Thinking About Joining The Childrens Panel?

I don't normally repost items but Childrens Panels across Scotland are currently looking for new volunteers. If you are interested and thinking about joining this might give you a bit of an insight into what happens. For more information click on the link below:



Hullo ma wee blog,

Unfortunately not every child gets the safe, secure and nuturing upbringing they deserve. Too many are raised in chaotic conditions where abject poverty, neglect and addiction are the norm, leaving children at risk for their welfare, their future and sometimes their very lives. This is a post about Children's Panels which are lay tribunals set up under Scots Law to hear cases for the protection, care, guidance and treatment of children at risk between birth and age of 16. {or 18 in some cases.} This process which puts the child's interests before all else is unique and has been a worthy feature of the Scottish legal system for many years.

                                                  
On the day of a Children's Hearing, the three of us making up a panel - always a mix of sexes to prevent any kind of all male/female bias creeping in - get together beforehand to have a short pre-hearing meeting to discuss the information contained in the reports that have been provided. These will be at the least - unless it's an emergency hearing called at short notice - a social work compiled child and family background report and a school report but could also include reports from health visitors, specialist medical practitioners, residential homes reports or any other agencies that the child or family are involved with. The families attending will also get copies of the reports involving them at the same time. Any serious compromising of the length of time to consider reports, especially if it compromises the families right to have ample time to consider and potentially to seek legal advice, would almost certainly ensure that we would decide only to 'continue' - postpone until another date could be arranged - so the families rights would not be infringed. {a sure-fire winner at any appeal}

 The sometimes hefty reports the panel have access to are provided seven days before the hearing to allow us to read and absorb the information and consider elements of risk relating to the child's situation and potential next steps that need to be taken to improve or remove the risks to the child. These measures, if we decide to put any in place after a discussion of the case with those involved at hearing, are legally binding on the child and supporting local council authority and can include conditions dictating an action that should be taken by the child or by any of the professionals who are supporting, such as varying where and how the child should be educated, where and with whom the child should live, who, how often and under what protective circumstances the child should have contact with and what treatment, controls, support or guidance should be provided. This effectively means that there are a wide range of measures that can be put in place to protect a child who is at risk either from their own actions or the actions {or neglect} of others.

 Normally we will hear three cases in a sitting with each of the cases allocated an hour for discussion and during the sitting each of us will chair a pre-allocated case unless one or more of the members has not had the separate formal training to chair tribunals. If this is the case the trained members will chair more than one case ensuring that due process is followed and writing up the formal record of decisions and the reasons which are given to the child and other relevant persons {normally the parents and local authority professionals but can include others such as foster carers etc} used by following panels in future reviews of the case and in the event of an appeal being made against the panel's decision - any appeal would be heard at court and not by another panel. The reasons written therefore have to clarify the consideration of risk by the panel and the thought process used to come to the final decision and explaining why the panel consider this to be in the child's best interests.

The Hearing:

The family enters to take their seats from the waiting area along with the professionals attending. The professionals at a hearing are normally Social Work and School as a minimum but could include many others such as Lawyers, Health Workers, Family Support Workers, Foster Carers or representatives from Secure Facilities. This is the first time the child and family has been called to a hearing. The child is a boy of about 9 years old and he sits beside his mother, head down. Father isn't in attendance even though he should be but I know we'll deal with that in a moment. Opposite the family and professionals, across an oval beechwood table sits the three person panel that makes up the tribunal that is a Children's Hearing. Today there are two men and one woman. I'll chair the hearing for this case. During the session there will be three cases and although each is scheduled for an hour this is flexible based on needs and circumstances - we take the time needed for the family - and this is the first case of the day. Each of us will chair a case as we are all experienced members, trained to fulfill the procedural and legal obligations chairing a hearing brings. The room is bright and airy, the decor subdued pastel and there are framed paintings done by young children on the wall; a child on a chute; a child in a swimming pool or sea wearing a rubber ring; an unidentifiable animal or bird in garish colours. In the corner there is a small table with a box of crayons and some sheets of paper to draw on, a book and some stuffed animals. There's always a box or two of tissues around within reach of an emotional child or adult.

As the kerfuffle of a group of people coming in and taking a seat takes place I try to observe the child without making it too obvious. He is small for his age and as he sits back in the chair his feet barely touch the floor. His head is still down and his body language is very closed. His hands are clasped in his lap and he has made a hand wringing gesture twice when he did sneak a glance around him. Even though he's done this he hasn't looked in the direction of us in the panel sitting across from him. He takes a deep breath and blows it out through pursed lips. He looks what he is. A stressed and scared wee boy.

I call his name gently across to him and when I have his attention I smile and ask how he's feeling. I get a fairly blank look in return for a second and he looks to his Mum who is still getting herself sorted out.

"Hello ****** you must be feeling pretty scared just now. After all this is the first time you've been to see us at a hearing....."

I now have his full attention but he's not about to say anything just yet.

"Has anyone spoken to you about coming to see us and what happens at a children's panel?"

I got a head shake in response, but he also says " A bit."

"You've got to find this all a bit scary, coming into a room full of strangers,especially if no-one's explained about what happens in a hearing to you."

He's still staring at me.

"How would it be if I told you a wee bit about it while everyone's getting sorted out. Would that be ok?"

I get a nod and he leans forward a bit.

"Well first of all I bet you've heard from pals at school that a hearing is where boys and girls get sent if they've been bad. Maybe you were told too that a hearing will decide you are to be taken away from your Mum or Dad and sent away to live somewhere else."

His eyes are huge and there is a tremble in his lip. He wrings his hands.

"Well you're not here because you've been bad, so don't worry about that. That's not the only reason that children come to see us here. Don't worry either that anyone's going to take you away from your Mum and Dad, OK?. That's not going to happen. We would only take a boy or girl away from their Mum or Dad if we had to because it really wasn't safe for them to be at home and that doesn't happen very often. {A white lie - it's reasonably common for us to see children who simply aren't safe at home, but he doesn't need to know that and this isn't one of those situations} We're people who think children are very important but we know that at times, things might happen that can upset or worry you and sometimes things happen to children that make them feel unsafe and scared. Sometimes things happen, and people - even Mums and Dads - don't know what to do to make things better. If we hear about someone where this is maybe happening we ask them to come and talk to us to see if there's anything we can do to help make things better so that you're not worried or scared anymore. A hearing is just is a meeting to talk about what's happening and to help decide what needs to be done to help you and who would be best able to do that. So it's not just boys or girls that have been bad that come here.

