Being a Panel Practice Adviser (PPA)

Who are Panel Practice Advisers (PPAs)?

At Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS), our purpose is to ensure our hearings make child-centred decisions which respect and protect children’s rights and support them to thrive. We work hard to provide training, support and monitoring across our community of 2,300 volunteers.

Panel Practice Advisers (PPAs) play a key role in our CHS community in helping us meet our aims. They provide quality assurance observations during hearings, offering independent insight into practice. Drawing on our National Standards, PPAs reflect with Panel Members on what went well and identify opportunities for further development.

Working closely with our regional teams, Panel Practice Advisers also support the recruitment and reappointment process for Panel Members.

"I’ve been a volunteer Panel Practice Adviser since 2018. There’s something very rewarding about being able to work with Panel Members to provide them with support, encouragement and feedback."

Helping shape high quality hearings

Panel Members are given extensive training, but, their knowledge, skills and confidence grow with experience. Feedback and guidance from Panel Practice Advisers provides valuable reflection points that support this development.

Across CHS, we promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Observations carried out in regions also help us identify national training needs, ensuring we deliver the best quality hearings for infants, children and young people.

"I’ve learned more about the problems too many children and families face in their lives and the work being done to tackle that. It’s reinforced my view on the importance of the Children’s Hearings System."

Could you be a Panel Practice Adviser?

Panel Practice Advisers bring the same strong commitment as our Panel Members to our values - challenging, child-centred, creative, respectful fair and open. Above all, you must care about the welfare of infants, children and young people and to helping us achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

You’ll will be an effective communicator with an empathetic approach when feeding back to Panel Members. With our training and support, you will develop an understanding of hearing procedures and the skills and knowledge of Panel Members. You should also be methodical in observing and recording your conclusions.

Does this sound like a role that you can take on? If so, applications are now open!!!

Apply Now

"Observing practice in the hearing room... and giving feedback on that, feels like making a contribution to the wellbeing and safety of children and young people in Scotland."

What happens in a hearing?

If you are visiting us for the first time, you may have lots of questions about what the children's panel is and what we do.

FAQs

Impact in your local area

Our volunteers told us they 'wanted to make a positive contribution to my local community'. You can too.

Make a difference in your area