Record Number Of Children’s Hearings But Formal Referrals Drop

Child protection officials yesterday said new screening systems meant help was now going to the most at-risk youngsters.

The annual report of the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) shows a record number of children’s hearings held last year as the number of youngsters on supervision orders reached an all-time high.

However, the number referred for a formal appearance before the Children’s Reporter dropped for the first time in seven years, down 10% on the previous year.

The SCRA said the fall let it focus on those most needing care, with “pre-referral screenings” ensuring only children who may need compulsory measures are referred to the Reporter.

There were 42,302 children’s hearings in 2007-08, up from 41,891 the previous year, while the number of youngsters on supervision requirements, ranging from being supervised at home to being placed in secure accommodation, went up to 13,219 from 12,644.

However, the number of children referred to the Reporter fell from 56,199 in 2006-07 to 50,314 in 2007-08.

The children’s hearing system was created in the 1960s after it was recognised that young people appearing before the juvenile courts, whether they had committed offences or needed care and protection, had common needs.

It is being streamlined from the 100 agencies which make up the system. Cases are referred to the Reporter by police, social work, education authorities, health workers and parents, with the Reporter investigating to decide if a hearing is needed.

Douglas Bulloch, SCRA chairman, said the drop in referrals came as a result of efforts to reduce the number which were inappropriate.

He said: “The reduction in referral numbers reflects the effectiveness of these efforts, particularly pre-referral screening processes. The trends are not, however, as yet happening evenly across Scotland.”

Most children – around 40,000 – were referred for their own care and protection, with the most common ground for referral being that the child was a victim of an offence such as cruelty, sexual offences, bodily injury and indecent behaviour against them.

The second-most common ground was “lack of parental care”, with slightly more than 15,000 referrals. Just under half were children under four.

There were 14,506 youngsters referred to the Reporter as they were alleged to have committed an offence, with more than 10,000 cases involving assaults or offensive weapons.

The report said the greatest progress had been observed in the east, where all councils had local screening arrangements in place. Similar arrangements are in place in the north.

No pre-referral scheme is yet operational in Glasgow, and the national average of 5.5% of children being referred to the Reporter in the previous 12 months rises to almost one child in 10 in the city. A council spokesman said: “Glasgow is currently operating a pre-referral pilot scheme which is again highlighting the problems associated with deprivation and the impact this has on non-offence based referrals.

“The number of referrals in Glasgow has come down by 5% in the past year and we want to build on this, despite the pressures being placed on children’s services in the city.”