Children's hearings training resource manual: volume 1

Introduction

Most of the legal provisions which govern children's hearings are contained in the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011, which will be referred to as 'the Act' and the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 (Rules of Procedure in Children's Hearings) 2013, which will be referred to as 'the Rules' . Reference may be made to the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 which will be referred to as 'the 1995 Act' as certain provisions remain in force today. Any other rules and regulations will be referred to as they arise in the context of this document.

Throughout this document references will be made to sections of the Act and/or the specific Rules at the right hand side of the text. Only the main provisions from the legislation have been included so that panel members can implement these with accuracy.

This manual is divided into sections so that in the event of new legislation coming into force or developing case-law, sections may be replaced individually ensuring that the manual is kept fully up to date.

The Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 (Rules of Procedure in Children's Hearings) 2013 is not a public document and should not be shared. As yet, the Rules are not fully agreed and may be subject to amendment following parliamentary procedure.