This research project was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to find out how advocacy for children in the Children’s Hearings System compares with arrangements in other UK systems of child welfare and youth justice and those internationally, and what children and young people and the professionals who work with them think about advocacy arrangements in the Children’s Hearings System and how these can be improved.
For the purpose of this research a broad definition of advocacy was developed by the research partners, that reflects the complexity of options that could help children and young people understand, communicate and participate effectively according to their age and understanding in Hearings processes and in important decisions which affect their lives.