The main changes were:
Creating a national body, Children's Hearings Scotland, to recruit and support panel members, headed by the National Convener;
Creating a national Children's Panel (in place of separate panels in each local authority), supported by 22 Area Support Teams;
Creating a national Safeguarder Panel;
Providing for the development of an advocacy service for children in the hearings system (this has not been brought into force);
Providing for the amendment of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act so that offence grounds accepted or established in children's hearings (other than for certain serious offences) are no longer classed as a conviction (this has not been brought into force);
Introducing access to legal representation through the Scottish Legal Aid Board;
Providing for a “feedback loop” to allow collection of information about the implementation of Compulsory Supervision Orders; and
Revising some of the grounds for referral to a hearing, including introducing new...