While we're talking about things it's my job to make sure we talk about everything we need to so I will ask different people to speak and I will probably ask lots of questions. If you feel you can talk to us about anything then you'll be able to tell me what it is. I'm also here to make sure that you understand what's being said and you get a chance to talk if you want to. After we've all had a talk me and my two colleagues will say what we think would be the best thing to happen, then I'll explain what this will mean. Before you go away today I'll make sure you know what's going to happen next and why we think this is the best thing to do. Are you OK with that?"

He nods.

"Do you feel a bit better now?"

He nods and I get a glimmer of a smile. I smile back.

"That's good. Let's get everyone started then will we? I'll watch out to make sure you're OK when everyone's talking."

I sit back a bit.

"Now then ladies and gents. Thanks for coming to the hearing today for ******. First let me introduce the panel and then I'll ask each of you to introduce yourselves before we begin......."

A Childrens Hearing.

Hullo ma wee blog,

 Unfortunately not every child gets the safe, secure and nuturing upbringing they deserve. Too many are raised in chaotic conditions where abject poverty, neglect and addiction  are the norm, leaving children at risk for their welfare, their future and sometimes their very lives. This is a post about Children's Panels which are lay tribunals set up under Scots Law to hear cases for the protection, care, guidance and treatment of children at risk between birth  and age of 16. {or 18 in some cases.} This process which puts the child's interests before all else is unique and  has been a worthy feature of the Scottish legal system for many years.

                                     ***************

On the day of a Children's Hearing, the three of us making up a panel - always a mix of sexes to prevent any kind of all male/female bias creeping in - get together beforehand to have a short pre-hearing meeting to discuss the information contained in the reports that have been provided. These will be at the least - unless it's an emergency hearing called at short notice - a social work compiled child and family background report and a school report but could also include reports from health visitors, specialist medical practitioners, residential homes reports or any other agencies that the child or family are involved with. The families attending will also get copies of the reports involving them at the same time. Any serious compromising of the length of time to consider reports, especially if it compromises the families right to have ample time to consider and potentially to seek legal advice, would almost certainly ensure that we would decide only to 'continue' - postpone until another date could be arranged - so the families rights would not be infringed. {a sure-fire winner at any appeal} The sometimes hefty reports the panel have access to are provided seven days before the hearing to allow us to read and absorb the information and consider elements of risk relating to the child's situation and potential next steps that need to be taken to improve or remove the risks to the child. These measures, if we decide to put any in place after a discussion of the case with those involved at hearing, are legally binding on the child and supporting local council authority and can include conditions dictating an action that should be taken by the child or by any of the professionals who are supporting, such as varying where and how the child should be educated, where and with whom the child should live, who, how often and under what protective circumstances the child should have contact with and what treatment, controls, support or guidance should be provided. This effectively means that there are a wide range of measures that can be put in place to protect a child who is at risk either from their own actions or the actions {or neglect} of others. Normally we will hear three cases in a sitting with each of the cases allocated an hour for discussion and during the sitting each of us will chair a pre-allocated case unless one or more of the members has not had the separate formal training to chair tribunals. If this is the case the trained members will chair more than one case ensuring that due process is followed and writing up the formal record of decisions and the reasons which are given to the child and other relevant persons { normally the parents and local authority professionals but can include others such as foster carers etc}  used by following panels in future reviews of the case and in the event of an appeal being made against the panel's decision - any appeal would be heard at court and not by another panel. The reasons written therefore have to clarify the consideration of risk by the panel and the thought process used to come to the final decision and explaining why the panel consider this to be in the child's best interests.

                                    *************************

The family enters to take their seats from the waiting area along with the professionals attending. The professionals at a hearing are normally Social Work and School as a minimum but could include many others such as Lawyers, Health Workers, Family Support Workers, Foster Carers or representatives from Secure Facilities. This is the first time the child and family has been called to a hearing. The child is a boy of about 9 years old and he sits beside his mother, head down. Father isn't in attendance even though he should be but I know we'll deal with that in a moment. Opposite the family and professionals, across an oval beechwood table sits the three person panel that makes up the tribunal that is a Children's Hearing. Today there are two men and one woman. I'll chair the hearing for this case. During the session there will be three cases and although each is scheduled for an hour this is flexible based on needs and circumstances - we take the time needed for the family -  and this is the first case of the day. Each of us will chair a case as we are all experienced members, trained to fulfill the procedural and legal obligations chairing a hearing brings. The room is bright and airy, the decor subdued pastel and there are framed paintings done by young children on the wall; a child on a chute; a child in a swimming pool or sea wearing a rubber ring; an unidentifiable animal or bird in garish colours. In the corner there is a small table with a box of crayons and some sheets of paper to draw on, a book and some stuffed animals. There's always a box or two of tissues around within reach of an emotional child or adult.

 As the kerfuffle of a group of people coming in and taking a seat takes place I try to observe the child without making it too obvious. He is small for his age and as he sits back in the chair his feet barely touch the floor. His head is still down and his body language is very closed. His hands are clasped in his lap and he has made a hand wringing gesture twice when he did sneak a glance around him. Even though he's done this he hasn't looked in the direction of us in the panel sitting across from him. He takes a deep breath and blows it out through pursed lips. He looks what he is. A stressed and scared wee boy.

I call his name gently across to him and when I have his attention I smile and ask how he's feeling. I get a  fairly blank look in return for a second and he looks to his Mum who is still getting herself sorted out.

"Hello ****** you must be feeling pretty scared just now. After all this is the first time you've been to see us at a hearing....."

I now have his full attention but he's not about to say anything just yet.

"Has anyone spoken to you about coming to see us and what happens at a children's panel?"

I got a head shake in response, but he also says " A bit."

"You've got to find this all a bit scary, coming into a room full of strangers,especially if no-one's explained about what happens in a hearing to you."

He's still staring at me.

"How would it be if I told you a wee bit about it while everyone's getting sorted out. Would that be ok?"

I get a nod and he leans forward a bit.

"Well first of all I bet you've heard from pals at school that a hearing is where boys and girls get sent if they've been bad.  Maybe you were told too that a hearing will decide you are to be taken away from your Mum or Dad and sent away to live somewhere else."

His eyes are huge and there is a tremble in his lip. He wrings his hands.

"Well you're not here because you've been bad, so don't worry about that. That's not the only reason that children come to see us here.  Don't worry either that anyone's going to take you away from your Mum and Dad, OK?. That's not going to happen. We would only take a boy or girl away from their Mum or Dad if we had to because it really wasn't safe for them to be at home and that doesn't happen very often. {A white lie - it's reasonably common for us to see children who simply aren't safe at home, but  he doesn't need to know that and this isn't one of those situations}  We're people who think children are very important but we know that at times, things might happen that can upset or worry you and sometimes things happen to children that make them feel unsafe and scared. Sometimes things happen, and people - even Mums and Dads - don't know what to do to make things better. If we hear about someone where this is maybe happening we ask them to come and talk to us to see if there's anything we can do to help make things better so that you're not worried or scared anymore.  A hearing is just is a meeting to talk about what's happening and to help decide what needs to be done to help you and who would be best able to do that. So it's not just boys or girls that have been bad that come here.

