Peer-reviewed article
Scottish children’s panels: Where volunteers are essential for fostering child well-being
Anne S. Robertson ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5The report looks at the Children's Hearing system in Scotland, which has operated for over 50 years to respond to child welfare and juvenile justice concerns. It focuses on the volunteers who serve on Children's Panels. It describes their role, why they volunteer, the types of cases they review and their training. It also considers how these volunteers help improve child well-being and whether the model could be copied in other cultural settings.
Key points
- The Children's Hearing system was established in Scotland over 50 years ago.
- It responds to child welfare and juvenile justice concerns.
- It is a community-based system found throughout all regions of Scotland.
- Volunteers serving on Children's Panels play an essential role.
- The report explores whether the model could be replicated in other cultural settings.
Limitations
Only the abstract is available, so there are no details on methods, data or findings. The metadata country hint (US) does not match the document, which is about Scotland (the United Kingdom), so GB is used. The abstract calls the model evidence-based but gives no evidence, and it does not say whether the panels improve child outcomes.
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.