Family support and the Scottish children's hearings system

Abstract

Evidence from a study of 1155 children referred to the children's hearings system in Scotland in 1995 found many of the children could be characterized as ‘children in need’. As found in other child care research, limited voluntary help was available to them, the majority received ‘no action’ and a substantial group a compulsory supervision requirement. The critical need for the strategic development of family support services in child welfare policy in Scotland for children referred to the hearings system is argued. The potential misuse of compulsory measures of supervision as a key to accessing resources is examined.