While we're having the chat about things it's my job to make sure we talk about everything we need to so I will ask different people to speak and I will probably ask lots of questions. If you feel you can talk to us about anything then you'll be able to tell me what it is. I'm also here to make sure that you understand what's being said and you get a chance to talk if you want to. After we've all had a talk me and my two colleagues will say what we think would be the best thing to happen, then I'll explain what this will mean. Before you go away today I'll make sure you know what's going to happen next and why we think this is the best thing to do. Are you OK with that?"

He nods.

"Do you feel a bit better now?"

He nods and I get a glimmer of a smile.

"That's good. Let's get everyone started then will we?  I'll watch out to make sure you're OK when everyone's talking."

I sit back a bit.

"Now then ladies and gents. Thanks for coming to the hearing today for ******. First let me introduce the panel and then I'll ask each of you to introduce yourselves before we begin......."

See you later.

Watching this.

The Secure Unit

The Bass Rock. Secure Unit From An Earlier Time.

Hullo ma wee blog,

{Reflections on attending a Children's Panel hearing as part of a legal tribunal for a child held in secure accommodation for the purpose of care, treatment or protection}

As I walk across the car park to the main entrance I'm struck by the nondescript architecture of modern incarceration: single story, brick and glass all give the building the air of a community sports hall or office block on an industrial estate. There's an automated barrier watched by cameras on a pole across the unmarked road at the entrance to the car park. Beyond that small division the town can be clearly seen and heard going about it's business. There are no high walls, no fences and no perimeter lights. No guards are patrolling the grounds. Its extremely low key and matter of fact.

The huge external glass door opens smoothly and my two colleagues and I step into a glazed hallway. The doors in front of us do not open when pulled and it takes a moment of pushing and pulling and futile looks towards the reception staff before the door opens and we realise that its opening is dependant on the closing of the external door. We have been contained. This will be the constant reality of the next five or six hours. We are contained in simply the first of many layers we will come across. We move through a foyer with its subdued brickwork and soft furnishings telling a subtle combined message of strength, solidity and calming normality and on to the reception desk and its staff enclosed behind plate glass. It's clear that we are inside but also that we're not yet admitted. Our identities are efficiently verified then checked against expected visitors and we are given a locker key in return for a car key and directed to the locker with instructions to leave anything not required for our visit under lock and key. We are particularly advised not to take keys, phones, wallets or cash beyond this point. As we do this a manager is called to take us to the meeting room where the hearing will take place.

The manager is tall and efficient. He talks in the clipped tones of the professional while running through a health and safety brief as he leads us through to our meeting room, swiping a key fob on a locked door as we pass from the foyer into a corridor of pine and calming pastel. Doors it seems are everywhere, most are solid although some have small rectangular windows at head height. Some of them have small plaques which name the activity that takes place within; kitchen, laundry, visitor room 1. During the walk he tells us that we are not allowed to be unescorted at any time, the hearing room has an auto lock, so once we are in our allocated room we are again restricted unless there is a member of staff with us. Trips to the toilet facilities will have to be requested and escorted. He advises that these precautions are not only for personal security but for the safety of inmates, ensuring that no illicit items are left accidentally or deliberately. He points to a room. It has a window in the door. 'That's the laundry room for the boys - we only have boys here - but you'll notice that there are also vending machines in there. This is because we don't allow visitors to bring items such as drinks or confectionery as gifts as we found that a large number of them were laced with drugs by 'helpful' visitors. This way we control all access to these items while people are staying here. Even vending machines which were accessible to visitors were found to have items secreted in them for later pick up by inmates. Vending machines are only accessible under scrutiny as many boys are adept at breaking into them for cash and product if left unattended'

We are shown into the meeting room which is well decorated and appointed in clean calm colours. There is a large round window in one wall which gives a view out across the car park and the winter sun slowly sinking into the pine trees at the end of the car park. The window has no means of opening. Like the rest of the place so far the room has a functional and professional feel. After a few moments of chat about his role as admissions and assessment manager he leaves us to hold our private pre-hearing discussion where we discuss the case and the information in the reports provided. We check common understanding of the issues to be discussed, the arguments and explanations to come and agree a structure for the hearing: one of us will ask about the offences and seek out any opinion from the boy, try to understand how he views these things now compared to at the time, one of us about the impact of incarceration and what level of compliance there has been, what difficulties have arisen. One of us will lead the discussion about rehabilitation, about education and the safety of considering release both from the boys own perspective and the safety of the wider public. We are also waiting for the professionals involved; social workers, solicitors, open unit staff, school,etc and for any parent participating to arrive for the appointed time. As we're all experienced members of the Children's Hearing System we are soon ready and have some time on our hands until the appointed time. The lack of freedom is soon to the fore in our minds as two out of three have to ask to be escorted to the toilets and one to be allowed to go back to the car for missing glasses. These small things you don't normally have to wait for, or to ask permission to do and it's a small reminder that such freedoms are taken for granted under normal conditions.  That the smallest of freedoms should be under the control of others highlights how pressurised an environment this must be to be held here.  There is no phone in the room, no way of contacting the reception desk to ask for assistance and no way to contact the outside world. We like anyone else have to wait for the rhythm of the establishment to bring us a face at the observation panel before we can ask for what is needed. The admission manager returns to advise on who is here to attend and that there will be two additional members of staff attending as the young man who's hearing it is has indicated that he will kick off if an unsuitable decision is reached. The young man has a history of violence and assault beyond expectation for his years but the manipulative element of such a comment is also plain to all. A child's attempt to control the situation the way he knows best perhaps.

After our discussion we are ready to start the hearing at the appointed time. The attendees involved are led in by a member of staff; a social worker; a representative of the open unit where the boy had been living and hopes to return to; an advocacy worker, a senior member of the secure unit; The Reporter, the official who has called the hearing and will record our decision. Finally the boy himself comes in with three members of the unit staff and he sits with one either side of him as the other leaves the room. He is small and looks younger than his fifteen years. He is neatly presented and sits confidently among the others in the room. It's an environment he is familiar with over many years of involvement by social services and Children's Hearings. There are introductions done by all and the purpose of the hearing - to consider the renewal of a place of safety warrant - is advised. { a warrant legally expires after twenty two days and the conditions which led to its imposition have to be reviewed and reconsidered before considering renewal. Very specific conditions must exist to keep a child under secure conditions} No solicitor has come to represent the child although the previous hearing has appointed one, as we always do when a child is placed in secure accommodation. No parent has come. The Reporter advises that both the solicitor and his mother - there is no known father - have been advised of the hearing, have been sent copies of all the relevant paperwork and have not been in contact to advise any reason for non attendance. We ask her to adjourn the meeting and contact the solicitor - who has a legal obligation to attend - to confirm arrival. We can't compel the attendance of a parent at a hearing as the decisions are only legally binding on the child, so contact with the parent will be tried by the social worker to find out if she is en route. Everyone leaves.

