National standards will improve children's hearing system, says chief

Bernadette Monaghan, national convener and chief executive of Children’s Hearing Scotland (CHS), said that from next year all 2,700 volunteers who sit on the country’s 32 children’s hearing panels will be working to a national set of practice standards, rather than local ones, to improve consistency of decision making.

In addition, pre-service training will be delivered by a single provider to help ensure all panel members have a common understanding of how they are expected to work. For existing panel members, a national award, accredited by Scottish Qualifications Authority, will be introduced to recognise the experience and skills they develop.

Children’s hearing panels make decisions about how best to meet the needs of vulnerable children aged 17 and under who have been referred to the hearing system by local authorities because of welfare concerns or offending behaviour. Panels consisting of three trained volunteers then assess what, if any, compulsory care or youth justice interventions are needed to address the issues.

Speaking to CYP Now following the launch of CHS last week, Monaghan said: “We have to have consistent standards for panel members so that children and young people know what they should expect from a hearing.

“The changes are designed to continue supporting the children’s panel at a local level, but to do that within a national framework providing consistency of practice and training right across Scotland.”

Under the previous system, which had been in place since 1971, children’s hearing panels were run by Scotland’s 32 local authorities. But through the Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011, panels are now under the control of CHS, assisted by a network of 22 local area support teams.

Monaghan’s first major decision in post was to announce West Lothian College as the preferred provider of training to prospective and existing panel members under a contract that could run until 2018. The deal replaces from September an existing arrangement that sees training provided by four universities.

Monaghan added: “West Lothian College has a lot of experience of working with social workers to ensure they meet criteria for entry to the Scottish Social Services Council.”