral to the Children’s Reporter, along with a new training presentation. Our national online training programme for social work staff remains available, and we welcome opportunities to support local authorities with bespoke training.

COVID-19 Inquiry
SCRA contributed to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, submitting a full written statement and providing oral evidence from three senior managers. This was an opportunity to reflect on the challenges faced during the pandemic and to recognise the exceptional dedication of our staff.

Looking Ahead
We are preparing for significant change. SCRA is working closely with the Scottish Government on the drafting of a Bill to redesign the Children’s Hearings System. We expect the Bill to be introduced this year and are committed to shaping legislation that delivers on The Promise – ensuring a more compassionate, effective, and rights-based experience for children, young people, and families who require statutory support.

Our Programme Work

In 2024/2025, SCRA’s Programme Team delivered the first version of the future Target Operating Model for the organisation, setting out the vision for the future. This has been developed using staff engagement, project outputs, external drivers for change and feedback. The vision outlines how the organisation will improve the service, Keep The Promise and create capacity for this through efficient processes across referrals, hearings and court.

A Programme Delivery Plan has been developed to guide the work to take the organisation towards that target through projects, further discovery work, operational testing and implementing changes. Work is underway testing change in a number of key areas:

• Referrals – a report analysing referral patterns and practice across the country, developed with operational input, has been delivered. This report has informed the next stage of operational testing and enhanced models of working with partners who are our key referrers.
• Working with partners to develop a learning programme about the Children’s Hearings System and role of the Reporter.
• Testing in a combined project approach that aims to deliver capacity that is then used to focus on improved service delivery, is due to complete in June 2025. A full evaluation will then take place for decisions are made about rolling this approach out further.

The combined approach includes:
A consistent approach to scheduling and arranging Hearings.

• Child Friendly Scheduling – an approach to scheduling Hearings that involves liaising with children /trusted professionals in advance to ascertain preferences for day/ date
• An improved approach to court preparation by liaising with witnesses and undertaking witness statements proactively.
• The Keeping The Promise Commitment Standards project focuses on speaking directly to families ahead of the Hearing to ensure they are fully informed, supported and understand the process, as well as making sure practical are all elements taken care of. Planning is underway for    phase 2 to begin in June 2025.
• Early engagement on grounds – a project to discover more about reporter practices for proactively engaging with children and families around grounds for referral. This project is also considering the benefits and risks and engaging the wider organisation on how an approach might be tested.

Other project activity for the Programme Team in 2024/ 2025 includes:
Collaboration with Children’s Hearings Scotland exploring improvement to scheduling of Hearings. An interim report was presented to the Hearings Delivery Group in March 2025 and a final report and updated Hearings Management Guidance taking account of this work will be presented to the the Hearings Delivery Group in June 2025 for approval. Thereafter work will commence on an implementation plan to deliver the changes and improvements.

• SCRA has initiated an internal project to prepare for and co-ordinate the implementation of the Children Care and Justice Act.
• SCRA is a working in partnership on the Children’s Hearings redesign. The work making up the redesign includes proposed legislative change and multiagency improvement work. SCRA is represented on the Redesign Board and Redesign Planning Group and has worked to shape the workstreams and commit staff into project team roles.

The Programme Team has been working hard to ensure that voice is at the heart of the work we do.

We are working with children and young people to co-design aspects of our child friendly scheduling offering that supports participation.

The Research Team are working with the Programme Team, supporting evaluation of the impact of projects. Research has been approved to take place during 2025. We will ask children and families about their experience of changes we are testing.

The Programme Team recently had a follow up independent assurance review in January 2025, which provided a good delivery confidence outcome, feedback about good practice in the programme and recommendations to further strengthen the approach.