After a short while The Reporter returns to advise us that the boys solicitors have made a mistake and not arranged attendance. Although we can decide to continue this denies the child the right to representation so we adjourn and advise The Reporter to get a solicitor here as quickly as possible. As the warrant is expiring and the reasons for the warrant are serious we cannot afford to cancel the hearing. Getting a solicitor on site will take two hours so we adjourn to wait for attendance. The social worker advises he hasn't been able to track down the boys mother but believes she may also be en route.

 Coffee and a sandwich are thankfully provided for us, isolated as we are on our own while we wait and after about half an hour the manager who first showed us to the meeting room returns with an offer of a tour of the facility. Rather than be cooped up for another hour and a half we pack away our confidential papers, place them into a locker and gratefully start the tour. As we pass through sequences of doors that partition corridors and rooms he explains that these are for containment in emergencies and to allow rival groups/ gang members to be segregated from each other during periods of transition during the day when education classes change for instance. We are shown the education center where classes of no more than four pupils at a time are taught by one tutor. At one point we are shepherded into a room for several minutes while groups are moved from one area to another. A face appears at the observation panel - one of the boys - and we're subjected to careful, vaguely hostile and unemotional scrutiny. We visit the gym, the pool area, common rooms, the accommodation units and the kitchens all without contact with anyone other than staff. It's a strangely sterile environment this seemingly uninhabited place where 30 staff are needed to look after up to twenty five boys.There is virtually no noise. No one has a radio playing. The only time we have heard anything other than the voice of our guide was a chat between some of the boys as they moved from one classroom to another while we were held seperate. That had been startling simply by its banality in such surroundings.

 The unit can accommodate more but one of the accommodation blocks has been shut down due to government cuts in funding. All through the tour our guide has explained how carefully the staff have to plan to ensure that the boys are kept safe while here, the different levels of seclusion or inclusion, the challenges of breaking down the gang mentality and the process used to allow the boys to build trust and win concessions and inclusions into group activities. All of the boys here are deeply troubled due to their poor upbringing and several have little effective means of managing their behaviour or interaction with their fellow inmates. Some have been here for several years. Argument, violence and anger outbursts are everyday occurrences from boys frustrated by control and inability to cope with these situations. The unit is a pentagon built around a center courtyard that has a soft surface five a side football field. Like all the other areas we have seen it's well designed and maintained and has discrete observation cameras.

After the tour we return to the meeting room and are left to discuss our impressions of the facility and soon after we're advised that a solicitor has arrived from Edinburgh so the hearing can begin. We hear of new and serious charges being brought against the youngster who has now been here almost three weeks. These are from his last few chaotic days before he was placed here for his own safety and to protect others from his actions.  Since his move here he has been calm and has complied with all the rules of the place, he's caused no problems and been involved in no arguments with his peers. He and his solicitor argue that this shows he has self control and that secure criteria no longer exist as he is no longer outwith control. The boy states he understands that he is on the brink of the adult criminal system because of his age and is willing to take that chance. He feels it's his choice to make. The professionals say he is compliant only as a means of securing his release and that in their opinion chaos will resume almost at once. The unit who had been accommodating him advise they are not yet willing to have him back but are committed to him long term.

For us the arguments are interesting but moot. The new offence grounds are denied by the boy so we have two choices to make on them - agree and dismiss them or send them for proof - and as we judge they are too serious to be dismissed simply because he denies them we decide to send them to a Sheriff who will make a legal decision to find them proven or not. As a result we also don't hesitate to renew the warrant for another 22 days while this happens. The time will also give the boy and the professionals around him time to try and get a proper plan in place as to how he is going to be managed and what he has to do to show capable of being allowed back to the freedom of the open unit. We ask for at least one of the panel to be part of the next hearing {normally a different panel of three would hear the case} as the case is so complex and we believe that continuity would be in the best interests of the boy.

Instead of the threatened outburst the boy is quiet and subdued and is taken to a room nearby for some quiet time to reflect before being allowed back into the rest of the unit. Some minutes later as I leave I pass his face looking out from the observation panel of the quiet room. His eyes are red and his face is tear stained and anguished. He looks far younger than his fifteen years and he looks like he needs a hug from a mother who never even came to the hearing.

When the case returns to a hearing three weeks later I again sit on the panel where after a long discussion and review of progress made we return the boy to the secure unit - this time with a full decision and not an interim measure of a place of safety warrant - for 3 months. In 3 months he will be sixteen and of age where he would normally be dealt with in the adult system. If he continues to behave in the way he has been he will go to prison. I write into the decision of the panel that it is our opinion he should be maintained in the Children's Hearing system until he is eighteen {as we can do in certain circumstances} to allow him to complete the work he needs to do with the professionals supporting him to try and turn his life around. We don't feel he is a lost cause and fear that if he is subjected to the adult system his life will be ruined.

His mother again did not attend.

See you later.

Arrested? Development?........

Hullo ma wee blog,

This {rather unusual for the blog} topic comes from my involvement in child welfare through Scotland's Children's Hearings - lay tribunals - which are able to issue legally binding measures for the treatment, care ,control, guidance or protection of children up to the age of 16 or in certain circumstances 18. These may be children who are offending or being offended against or who are simply in need of some help in facing life's problems in some way that can't be addressed on a voluntary basis, perhaps due to non-engagement by the parents. One of the most common reasons nowadays for a child being brought before a hearing though is because they are deemed to be suffering from a legally defined 'Lack of Parental Care'. These cases are often the most stressful and complicated a hearing has to deal with and can have the furthest reaching consequences.



