Keeping The Promise – letters project

As part of our work to Keep The Promise, a new project is about to get underway reviewing and updating all the letters we send out. 

Every year we send out thousands of letters to children, young people, parents/carers and lots of other people in the Children’s Hearings System. You could receive a letter from us if you have been referred to the Children’s Reporter or have been asked to attend a Children’s Hearings. There’s letters for every stage of your journey through the Hearings System.

We want our letters to be as easily understood and accessible as possible, while still making sure they are legally correct. This is a tricky balance. 

Collette Gallagher, our Keeping The Promise Operational Lead explained: “We know that our letters can be better and we are committed to making them as easily understood as possible. This won’t be something that happens quickly as want to get them right, but we are committed to working to improve these.”

As part of our Keeping The Promise Route Plan, we are also going to be starting a project looking at how we arrange Hearings. 

Collette said: “We want to make sure that we give children, young people and families options and choices about how they participate in their Hearings and also have a say in when works best for them. 

“We are going to be testing out different approaches in three of our Hearing centres and will be asking children, young people and their families for feedback.”