Jargon Buster

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) – this is where children and young people grow up with issues such as abuse, neglect, community violence, homelessness or growing up in a household where adults are experiencing mental health issues or harmful alcohol or drug use. 

Better Hearings – in 2015 research was carried out by SCRA to Identify what makes a Hearing work well from the view of the people involved in a Hearing. In October 2016 a report called The Next Steps Towards Better Hearings was published. From this service standards for Children’s Hearings were developed. The service standards focus on the roles and expectations of people before, during and after each Children’s Hearing. This work is referred to as Better Hearings.

Compulsory Supervision Orders – are sometimes called CSOs for short. This is a legal document which means that the local authority is responsible for looking after and helping a child or young person. It might say where the child or young person must live or other conditions which must be followed.

Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) – this is the organisation that recruits, trains and supports around 3,000 volunteers across Scotland called Panel Members. Panel Members make legal decisions with and for children and young people in Children’s Hearings.

Corporate parents – they are the public bodies named in law as having responsibilities to children and young people who are looked after and care experienced. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 detailed 24 public bodies (including SCRA) who have a responsibility to understand the lives of Scotland’s looked after young children and people and respond to their needs as any parent should.

GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) – this is an approach set up by the Scottish Government which supports children and young people so that they can grow up feeling loved, safe and respected and can realise their full potential.

Governance – this is the structure we have in place to ensure our Keeping The Promise work is on track and doing everything that we should be doing.

Hearings System Working Group (HSWG) – is a partnership between SCRA, Children’s Hearings Scotland and The Promise Scotland, with the Scottish Government playing an important role. The HSWG has been created to oversee the redesign process for the Children’s Hearings System. 

Hearings for Children – this is a report published by the Hearings System Working Group in May 2023 which sets out the 97 recommendations for strengthening the Children’s Hearing System.

Independent Care Review (ICR) – this was a major review of the care system which looked at legislation, practices and culture. It published its findings in February 2020.

Looked after and looked after child – are the terms used in current legislation to refer to a child or young person with care and protection needs who is cared for under a formal arrangement with a local authorities. Children who are looked after are either ‘looked after at home’ (living with a parent in their home) or ‘looked after away from home’, for example, by kinship carers, foster carers or residential care.

Monitoring – process of checking progress of work against plans to Keeping The Promise.

Our Hearings, Our Voice (OHOV) – is an independent board for children and young people from across Scotland between the ages of 8-18, who have experience of the Children’s Hearings System. The aim of Our Hearings, Our Voice is to ensure children and young people have a decision making role in the improvement of the Hearings System.

Participation – It is important that children and young people can fully take part in their Hearing and have their voice heard. Our work to Keep The Promise will be focused on improving this. We will also engage fully with Hearings-experienced children and young people in all our work to Keep The Promise

Promise – In February 2020 the Independent Care Review (ICR) published seven reports, one of which was The Promise. On the same day, in the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister pledged to #KeepThePromise. Organisations and groups all across Scotland (including SCRA) also pledged to #KeepThePromise.

Rights-based – this means that that both the standards and the principles of human rights are integrated into the work that we do.  

Route Plan – this is the plan we are going to follow to make sure we Keep The Promise. You can read the plan on our website.

Safeguarding – is an approach to the harm or risk that can be faced by children out of the family home, at school or in the wider community. This is something different to the role of a Safeguarder who you might have come across in Children’s Hearings.

SHANARRI (Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included) – they are wellbeing indicators which help make it easier for children and families and the people working with them to discuss how a child or young person is doing at a point in time and if there is a need for support.

Strategic framework – Our strategic framework for Keeping The Promise ensures that all the work we undertake under Improvement and Reform is underpinned and guided by the five Foundations of The Promise (Voice, Family, Care, People, Scaffolding), which are delivered through our three themes of Rights, Inclusion and Corporate Parenting across our organisational Strategy Plans

Trauma informed – this means that in all the work we do, we recognise the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) /trauma in children, young people and parents/carers who are in the Children’s Hearings System.

The Promise Scotland – is responsible for driving the work of change demanded by the findings of the Independent Care Review (ICR).

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) – is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely approved international human rights treaty in history.