Every community has them and we've probably all come up against them at one time or other. They're the local family or families that are disruptive, anti-social, engaged in nuisance and criminal activities. Usually they are focused on the female of the household. Often these women  are drug or alcohol dependant individuals who have had a long history of failed relationships with transient and violent men, often themselves also drug or alcohol dependant. The family is usually unemployed and dependant on benefits for money. The house and immediate environment are neglected and in poor condition. There can be a relatively high number of children in the household - usually very close in ages and universally troubled in their relationships, chaotic behaviour and attitudes, struggling or failing within the education system, known to the police and social services for offending, for violence against each other and outsiders or lack of parental care. They are not subject to routine or boundaries, they are disrespectful of everyone and can see no further than their own personal needs or gratification. They have adversarial relationships with neighbours and community, with police and social services. Early nuisance and offending behaviours in the children graduate over years to alcohol and drug abuse, violence and gang or weapon - in Scotland this most often means knife - related crime and high incidences of prison time. The family trust no one and feel aggrieved and put upon, distrusting and resistant to any and all attempts at support or intervention. Relationships with wider family - even those parts of the family acknowledged as a valued part of the community are often acrimonious and marked by dispute, chaos or violence at each and every meeting. The families are shunned and isolated by many in the local area.

They are a problem for most communities. They tie up enormous amounts of time, resource and energy from social and emergency services. The impact onto the community and the public purse can be enormous and life-long. They repel and attract elements of society in almost equal measure.  Each generation seems to spawn  even more disaffected seed to take root and spread the chaos and despair even further afield, increasing criminality and anti-social behaviour in a ripple effect among those easily influenced in the local area. Problems increase with each generation.

But is it nature or is it nurture?

The Impact of Early Environment on Brain Development.

At birth the brain is 25% of adult weight. By age 2 years it's 75% and by ages 3-4 years it is 90% of adult weight. The high level of brain growth and development in these early years is a fundamental reason why babies are totally dependant on the adults around them to meet all their needs for such a long time. The basic architecture of the brain is formed during pregnancy, but at birth the connections between the different parts of the brain aren't yet formed. These connections are predominately relationship/environment dependant for their healthy development which explains the surge of growth after birth. It also highlights the need for an appropriate environment and loving parenting to create a suitable safe and stable platform during the time needed for these brain connections and development to take place.

A child's brain develops sequentially:

Brain stem - this development takes place from pre birth to about 8 months and amongst others controls breathing and organ function.
Mid-brain - which controls the motor function develops between birth and one year.
Limbic Brain - which controls the emotional functioning - develops between six months and two years.
Cortex - which controls reasoning/cognitive functions develops between one year and four years old.

The region for basic vision is completed by age 6 months.
The critical period for developing emotions occurs from ten to eighteen months.
By age two, motor circuits are hard wired.
{The more words a child hears during their second year significantly affects their vocabulary for the rest of their life.}
The acquisition of other functions, such as academic learning takes place over a lifetime but is inherently dependant on the brain development established in these critical early years.

So while this period of brain growth and programming is taking place, what a child experiences and how it experiences is critical for its future. During this period, if a child is frequently exposed to stimulus which generate high levels of stress, or conversely is exposed to a frequent lack of stimulus, the child's brain and emotional development is fundamentally and permanently affected. One effect which is key to this situation is that the brain doesn't learn how to properly control production and reaction to the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone produced alongside adrenaline, linked to excitement from potentially harmful situations. The body automatically produces these hormones in preparation for 'fight or flight' as a means of self preservation. Cortisol could be described in layman's terms as the fear hormone of the two leaving adrenaline perhaps as the excitement hormone. Because the function of these hormones is to preserve life they are produced instantaneously and they swamp and inhibit  almost all other functions while a threat is in place or perceived.

To develop normally the brain has to learn to produce and regulate correct levels of this - and other- hormones. Failure to do so results in significant impact onto the child's life-long abilities.

Where a child is subjected to regular stimulus such as anger or - whether witnessing or directly experiencing - violence, cortisol production is extremely exaggerated and the body is flooded with high levels of the hormone. Where a child is subject to low levels of stimulus through lack of nurturing contact and experiences such as mental and physical stimulus through play cortisol production is absent or minimal. Both these examples have a direct result on how that child will be able to function through its lifetime. It's important also to note that studies have shown that very young children who experience fearful situations respond in exactly the same way  every time - producing instantaneous and extremely high levels of cortisol - and do not become normalised to the situation.

Dependent on the history of stimulus the child can therefore develop with extremely high levels of cortisol production in the case of a child in a chaotic environment, abnormally low with extremely high spikes in a neglectful and sometimes chaotic environment and abnormally low levels from a consistent lack of nurture. Children who have these abnormal developmental experiences may have a brain size 20-30% smaller than that of a child who has been reared in a nurturing environment. Impact from this on behaviour can mean that they are shy and anxious and withdrawn, be less sociable and more aggressive than normal children. These children are also more likely to have weakened immune systems and will fall ill more frequently, be more easily fatigued and have disrupted sleep patterns.

Abnormal production of cortisol puts a brake on other body functions, taking priority as its function is linked with survival in dangerous circumstances. It directly reduces relaxation, the immune system and the learning function because the body believes it is in crisis.

When the body is perpetually in a state of crisis it cant easily reabsorb the high levels of cortisol and other systems are permanently weakened, the body, existing in a state of permanent anxiety, has less ability to cope and develops a very quick trigger point to stimulus.

TO PROPERLY LEARN HOW TO REGULATE CORTISOL PRODUCTION CHILDREN NOT ONLY HAVE TO BE SAFE BUT HAVE TO FEEL SAFE.

Feeling safe is all about attachment, establishing a bond of trust and understanding. When this is done correctly it allows the child to learn how to regulate its emotions effectively in a healthy way. Children who can't do this react to actual  or perceived stress by producing more cortisol than is healthy and that the body can cope with.

So in answer to the question I posed at the top of this post, It's both nature and nurture.

As you can see, the behaviour of many of these dysfunctional children - who will go on to become dysfunctional adults - is not necessarily a matter of choice but to all intents and purposes has been hard wired into their being by poor parenting with the consequences stated earlier of life-long offending or anti-social behaviour, breeding more generations of similarly affected, poorly parented children.

The big question though is how do we break this damaging cycle and protect future generations of children from damage?

For me it has to be ' save the mother and you will save the generations to come'. We have to solve this problem.

Why?

We are seeing more and more young girls come into the system. They are the mothers of tomorrow who will provide the next brain damaged, violence predilicted generation of offenders .
Perhaps these figures will partly explain more directly;

First though have a look at these two newspaper comments;

"It is depressing nowadays to take up ones newspaper and read the daily catalogue of assaults and murders with knives, razors and other lethal weapons. Indeed slashings and stabbings are becoming so common that they appear to be an accepted part of our modern youths recreation."

{Glasgow Evening Times 1930}

"Across the whole of Scotland it is still knives that account for more than 50% of murders......"

{Daily Record 2008}

So - little has changed in almost 80 years. It's not the modern phenomenon we all think it is!

