Report to the People
16th June 2003
A Fair
Hearing
One thing about being a politician is that you’re
always learning.
You could be in a school finding out about how
teachers are using new technology in the classroom on Monday, in
your Committee taking expert evidence on the NHS on Tuesday, and
finding out about the challenges facing the economy in the
Chamber by Wednesday.
In fact, you can even increase the sum of your
knowledge during your lunch hour – as I did when I met ex-Portonian,
now
Inverkip resident, Kathleen Marshall, Chair of our local Children’s
Panel, at the Parliament last Thursday.
Panel members from across the country were holding
a briefing session to explain to MSPs a bit more about what the
Children’s Hearing system is there to do and how it does it.
There is a popular misconception, which I admit I
shared until I became an MSP, that the hearing system was only
about dealing with young offenders. In reality, though,
that is just a part of its job. It is also there to look
out for kids who need care or protection. A child can be
referred to a panel for many reasons – from being the victim
of an offence to misusing alcohol or drugs. It’s then
up to the hearing to decide what would be in the best interests
of the child.
What makes the hearings system work – indeed
what has made it endure for over three decades – is the
unstinting work of the panel of unpaid trained volunteers who
give up their time to take part. In an age when people say
volunteering and community spirit are dead, I was delighted to
learn that Inverclyde’s Children’s Panel boasts 58
members.
But, good as this is, when you consider that they
deal with 1000 referrals a year and hold five hearings a week,
you can understand why the panel wants to boost its numbers
further. And, as the three panel members who make up a
children’s hearing cannot all be male or female, they are
particularly keen to recruit more men.
Making the right choice for children is, of
course, a huge responsibility. But panel members don’t
need to be childcare experts or top lawyers. In fact, as I
discovered when I dropped in on a panel training session one
Sunday afternoon, they come from all walks of life.
So if you’re aged between 18 and 60, blessed
with common sense and care about our community and about our
kids, why not think about applying to become a panel member?
For more information, call Helena Couperwhite at Inverclyde Council on 712 111.
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