https://www.slab.org.uk/guidance/special-measures-for-child-witnesses-and-vulnerable-adult-witnesses/
https://www.slab.org.uk/guidance/special-measures-for-child-witnesses-and-vulnerable-adult-witnesses/
The Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 (“the 2004 Act”) (as amended) contains provisions relating to child and adult vulnerable witnesses in court proceedings under Part 10 and 15 of the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011.
You may need to seek our approval to use special measures to assist a child and vulnerable adult witnesses in children’s court proceedings.
The following special measures used to support the child or vulnerable adult witness are classed as usual and therefore, no prior approval is needed for:
However, if the work is likely to cost £3,000 or more, you must get our approval under the provisions for incurring unusually large expenditure.
The following special measures will be classed as unusual work and you, therefore, need prior approval for:
Approval requests should contain sufficient information to explain why the measure is needed to help the witnesses give their best evidence.
If you are seeking this special measure, you can seek the costs, or an appropriate share of the costs, of the commissioner appointed from us if the commissioner is not a sheriff or judge where SCTS will meet the cost.
It is also important to include in your approval request all associated costs such as clerks’ fees, shorthand writers’ fees, accommodation costs and travel costs.
You should also address if the costs should be shared with another or other parties and, if not , why not.
Procedures after legal aid is granted
Find out what documents/information should be provided when applying for approval for unusual expenditure or work likely to involve unusually large expenditure.
Procedures after legal aid is granted
Learn about what information Reporters will disclose in proof proceedings, when sanction is needed before taking precognitions and joint or shared precognitions