Decision making in Children's Hearings.

Kurlus, Indiya; Henderson, Gillian; Rogon, Paul; Woods, Ruth

Abstract

This is one of a series of reports on research on the effectiveness of Compulsory Supervision Orders where the child remains at home with their parents (home CSOs); also known as being looked after at home. There has been criticism of the use of home CSOs. It has been claimed that they are being used inappropriately and that Children’s Hearings are disproportionately influenced by the availability of resources in making decisions. Yet there is limited information on why Children’s Panel Members decide to make a home CSO. This is the first study to examine Hearings decision making on home CSOs. It did so through a combination of examination of Hearings reasons for making, continuing or terminating home CSOs and the views of social workers, Panel Members and Children’s Reporters. Four main factors were found to influence Hearings decisions – 1. availability and quality of evidence; 2. child’s age in terms of attachment, resilience, and ability to express their views; 3. cumulative vs. acute risks and thresholds of intervention; and 4. communication between professionals, with children and parents, and within the Hearing. The emphasis on the evidence for Hearings is not new. Panel Members described their sense of responsibility in deciding whether a child could be supported at home with a CSO. Having information that is clear, accurate and factual ensures that their decision is evidence based and proportionate to the child’s needs. The child’s age emerged as a major factor in whether a home CSO was made and how long it would last. Older children were viewed as more resilient and statutory interventions taken after an accumulation of risk. Whereas for younger children interventions were made more immediately at points of crisis. The visibility of older children to universal services was described as a protective factor that may influence earlier termination of their home CSOs. This raises questions about how the early and effective intervention approach is being applied to older children. Are these children being exposed to risks for too long before statutory interventions are considered necessary and made? Attachment of a child to family members was an important consideration in deciding whether a child could remain at home with support of a CSO. Decision makers had to weigh up if the detriment to a child would be greater being removed from parents and siblings than from remaining in a poor home environment. Engagement of parents was described as being key in this decision - if they would accept support then a home CSO may be best for their child. The availability of resources and supports was not raised as important making, and this supports the findings in another part of this research that children and factor in decision the majority of young people with home CSOs and/or provided with a range of services. The factors found to influence Hearings and who had care plans were being offered decision making on home CSOs are no different to their considerations when deciding to make CSOs away from home. It was clear that Panel Members, Reporters and social workers are striving to make decisions that are in the best interests of the child.

Citation

KURLUS, I., HENDERSON, G., ROGON, P. et al. 2019. Decision making in Children's Hearings. Home compulsory supervision orders: effectiveness of decision making and outcomes, Report 5. Stirling: SCRA [online]. Available from: https://www.scra.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Report-5-Decision-making.pdf

• Report Type: Research Report
• Online Publication Date: Mar 31, 2019
• Publication Date: Mar 31, 2019
• Deposit Date: Mar 8, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 8, 2022
• Publisher: Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA)
• Series Title: Home compulsory supervision orders: effectiveness of decision making and outcomes
• Series Number: Report 5
• Keywords: Compulsory supervision orders (CSO); Home; Children; Children's hearings; Children's panel
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1615514
• Publisher URL: http://www.scra.gov.uk/resources_articles_category/research/
• Related Public URLs: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1602865; https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1602887 ; https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1602912; https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1615480; https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1352089