Children’s Hearings 12-month duty plans published

The Children’s Hearings Duty Plans for the next 12 months are now available. These plans cover the period 22 June 2020 to 25 June 2021.

Confirm details and update unavailability

Details: You should check that your firm’s details are correct and that you are included on the areas you selected.

Unavailability: It’s important you contact is to tell us if there are times that you know in advance you will not be available. Please email details to Childrensregister@slab.org.uk.

Notifying us of changes

These plans are living documents and can be updated with solicitors, firms, areas and dates you are unable to cover at any time throughout the year.

Applying for the duty scheme

If you were unable to submit a duty application form prior to the deadline, or because PVG certification had not been obtained in time we can now accept your application during the duty scheme period and update the plans with your details.

Duty scheme operation

The format of the plans remains the same as last year with alphabetical listings of firms that have selected each geographical area.

Please note that if we have three or more local firms, we will not show the non-local firms who have selected the area but your options have been retained should the local firms be unable to assist.

We will continue to contact firms on a rotating basis to ensure fairness of distribution of duty requests. We will contact the local firms initially. If they are unable to cover the request we will then contact non-local firms.

For details of the statutory provisions relating to the children’s duty scheme and information on the current payment arrangements for duty scheme solicitors, please see the eligibility criteria.

Duty plans by geographical area:

• Glasgow and Strathkelvin
• Grampian, Highlands and Islands
• Lothian and Borders
• North Strathclyde
• South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway
• Tayside, Central and Fife

For more information please contact:

Catriona Whyte at whyteca@slab.org.uk