Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) plays a central role within Scotland’s unique children’s hearings system, working alongside partners to ensure the safety, wellbeing and rights of infants, children and young people. Every year, thousands of children, young people and families engage with the system, making it one of Scotland’s most important child-centred decision-making forums.
CHS is a public body responsible for recruiting, training and supporting volunteer Panel Members who sit on children’s hearings. Panel Members listen to children and families and make legal decisions with and for children who need care, protection or support. Through a robust recruitment process and ongoing learning and support, CHS helps ensure Panel Members have the skills, knowledge and confidence to make high-quality decisions that are fair, consistent and centred on the rights and needs of each child.
Established under the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011, CHS works to a set of National Standards and is committed to upholding its vision, purpose and values in everything it does. Through the dedication of its volunteers and its work with partners across the system, CHS helps ensure children and young people are heard and supported to achieve better outcomes.
The organisation is led by the National Convener, who is also the Chief Executive. We have around 2,000 volunteer Panel Members from communities across Scotland, supported by a team of over 100 dedicated colleagues operating on a national level.
CHS is operating within an ever changing, complex environment shaped by the implementation of significant legislative and non-legislative changes that will help deliver The Promise by 2030. Together these changes will strengthen children’s rights and improve experiences and outcomes for children and young people. In the next three years the children’s hearings system will see its most significant transformation in over 50 years.
Our vision is for all infants, children, young people and their families to be safe, loved, and supported to realise their full potential. Our purpose is to ensure our hearings make child-centred decisions which respect and protect children’s rights and support them to thrive. Our values are: challenging, child centred, creative, respectful, open and fair.
As a Board Member, you will help provide strategic leadership and oversight to CHS as we work with partners across the children’s hearings system to deliver positive outcomes for children and young people. You will contribute to decisions on our strategic direction, scrutinise organisational performance and support effective governance of the organisation.
This is an exciting time to join CHS. As a Board Member, you will play an important role in helping CHS respond to significant change while remaining focused on the rights, wellbeing and experiences of children and young people.
The CHS Board works with the National Convener and the senior team to ensure that the organisation contributes effectively to the modernisation of the hearings system. It supports the National Convener in his statutory responsibilities, providing strategic direction, advice, guidance, support and challenge. The Board has a corporate responsibility for ensuring that the organisation delivers on the aims and objectives set by Scottish Ministers and for promoting the efficient and effective use of staff and other resources in line with the principles of best value. Board members’ responsibilities include:
For more information, we would encourage you to attend an online information session hosted by the Chair of Children’s Hearings Scotland at 5.30pm on Tuesday 6 October 2026, where we will be discussing the role and the appointment process and you will have the opportunity to meet members of the CHS Board and ask questions. To register, please contact Frieda.cadogan@chs.gov.scot at CHS for further details and a link to the event.
You can also contact Katharina Kasper, Chair of Children’s Hearings Scotland, at katharina.kasperboard@chscotland.scot for an informal conversation about the role. Further information about CHS can be found at www.chscotland.gov.uk.
Remuneration is £208.99 per day, up to a maximum total fee of £5,015.76 per financial year, for a time commitment of up to two days per month. Reasonable expenses incurred will be reimbursed. The appointment is non-pensionable.
Board meetings normally take place at Thistle House, Edinburgh. The Board currently meets five times a year and its meetings are normally held in public.
We are keen to hear from people with a range of skills, experiences and perspectives. Previous Board experience is not essential. We welcome applications from individuals who can demonstrate sound judgement, strategic thinking and a commitment to public service.
The priority criterion is weighted over the essential criteria. Candidates who provide the strongest evidence against the priority criterion will be considered most able to fulfil the role.
Candidates must be able to demonstrate that they meet all of the essential criteria. The following two essential criteria are assessed at application and at interview:
The following essential criterion is assessed at interview only:
The values that underpin everything CHS does, which are challenging, child centred, creative, respectful, open and fair, are also an essential criterion. There is no separate application question on the values: you will be expected to show throughout the selection process, in the evidence you give at application and at interview, how your behaviours align to them.
A panel of two young people involved in the children’s hearings system will also assess communication and influencing, and the CHS values, through a separate interview held on the interview day.
Lived experience of the children’s hearings system. This will be assessed at the interview stage only.
Full details, including example indicators for each criterion, are set out in the Person Specification in the Applicant Information Pack.
You will be asked to provide evidence in the online application against the priority criterion (Criterion 1) and the two essential criteria assessed at application stage (Criteria 2 and 3). Each response must not exceed 300 words. You will also be asked to provide a tailored career history.
Late applications, and any content exceeding the stated word limits, will not be considered by the panel.
Scottish Ministers value highly the benefits of diverse Public Body Boards. People from all walks of life are encouraged to apply for public appointments.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
This appointment round will provide guaranteed interviews for disabled people who meet the criteria for the role being tested at the application stage.
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks: Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
Appointees will be asked to complete pre-appointment checks which will include a Disclosure Check (there is no charge for this) and membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme, which is a requirement for this role. Appointment is conditional on satisfactory completion of these and the appointee cannot start in the role until PVG membership is received.
The devolved government for Scotland is responsible for matters that are devolved from Westminster. Areas of responsibility include the economy, health, education, justice, rural affairs, environment, and transport.
