Young Board Members from Our Hearings, Our Voice (OHOV) met with Board Members from Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) and Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) on Saturday.
They spent the morning at SCRA’s office and Hearings centre in Bell Street, Glasgow.
The session was focused on three key areas:
- Acting Upon Voice – for both SCRA and CHS boards to share their commitment to listening and acting upon the voice and expertise of children and young people who have experienced Children’s Hearings
- Building Change Together – to build a joint sense of what all three boards can do together to improve and strengthen the Hearings System
- Focussed Change – to focus on three key areas, chosen by young people at OHOV, of change recommended in the Hearings for Children Redesign Report. These are the consistency and skills of the chair of the panel, better preparation for children for their Hearings, and ensuring decisions made at Hearings always happen.
After a morning of hard work, looking at the hopes, obstacles, opportunities and next steps for this work, everyone stopped for lunch and then it was time for some fun at the crazy golf!
SCRA’s Board Chair Michelle Miller said: “The event was the first time the three boards – Our Hearings, Our Voice, SCRA and CHS – had come together to strengthen relationships and continue the work to deliver on the Promise.
“We acknowledged the extraordinary work by the young people from Our Hearings, Our Voice to ensure their 40 Calls to Action are embedded in the recommendations of the Hearings System Working Group report.
“SCRA Board Members are really excited about the opportunities the report provides to build on all the work so far and make sure the ambitions of The Promise are realised. We would like to thank all the young people for taking the time to talk to us.”
Katharina Kasper, Chair of CHS board said: “I was absolutely delighted to spend the day with the OHOV Board, along with colleagues from the CHS and SCRA’s Board on Saturday.
“The young people of OHOV have given so much of themselves to help shape and inform the way that Hearings improve. Last weekend this incredible contribution continued with the OHOV Board members sharing their insights, hope and aspirations for the recommendation in the ‘Hearings for Children’ report, that the HSWG published in May.
“At CHS we are committed to ensure that their views are a bedrock from which we implement the changes we need to make to the Hearings System. What struck me was the continuation of the asks that OHOV made in the ‘40 Calls to Action’ and how strongly these were reflected in the recommendations of the report. I look forward to meeting them again soon to continue the valuable conversation.”
Gordon Main, Project Lead at OHOV added: “It is incredible to experience the growth in the board members at OHOV. From the outset, they were able to share with the SCRA and CHS board members their experience of being involved in this reform work and the key things that still need to change.
“For change to happen, decision makers need to really hear children’s voices and act upon them. This felt like another step in that crucial process.”