The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government, with responsibility for protecting

children at risk CHILDREN AT RISK is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that drives changes for children through research, education, and influencing public policy. Founded in the year of 1989 in Houston, Texas and with an office opened in North Texas in 2011, ...

. SCRA was formed under the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994 The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland. It abolished the two-tier st ...

and became fully operational on 1 April 1996, taking over responsibility for the existing system of Children's Reporters (see Children's Hearing). SCRA's aim is to "provide a safety net for vulnerable children and deliver tailored solutions which meet the needs of the individuals involved, while helping to build stronger families and safer communities".

Organisation

Although SCRA operates within a legislative remit, and at arm's length from government, it receives oversight and direction from its board. As a non-departmental public body, SCRA's board, although acting independently, is accountable to Scottish Ministers. Management oversight is achieved by a series of Committees. Complaints are usually dealt with by SCRA, but the public can also complain to the

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) is the organisation that handles complaints about public services in Scotland. The Ombudsman service is independent of government and with a duty to act impartially. The SPSO is responsible for lookin ...

(SPSO).This will only happen after the SCRA complaints process has been exhausted.

Referral mechanism

Referrals are made to SCRA about children who may be in need of legal intervention to help them address their needs and/or behaviour. The referral may be made on offence grounds and/or care and protection grounds. Most referrals are received from the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

departments or

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

s. However,

parents A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

, family members,

carer A caregiver or carer is a paid or unpaid member of a person's social network who helps them with activities of daily living. Since they have no specific professional training, they are often described as informal caregivers. Caregivers most commo ...

s or any concerned member of the public can also contact the Children's Reporter. These grounds are contained within statute namely, Section 67(2) of the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act, 2011. Each case is assigned to a Children's Reporter employed by SCRA. The Reporter investigates the case and decides whether or not compulsory measures of supervision may be required. If, in the Reporter's opinion, such measures are required, a Hearing will be arranged. The Reporter may take other steps short of arranging a Hearing, for example arrange for some form of restorative justice.

Referral statistics

53,883 children were referred in 2005/6 and 87% of referrals came from the police. This represents a doubling in the number of referrals since the SCRA took responsibility for Children's Reporters.SCRA Frequently Asked Questions
In 2005, 16,470 children (33%) were referred to the Reporter for an offence and 33,379 children (67%) were referred on non-offence grounds (i.e. concern for their safety or welfare). In 2015–16, there were 15,329 referrals received which represented 1.7% of all children and young people in Scotland; 2,761 of the referrals were on offence grounds.

Role in the Children's Hearings System

SCRA's role within the Children's Hearings System is to provide suitable accommodation for Hearings, provide information to the hearing panel and to enable the children and families to participate in Hearings.

References

External links

*
Children's Hearings
{{authority control Children's Reporter

Children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...