And is this acceptable?

DEATH BY VIOLENCE PER 100,000
{ranked by country - 2004 figs.}

1. Norway - 1.0
2. Spain/Greece - 1.3
16. Northern Ireland - 3.5
22. England/Wales - 4.2
29. Romania - 5.3
37. Albania 6.2
40. SCOTLAND 7.3
42. U.S.A. 7.9
44. Israel 8.3

Isn't it time we got a grip????

see you later.

Crime of the Century...........

Hullo ma wee blog,

Supertramps 1974 album 'Crime of the Century'. For me, one of those seminal albums that perfectly framed a moment in time and space. Without a weak track on its playlist, it was a big part of me at that defining time in adolescence when music takes you away from childhood and points to greater things; a better understanding; a bigger world; departure from what is comfortable, known and safe into other possibilities and realities.

Deep stuff, but music does that when you're only fifteen and hormones and angst compete equally fervently for your attention. It made deep impressions and this album means a lot to me. Over the years I've spent lots of time in its company, often with earphones on, lights off and laid out horizontal on floor or bed. Usually its been at ear crushing volume, blocking out an outside world so I could lose myself in music and lyric, so I could think and come to terms with some problem or worry about who I was or where I might be going.

With that kind of connection it's not surprising then that I turn to its familiar comfort when things sometimes disturb my equilibrium, shake my world view or just really T me off.



I shook hands with it once again the other day coming home from stepping in to cover a colleague at a Childrens Hearing session he couldn't cover.

Prepping yourself familiar with the cases via social work background and school reports gives you a handle on the complexities of a case but you know you have something unusually chaotic when the family is accompanied by two big burly specimens of Her Majesties Lothian and Borders Constabulary who are there to protect the social work representative and the panel members.

No matter at the end of a case when right decisions have been made to secure and keep safe a child of only a few months, it stays with you how unjust life is to some children who are denied the birthright of a loving, nurturing family and who have to be protected against parents who not only consistently fail to put that completely vulnerable wee life's needs before their own selfish desires, but absolutely deny any responsibility or wrong doing as they do it and then scream the place down for THEIR human rights when someone steps in and does something about protecting the best interests of the child. For me that's the real crime of the century.

Bringing up a child is one of the most incredible responsibilities of life, bringing joy, fulfilment and fear in equal measures. Most people manage to do it incredibly well. Some don't. Some need help. Some need a kick in the arse. Some, perhaps should be prevented from being parents in the first place if they can't take simple, honest advice and offers of support.

I don't know what it's like to struggle to raise a family well, to lie awake and worry about making the right choices and to provide the best you can for your children. I don't have any.

I don't really know what it's like to be a parent, but I do know what it's like not to be.

On balance I think that helps sometimes.

see you later.

listening to The Cars 'Drive'

Technic-Al assistance.....

Hullo there ma wee blog,

I got back last night about 9.15 having been out at a recruitment evening for the Childrens Hearings system. I was asked to go along to represent Panel Members to meet a group of some 25 potential new members, to sit with them for just under half an hour and take questions and explain what a hearing feels like and what skills you develop doing the role etc.

Those of you who have read this blog at any length will have come across mentions of the 'Childrens Panel' before - its a tribunal that sits to support children and young people who are in trouble in some way, either offending or being offended against, or who are facing difficulties through lack of care and protection from parents or carers etc. We can put in place legally binding measures for the care, protection, control or treatment of children via 'supervision requirements' or in certain circumstances by issue of legal warrants. It works under Scottish Legislation and the European Convention of Human Rights.

Unique to Scotland, its now being adopted by some Scandinavian countries and by Spain and Portugal. Where cases are heard by this tribunal the child is not subject to the normal legal system of courts etc. We are tasked to be independent and to make decisions in the best interests of the child at all times. There is a significant amount of training both before you are allowed to sit if selected, and ongoing throughout your post which is intended to be for a 3 year minimum commitment.

Anyway, that's not the story..........


I got back home at 9.15 to find my lovely G, who had not been home from work when I left to go out, in the kitchen, on the phone. In front of her was her laptop, connected by yellow cable to our wireless router, and my laptop connected to the internet help site of our friendly internet service provider. G was using her mobile phone while it was plugged into a charger on an extension cable - our main house phone doesn't work when we are connected to the internet and despite several attempts to sort this, both our ISP and telephone provider deny that its anything to do with their kit - don't worry we are just about to change away from our totally useless ISP.

I came up behind her and gave her a hug. I knew that her laptop had suddenly lost internet connection the other day when she attempted to connect, but she hadn't been in the mood to try and fix it at the time, especially when she could just use mine for a while. But she had come home intending, determined even, to get the problem resolved last night. Finding she couldn't connect again and being more PC literate than I she had phoned the helpline and was busily engaged in conversation with them as she twiddled with cable and pressed the advised buttons etc.

She turned and rolled her eyes at me and covering the mouthpiece told me that she had been on the phone to them for almost an hour. I could see that she was nearly at the end of her tether, but knowing her as I do didn't interfere. I rubbed her shoulders in consolation while she continued to listen to the phone and then made a cup of tea which I put down next to her with what I hoped was an 'I understand and sympathise' kind of look before stealing off quietly to the lounge. As I left she had MY laptop connected by cable to the router and was going through what clearly was the same process used unsuccessfully on her non working computer to try and problem solve the issue.

I've got to say my heart sank.

15 minutes later she came into the lounge and I could tell straight away from the dejected air that things had not gone exactly 'ticketty-boo' shall we say. and sure enough when I asked how it had turned out she said she was completely frustrated and despite an hour and some on the phone, the technical support guy had been unable to resolve the problem.

'He says my laptop is broken and needs to go back to the place I bought it from. I just can't believe it, its ridiculous, it can't be broken.'

then the bombshell.....

'And yours is the same'

Ah.....



I tried to console her and suggested she leave it and we could have a look tomorrow to see if we could fix things. I wanted her to try and stop to calm down before bed or she just simply wouldn't be able to sleep. I could spend all day tomorrow trying to get the problem fixed if need be after all. After a cuddle of a couple of minutes or so she got up and went out. I assumed that she had gone upstairs to change as she was still in her work clothes having been late home due to a delayed train.

When she hadn't come back after about 10 minutes I went to see if she had been so annoyed or upset that she had just given up and gone to bed. Of course she was back in the kitchen trying anything and everything she could think of to try herself to get the problems resolved. Frustrated and angered by the lack of the helpdesk staff ability to provide even a reasonable interpretation of what was wrong, she was almost at the point of tears. For any husband a very dangerous situation to get into, but sometimes its just as dangerous to be damned for what you don't do as much as for what you do, do. Its a situation that can put you in the doodoo very quickly if you catch my drift.

