Scottish children’s panels: Where volunteers are essential for fostering child well-being

ABSTRACT

The Children’s Hearing system was established in Scotland over 50 years ago to respond to child welfare and juvenile justice concerns. Found throughout all regions of Scotland, the child welfare system is a community-based approach where volunteers play an essential role by serving on Children’s Panels. This research focuses on the Children’s Panel volunteers and explores their role within the Children’s Hearing system, reasons for volunteering, types of cases reviewed, their training, and volunteers’ broader influence as catalysts for improving child well-being. It then explores the possibility of replicating the evidenced based model in other cultural settings struggling to find holistic, community-based approaches to child well-being.

KEYWORDS:

• Child welfare
• evidence-based practices
• family engagement
• relationship with and role of the courts
• immigrant families
• organizations/systems

Acknowledgement

The author would like to acknowledge the encouragement and support of the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland for completing this research.

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Notes

1. https://www.gov.scot/policies/human-rights/childrens-rights/doi:1-27-20.

2. https://www.childrenspanelscotland.org.

3. (http://www.chscotland.gov.uk/home doi: 1/26/2020).

4. https://nationalcasagal.org/, doi, 1/26/20.

5. http://www.chscotland.gov.uk/home/.

6. Institutional Review Board # 201212092 Washington University in St. Louis; please contact author for information on other ethical and cultural considerations.

7. All demographic data can be accessed at https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ods-web/home.html.

8. https://www.childrenspanelscotland.org/media/1095/information-for-employers-leaflet.pdf doi:1–28-20.

9. http://www.chscotland.gov.uk/about-chs/national-standards doi: 1–25-20.

10. https://www.gov.scot/policies/girfec/wellbeing-indicators-shanarri doi: 1–25-20.

11. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49753980 doi: 1/26-20.