Kris Sloss he/him

Working title of PhD: A fair Hearings – An analysis of the legitimacy of the decision-making process of the Scottish Children’s Hearing panels

Institution: University of Glasgow

Year Commenced: 2024

Full or part-time: Full-time

Funding Source: School of Social and Political Sciences (SPS) PhD Scholarship

Supervisors: Alistair Fraser, Caitlin Gormley and Marguerite Schinkel

Synopsis:

While the Children’s Hearing System (CHS) is considered a bedrock of the Scottish youth justice system, issues have been raised regarding youth participation within the system, most notably during hearings. This is a significant concern given the life-changing decisions that often occur. Research has also shown that the CHS does not adequately support vulnerable children, with the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime showing that children who enter the CHS have higher rates of convictions than participants with no history with the CHS despite the support the CHS provides. As such, it is worth understanding the issues within the hearings that could impact effective decision-making, how the hearings may reflect a broader issue of fair representation for young people and their families and how this may affect the legitimacy of decisions made by the CHS.

The research questions that will be used are:
• How do participants in the CHS (young people, families, lay members, professional members) understand the concept of ‘justice’ in the CHS?
• To what extent do young people, families, and panel members perceive the CHS to result in ‘just’ outcomes, particularly for vulnerable young people?
• To what extent do young people perceive their views are valued within the CHS?

This research will use qualitative research methods, specifically interviews, involving participants in the hearings themselves, specifically panellists, chairs, social workers, solicitors, family members, children, reporters, etc., to obtain diverse perspectives of the hearings from those who participate and are directly and indirectly affected by them.