Volunteer for the Children's Panel

Children’s Panel Members are volunteers who take part in children's hearings in Scotland. 

What Children's Panel Members do

Panel Members make legal decisions for infants, children and young people who need support. 

They make these decisions by talking to: 

• the child or young person
• their family
• a guardian
• anyone else at the hearing such as a social worker or teacher

They make sure the child or young person is at the centre of every decision. 

Who can be a Panel Member

To apply you need to:

• be at least 18 years old (there's no upper age limit)
• live or work in the local council area you want to serve as a Panel Member
• be able to go to the pre-service training
• give 2 satisfactory references
• be checked under the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme
• have the right to work in the UK

You do not need any formal qualifications to become a Panel Member. You'll get training to make sure you feel confident in your role.

Time off work

Children's hearings take place during the week and daytime hours. Panel Members usually go to either a morning or afternoon session twice a month.

If you work this usually means asking your employer for time off. You have the right to take time off work to sit on these hearings. This is because children's hearings are statutory tribunals (like jury duty).

Find out about time off work for public duty in Section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

How to apply

Apply to be a Panel Member on the Children's Hearings Scotland (CHS) website.

You can express your interest any time on the CHS website. CHS will then contact you with information before they open applications again for the next year.

More information

Find more information about children’s hearings and Children's Panel Members on the CHS website.