The Scottish Children’s *Reporter Administration, known as SCRA

In Scotland a committee was established in 1960 under Lord Kilbrandon to respond to concerns over youth justice at the time and investigate possible changes to the approach. At that time, children and young people were dealt with by juvenile courts, whether they had committed an alleged offence or were in need of care and protection.

In 1964 the committee reported that there were great similarities in the need for care of all children and young people appearing before the courts, regardless of their reason for being there. This report led to the creation of the Children’s Hearings System which took over from the courts the responsibility for dealing with children and young people who were in need of care or protection or who had committed alleged offences.

Until the creation of SCRA in 1994, there was a separate Reporter’s Department in each of the then 12 Regional and Island councils in Scotland.

*a Reporter is the Scottish equivalent of a Convenor

www.scra.gov.uk