Under the circumstances I took a quiet but deep breath and stepped tentatively into the ring.

I, in no way, consider myself technical or PC literate. When we buy any kind of IT kit, laptops, home pc's or cinema surround systems, its the lovely G who sets it all up. Her Dad was a real techie wizard and worked on telephones and other such complicated stuff all his life so she is genetically programmed that way as far as I'm concerned, thankfully.

While she looked at hers I said she should let me have a look at the other one and I pulled up the connection screen.

YOU ARE NOT CONNECTED.

I clicked 'connect' and another screen came up asking me for the WAP key. 'I know this!' I thought and got the key code from the bottom of the router. I punched it in and pressed 'close', entered the location as 'home' and - with mental fingers crossed - hit 'connect'

YOU ARE NOW CONNECTED.

Just to be sure, I rebooted the laptop and connected to my home page.

YES!

Total time about 2 minutes.

'Ok hun, that's this one ok. Lets have a look at yours.'

She looked disbelievingly at my laptop screen which was showing my homepage and from there her eyes met mine. A look that was mostly relief but also seemed part pure irritation passed across her face. I swallowed nervously but, now all male bravado, stepped forward to hers.

'How did you manage to do that?'

'Mine had lost the WAP code. Lets see if this is the same.'

With her help I pulled up the screen and repeated the process again on hers. It was online again in about the same 2 minutes. She looked at her online screen and back at me. I got another look that was much more relief but there was still just a bit, a smidgin, a soupcon, of irritation there.

{ I should have been home an hour earlier, huh... }

Before she could ask I said, 'I dunno how they never sussed that out. Its about the only thing I know to check for to be honest.'

She picked up her phone and looked at her screen.

'At 50p a minute, I have just spent £35 on that useless b@%£$"* on the other end of the phone!'

Now, for my lovely G, swearing is a major, MAJOR danger sign. She just disnae do it. Not like me, peasant that I am, well versed in a large, practiced and varied vocabulary of swear words.

Somehow though I managed to divert her attention back to her working machine and she became engrossed in checking her email.

Phew!

And so past last night. Tensions subsided and it ended in relative tranquility.

This morning I thought that I would avail myself of the opperchancity of contacting our said wonderful ISP helpdesk to express my amazement and concern at their performance and singular lack of technical ability to problem solve in their area of expertise, and also to explain how very mildly disappointed I am to have spent 35 of our hard earned baw-bees giving them the opportunity to display not only their incompetence to my lovely G, but also an incredible ability to blame every available piece of equipment that did not actually belong to their company in the process.

Unfortunately the lovely, and very distant, Indian gentleman who took the call from my lovely G last night and supported her to the full extent of his ability had also mysteriously failed to log the call and of course 'No, no sir, its not possible to trace who you spoke to.'

Quelle surprise!

So please excuse me but I have an important call to make.

To introduce myself to another ISP provider.

see you later..........

Listening to Madonna 'Sorry'

Sometimes, not often........

Hullo ma wee blog,

2.30am. A wee single malt whisky. Coffee. Music.

Sometimes, not often, after a particularly difficult session at the Childrens Panels I find myself tossing and turning during the night, mulling over the situations that kids sometimes find themselves in and how on earth they are expected to cope.

A case today, a child abused and trying to make sense in a situation which I have no experience of, surrounded by people trying genuinely to help but a child, a young adult, unable to see the way, to trust. A wee soul, lost, hurting and damaged. So much potential at risk of never coming to light. And that damage done, like a stone dropped in a pond, rippling out to touch, affect and damage others too, their ability to help, to understand, sometimes even to believe that such a thing has/can/is happening to a loved one.

And how can an adult exploit a situation like that in such a dreadful way.

Why is life sometimes so beautiful and sometimes so terrible.....

Please - take care of your kids.

listening to Hazel O'Connor, 'Will you'

Episode IV, A New Hope.

Hullo there ma wee blog,

An interesting day.

The panels today saw us terminate one order, vary another, continue for attendance of key people on one and issue a place of safety warrant for yet another wee soul. All of this done under the scrutiny of an observer from the Childrens Panel Advisory Committee who came to check on our control of process, grasp of legislation and decision making. While some panel members seem to get quite edgy about observations I have never been that bothered. Seems to me that if I am concentrating on the observer then I am missing the point somewhat and not doing whats needed for the children and families. Still, I have been doing this for several years and have been observed dozens of times now and I'm still here so maybe I have just become accustomed to being observed.

Truth be told I feel much more under scrutiny by the families and I think thats how it should be. The rest of it is just background noise.

The recruitment drive is on the radio at the moment and our area starts the process next week. We dont need many this year as we have retained almost everyone, but its always a bit of a lottery as people realise how much time committment is needed and of course as volunteers we rely on employers etc supporting time off or flexi working. I have been added to the list for mid Lothian as well as they are really toiling for men - we need both men and women on a panel of three - so we have been asked to support for several months until the new intake is on board and trained up etc.

My wee meeting with JC+ went as expected but I refrained from telling them to stick their 68 quid a week up their jacksies. Actually he was a decent guy and he understands that I cant afford to take work like that.

And on a more positive note.

Drum roll please...........

I have been invited for interview for the Parole Board.

This is a government appointment onto the board which assesses prisoners for early release on licence to serve the remainder of their sentence within the community

I am absolutely chuffed to get through even the first stage of the application and get an interview. Mind you I sweated over the application but it seems to have done the trick anyhow.

I think its my work on Childrens Panels which has helped here with my experience of interviewing, offending behaviour and risk assessment.

Now I have until the 8th October to get to grips with the legal side of preparation for interview.

This will be my first interview since redundancy and its absolutely in the direction I want to go. I spent more than 30 years making money for a big company and now I need to do something I can be really proud of, something that is really me.

Regardless of the result {its a bloomin long shot} just to get an interview, a REAL LIVE INTERVIEW is just fantastic......





See you later..........

Listening to Runrig, 'Every River'

He's Not The Messiah. He's A Very Naughty Boy!

Hullo there ma wee blog,

A full day ahead as I have a 4 case session at the Childrens Panel this morning and a much looked forward to {Ha!} meeting with the lovely folks at the Job Center Plus this afternoon, so they can ask me why I am not taking any of those lovely minimum wage jobs they are so good at pushing at any unemployed person on their books.



Hmmn..... now what could I possibly tell them?





Without making them cry.........


See you later.


Listening to......... Terry Wogans Breakfast show on BBC Radio 2.

Almost the weekend

Hello there ma wee blog!

