Language in the hearing room

A young boy smiling and holding a sign with an era on it, indicating "listen".

CHS is committed to ensuring that the language used in a hearing is child centred and trauma informed.

The complexity of the language that children and young people experience in the care system has been a consistent theme identified as needing improvement, most recently through the work of the Care Inspectorate and the Hearings System Working Group.

CHS has been part of the multi-partner Children’s Hearings Improvement Partnership group Language Leaders since 2022. Language Leaders has young people with lived experience at the centre of its work, driving learning about the importance of the language used in the hearing room and the need for it to be accessible, personal and caring.

What care-experienced young people say

‘Directly address the young person when you're talking, and include them in the conversation. Don't talk about them, at them or without acknowledging they are in front of you.’

‘I liked it when the Panel Members kept asking me for my views and made sure I understood what was happening.’

‘It’s important that even when asking difficult questions and talking about hard subjects they remember you are human and have feelings and are being listened to, even if you don't agree.’

Four principles

Working with young people from Our Hearings Our Voice, Language Leaders wanted the power of language to be recognised and used in a way to support children to “feel safe, included and at the centre of their children’s hearing’.

Through a range of consultations with children and young people, the group developed four principles to be applied by people communicating within children’s hearings, including Panel Members.

The principles are:

Personalised – words will be personalised to meet the individual needs of the child, including taking account of the child’s own wishes and use of language
Balanced – reports, letters and discussions will reflect the strengths and positives in children's lives, ensuring they are balanced against any challenges and risks
Non-stigmatising – only language which is non-stigmatising and protects children from blame or distress will be used
Involved – all language used will be clear, easy to understand and will support children to be involved in decision making

CHS and its partner organisation the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) have produced guides to help both Panel Members and Reporters use child-friendly language.

CHS Language in the Hearing Room guide

The CHS guide, Language in the Hearing Room, does not give Panel Members a rigid list of words not to use. It is designed to be a tool to shape thinking around language and the impact our choice of words can have on those hearing them.

Powerful film made by young people

As part of the launch of the language guides, young people from Our Hearings, Our Voice co-designed and co-produced a powerful animation about the language they experience within the care system.