Justice: therapeutic support in court proceedings codes of practice - short life working group

Overview

We established a short-life working group in August 2024 to update the codes of practice for those who provide or commission therapeutic support to adult and child witnesses in court proceedings. This will support consistent best practice across Scotland. 

The group will be responsible for:

• agreeing the approach to updating the codes of practice to ensure that content is reflective of policy, prevailing evidence and statutory developments
• ensuring that the revised content considers potential issues for service providers in respect of any police investigation or court proceedings - the revised material will inform updates that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) or Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) may wish to make to their existing guidance
• considering how the revised material is best disseminated including agreeing key messages to support publication
• identifying ownership of the guidance moving forwards, including potential review periods

Reference group

Recognising the wider interest in this work, and to ensure broader engagement and participation with partners, a reference group has been established.  The short-life working group will be able to seek views from the reference group on a range of matters to ensure that the updated guidance is fit for purpose.  The reference group may be approached to assist with dissemination when the revised guidance is published.

Members

• Dr Lynne Taylor, Principal Psychology Advisor (chair), Scottish Government
• Angela Latta, Professional Social Work Adviser, Scottish Government
• Chantelle Lalli, Justice Lead, Bairns’ Hoose Team, Scottish Government
• Detective Inspector Anna Johnston, Professional Policing Advisor, Scottish Government
• Dr Ruth Stocks, Psychology Professional Lead, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
• Dr Rachael Smith, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Professional Lead, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), NHS Grampian
• Emma Thomson, Procurator Fiscal Depute, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
• Gordon Bell, Practice Reporter, Scottish Children Reporter Administration
• Jennifer Morrison, Team Manager at the National Joint Investigative Interviewing Training & Practice Development Team, Social Work Scotland
• Laura Malik, Wellbeing & Inclusion Officer, Faculty of Advocates
• Professor Liz Gilchrist, Professor of Psychological Therapies at the University of Edinburgh and member of the Criminal Law Committee, Law Society of Scotland
• Sandra Ferguson, Associate Director for Psychology, Lead for the National Trauma Transformation Programme, NHS Education for Scotland (NES)
• Zuzanna Kostka, Policy Officer Bairns’ Hoose Team, Scottish Government
• Carole Robinson, Team Leader VAWG Justice, Scottish Government (secretariat)
• Anthony Nevin, Policy Officer VAWG Justice, Scottish Government (secretariat)