Advice in relation to coronavirus

We hope you are staying safe and well and we want to encourage each and every one of you to take precautions to keep yourself and those around you healthy. The official health guidance is at NHS inform.

All of our updates about the current situation regarding Children's Hearings and the impact of coronavirus can be accessed from this page.

We will continue to inform you of changes by emailing and publishing messages here, but it may be helpful to check the Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration and Children’s Hearings Scotland websites for updates. As well as these updates please also be aware of updated information on the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Website.

Please remember that we’re here for you, if you have any questions or uncertainties. All of our updates are being posted on our webpages and we encourage you to look at those. We continue to work from home, so if you have any issues you are still unsure about please email us on: safeguarderspanel@children1st.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Court and Children's Hearings

Digital services have advised that the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) are using Cisco Meetings for hosting their own internal conferences. Third parties can join this too via web browser. SCTS will permit joining as a guest using MS Teams, Cisco Webex or Vscene. Anything else right now is not permitted.

Fees and expenses

During these unusual and uncertain times, the Scottish Government have agreed that Safeguarders can submit interim claims for fees and expenses for cases which have been postponed due to COVID-19, regardless of whether the usual interim claim criteria applies. Any Safeguarders wishing to submit interim claims can do so electronically by completing the usual electronic claim form and emailing this to us.

Practical updates for Safeguarders