Well its been a successful day today. The final prep for the hearings went well and I had time in the morning to go down to Dunbar and get my overdue haircut which is always strangely going to make me feel a wee bit better about 'life the universe and everything' anyway to quote Douglas Adams.

Getting a haircut, especially if I have left it a bit overdue, always takes me back to being a wee boy and going to the local barbers in the village where I grew up; sitting on the childs seat that was just a short plank of wood put across the arms of the barbers chair so you stuck up enough above the chair back to let the guy actually get to your napper. That almost tearful feeling of having been scalped as you stepped out of the shop with your Mum or Dad at your side and felt the wind caress your baldy heid for the first time reminding you of just how much hair you had just left behind on the floor. You actually felt lighter so much seemed to have gone, and of course, you knew your pals were going to make fun of you for "havin' a baldy" or having been "rumped right intae the wid" as they laughed ruefully and ran hands self consciously back through no doubt soon to be shorn locks themselves. You also could never resist that first tentative hand up and across the back of your head to check how sharp the remaining stubble was, feeling lucky no doubt that you actually got out of there with some hair left. No one was allowed to have their hair long it seemed. Everyone had to look like military conscripts with identical short back and sides. I doubt, looking back, that the demon barber of Drongan could actually cut hair other than in that universal, one fits all style. Certainly I remember seeing grown men of all ages with the exact same cut { and reaction on coming out of the shop }. Sometimes Dad would get his hair cut at the same time and we would look at each other as we stood outside the shop and he would smile sympathetically at me and offer his hand for the walk back home.

I got that feeling so strongly this morning that I smiled broadly to myself as I stepped out into the warm breeze { and not the forecast torrential downpour } to get on with the rest of the day.
Aye, sometimes its the simple things in life eh?

The hearings went well today too. The cases went smoothly and we worked well together as a team during the hearings. Its good to be able to terminate a supervision order and say to a child or a family that although they have been through a bad time that its clear that the worst is over and you no longer need us to support you. Its clear that you can do it on your own, working voluntarily with social work. Its a great boost to a child or families confidence not only to feel or to be told things are getting so much better but to be shown by action that legal compulsion to do certain things is not needed and they must feel that if we can step back out of it then getting social work to do the same and to take back full control is a reality. One of the big anxieties I see in families is that fear that once social work depts are involved its never going to be over.

I was also able to have a bit of a rant to social work about the information in reports - the huge amounts of abbreviations, the ICPCC, RCPCC, MAAG and ELIS and all those other things which although meant to help - and do to the likes of us who see these things on a regular basis - can actually be quite intimidating to people and to children who are already in a stressful situation and dont need the additional threat of this secret code which can only be understood by the initiated. I also hate how so much understanding can be lost at the altar of the great God 'Cut and Paste' when a hard pressed social worker clearly doesn't take the time to stop and proof read the reports before issuing them. Not helpful.....

Actually I have a huge amount of respect for social workers and the job they do in often really trying circumstances. They are fantastic folk in my opinion and I have yet to meet one who does not really care about the job they do and the folk they are trying to help. Unfortunately so often now they are the scapegoats for society and the media in particular. Damned if they do and damned if they dont. I have the utmost respect for them and I dont think I could do their job for a pension.

That doesn't mean that I am not critical of the structures they work in or some of the policies they enforce or some of the procedures used but I certainly don't feel that as a society we are really prepared to shoulder the cost of giving them the training, tools and resources to truly provide that fine mesh safety net that we expect them to have for every possible permutation of problem or consequence for the vulnerable elements of our society. Instead we seem only too willing to pillory them at the first opportunity.

Whoa Boy! Slow down man! .......... Rant over, ok Alistair?. Look at what it says at the top of the blog entry. Its "almost the weekend" not " Get on your high horse". Calm down......... Breathe deeply......... REEEELAAAX...........

Aye.

So anyway........

Its almost the weekend!

And this weekend its the 1st of August.! National day of Switzerland!


So we are celebrating the Swiss part of the family with a get together, a meal, Swiss flags, Swiss tablecloth, Swiss napkins, Swiss food , Swiss wine, Schnapps, Kirsch and anything else we can find that remotely smacks of Heidi Land, of edelweiss, cowbells, alphorns, yodelling, mad obsessions about time, efficient train and bus services to impossibly remote locations, chocolate, fondue, badly timed senses of humour { they say if you tell a Swiss a joke on Tuesday they will laugh Sunday in church! } - and missing Nazi millions.....

Yee-ha!

see you later............

listening to Bob Marley, "three little birds"

Job done

Well, thats the initial read through done and my case notes made up. Time now to let the cases soak in and I'll revisit them again tonight or early tomorrow and get the questions together ready for the hearings.

Never managed to get a haircut though. Went down to the town but my usual place was closed so I will try again later in the week. Its annoying as I have left it a week too long and its been bugging me.

Ah well serves me right.

see you later.

listening to - absolutely nothing............

Another day and not another dollar.........

As usual I have been dosing on and off for most of the night, tossing and turning and being in danger of waking up the lovely G who is sometimes less then lovely to me when kept awake at all hours of the night. I got up at one point for a cup of tea which is probably not going to help me sleep either I know but at least gives G the chance to have a couple of hours of undisturbed rest and help preserve my safety for a couple of hours too. For one so small she packs a mean poke in the ribs!.

Having been up from 2.30 till 4.30, its now half past five and I have given up trying to sleep anymore for today. Daylight has seeped through the window and the rain which came last night has left droplets of rainwater hanging brightly from the underside of the velux window which we always have open summer or winter. A quick glance out past them shows me a pale blue and fairly clear sky over the sea as I carefully pick up my shirt and trousers and head off downstairs for a coffee.

Everyone says, and I have to agree, that the first coffee of the day is the best one. I love to have mine in the kitchen and in peaceful solitude, quietly able to consider the day ahead, planning and organising my half thought out day and looking forward to the small things that make each day worth living.

Today I need to prepare for the childrens hearing tommorrow afternoon as its a heavy caseload and the reports posted to me a few days ago have lain, an undisturbed but weighty reminder, in their sealed pack across the weekend and the start of the week. It can take quite a few hours to go over a case and there are 4 to hear tomorrow so it feels like a pretty full day of reading and thinking today. I also need to get a haircut which I will do when I need a break from the social work background reports for the cases. A short trip to the nearest hairdresser and a quick cut should hopefully only take an hour or two maximum. I will read the reports and my notes again later either tonight or tommorrow morning to make sure I know exactly what questions I want answered for each case before any decisions are made. I'm chairing two hearings so I need to be thoroughly prepared.

A well, better get started but maybe also another coffee. The second of the day can sometimes just be a continuation of the first.......

see you later