Displaying items by tag: childrens panels

Children’s panels recognise that offending behaviour is usually a sign of other problems. The panel system was introduced in Scotland in 1971, with a wholly different approach to supporting children in crisis. They focus on welfare and protection. There are no juvenile courts, unless the case involves homicide or rape, which go into the mainstream legal system. There are no prosecutors or police officers sitting in, even though 75% of cases are referred by the police. The panel members are not judges or magistrates, but trained volunteers who act as the child’s guarantors, often directing social work departments and schools to put in place tailored support and services. Nearly 3,560 children went before a children’s panel last year. Hearings are not interested in innocence or guilt, but only in the young person’s welfare; they listen really hard to the young person, to the family, and to the professionals. Then they decide whether the young person needs the protection of the law.