Rennie to move amendments for Children Care and Justice Bill

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP will today (Wednesday) move a series of amendments to the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill which would enable information to be shared with victims where it is necessary to plan for their safety.

The bill is expected to pass its final stage in the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government have committed to backing Mr Rennie's amendments.

The Bill seeks to enhance the role of the Children’s Hearing System to include 16- and 17-year-olds, preventing them from being sent to young offender institutions.

Victim support organisations previously raised concerns around information-sharing challenges in the Children’s Hearing System and called on Scottish Government ministers to ensure that there are better protections for the rights of victims.

Mr Rennie said:

“I support the changes made by this bill to raise the age at which children can go through the hearing system. However, victims face challenges in accessing information they need.

“Many organisations have raised concerns that this bill could add to those challenges as the hearings system deals with more cases, so it is essential that we take sensible and reasonable steps to protect victims.

“I am hugely grateful to Victim Support Scotland for working with me to persuade the Scottish Government to agree to the measures set out in my amendments. If successfully passed, these would expand the situations in which information can be shared with people affected by a child’s behaviour - victims must have the ability to obtain this information if they are to be able to plan for their safety effectively.

“I am confident that these provisions strike the right balance between giving a victim enough information to feel supported, safe and empowered, while also respecting the overall ethos of the Children’s Hearing System and the rights of children and young people.”