It has been pleasing to see all the positive publicity devoted to our Children's Hearing system over the last wee while, as they sought new volunteers for their Panels.
As everyone has noted, they are an inspiring success story in the lives of many of our most vulnerable young people, and it is perhaps typical of Scotland that, generally, we leave the Children's Panel to get on with its work in a largely unheralded manner.
Maybe it is only when we compare youth justice and support systems in other countries, that we realize a system which gives a voice to the young and their families, and seeks to support and rehabilitate, rather than arbitrarily punish, should be lauded and proclaimed.
In addition, that such a system is peopled by volunteers from the community lends it credibility and strength, as well as demonstrating the kind of civic awareness which we would like to think marks out Scotland as a nation.
During a long career in guidance and school management, many of my most moving moments have occurred at Children's Panel Hearings. The suggestion that 'all human life is here' could well have been emblazoned over the door to the Panel. Tears - of joy and despair, laughter, relief, inspiration and sorrow, as well as, on a couple of occasions, flying objects, were all shared around that big round table.
Whether the outcome was uplifting or despairing, and occasionally it was the latter, it was impossible to leave a hearing without being convinced that the state had tried its best to interact with, and support, some of its most vulnerable and lost citizens.
Whether it was performing a duty of care or seeking to protect others from the effects of anti-social behaviour, nearly every hearing I attended reached a decision out of some level of dialogue. Justice wasn't being done to people, it was, at its best, being provided for people, in consultation with people.
I was once asked, at a forum on Youth Strategy in Belfast, to explain the success of the system. In one of those answers which starts off with blinding inspiration and ends up in a blind alley, I replied: "Noddy and Big Ears!" to predictable bafflement.
My point was, for many of the vulnerable or troubled families who attended the Panel, it was their first experience of an interaction with authority where they were listened to (Big Ears), and where there was some empathy from the Panel (Noddy).
It doesn't always work, sometimes its options aren't appropriate, and it can become overwhelmed in identifying needs which can't be resourced when needed, but what lies behind it, its principles, are a credit to the nation. To treat families and young people as individuals, rather than stereotypical representatives of 'social problems' reflects the best of who we are.
So, although the Children's Hearing system predates the reestablishment of the Scottish Parliament by three decades, it seems fitting to apply to the Children's Panel the words engraved on the Parliamentary Mace - the description, if you like, of our values: Wisdom, Justice, Compassion and Integrity.
All operating in the best interest of the child, and highlighting that education and support extends far beyond the classroom.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article