Rights and the Children's Hearings System: The perceptions of five participant groups

Abstract

SUMMARY: This article arises out of research conducted between 1990 and 1993 into the Scottish children's hearings system. The research was undertaken over a three‐year period in three regions of Scotland and involved five groups associated with hearings system operations: panel members, reporters, social workers, secondary teachers and police officers. Two research techniques were employed‐a questionnaire which was distributed to 620 respondents and follow‐up semi‐structured interviews with 45 of those respondents. This article provides a brief outline of the features of the Scottish children's hearings system, and considers the rights held by children and parents within the system and some possible developments of those rights.