Clan Childlaw is contributing to the development of the National Practice Model for Advocacy for the Children’s Hearings System.
The development of the model was commissioned by the Scottish Government in order to develop a sustainable model of advocacy to realise the policy intention of Section 122 of the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011.
The Scottish Government published Advocacy in the children’s hearings system – national practice model: guidance on 31st March 2020.
We are being supported by the Scottish Government and The Legal Education Foundation to contribute to embedding legally informed advocacy into the processes and practice of the national practice model.
We will:
- Deliver the pre-service training to the independent advocates who will be working in the national children’s hearings scheme. Our solicitors represent children at children’s hearings and court related proceedings. This expertise enables us to support independent advocates to understand the legal issues facing young people. Our training will focus on legal knowledge of the children’s hearings system and children’s rights.
- Create models to enable the Scottish Government to develop a legal support and information service for independent advocates working in the children’s hearings scheme; and to establish a system for referral to a solicitor for a young person where this is needed.
For more information about this project, please contact Gaby Nolan, Projects Manager (gaby.nolan@clanchildlaw.org).
