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The following changes must be made around referrals to the Reporter:

Updated national referral guidance must be issued

Updated national referral guidance must be issued to those working alongside children and families.

This must cover the core aims of redesigning the Children's Hearings System.

It should include the particular needs of babies and infants, and their developmental milestones.

And it should also be clear that referral processes should be rights-based , and underpinned by the key principles of:

  • proportionality,
  • consistency, and
  • timeliness.

The workforce must be supported to listen and act on children's views

The workforce must be supported to work alongside children and families in a relational manner, to:

  • ask their views, then
  • listen and act on the responses they receive.

This would help the workforce understand what help and support would make the most difference in a child and family's life.

It would also help them better use their judgement when deciding if referral to the Children's Hearings System is appropriate for that child and their family.

Legislative changes around referral must be considered

Changes to the statutory referral criteria must be considered.

Consideration must also be given to updating and modernising the language of protection, guidance, treatment of controlin section 60(2) of the 2011 Act.

Good enough audit arrangements must be in place

All organisations within the Children’s Hearings System must make sure they have good enough audit arrangements in place around:

  • decision-making, and
  • outcomes for children.

This should allow them to review and openly report on:

  • the quality,
  • the consistency, and
  • the impact

of these decisions and outcomes.