About children’s advocacy for children’s hearings
Remember, the children’s hearing is all about you!
The law says all children and young people who need to go to a children’s hearing should be able to get support and representation from a children’s advocacy worker. It doesn’t matter how old you are; if you would like an advocacy worker to help you, you can have one.
If you have to attend a children’s hearing, you should be told about professional, independent advocacy services.
- In your letter from the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration with all the information about when and where your children’s hearing is
- Your social worker should speak to you about what advocacy is and how an advocacy worker could support you
- At your children’s hearing, the panel members should also ask you if you have been told about advocacy
Who can you bring with you to the hearing?
If you’d like support at your hearing you can bring someone to the hearing with you. You can bring a representative such as a friend or an advocacy worker, as well as a lawyer.
How advocacy workers can help you
Advocacy workers are professional people who are there to help you tell the children’s hearing what you want – how you feel, what you think, and what you would like to happen. Children’s advocacy workers are separate from any other professional involved in your children’s hearing and they do not make any decisions about your care.
It is your choice
It is your choice and you can start and stop advocacy support at any time. The decision is yours.
If you want to find out more about advocacy support you can contact the organisation based in the place where you stay or your social worker or someone else you trust can help you to make contact with them.