Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill needs to take more account of children

Following the introduction of the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill to Parliament today, Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive at Children 1st, said:

“This Bill includes significant reforms which could help improve the experiences of child victims and witnesses, particularly through more trauma-informed practice in Scottish courts, which Children 1st has long campaigned for.

“We are, however, concerned that while children will be impacted by many of the proposals outlined in the Bill, there is no clear recognition of their specific needs. There is no clear link to the transformational work to introduce the Bairns Hoose across Scotland, which will have a significant impact on the experiences of child victims and witnesses.

“The Bill also seeks to extend parts of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 around court supports that are not yet in force. Children and young people should not have to wait for the passage of this new Bill to see these hard-fought rights come into effect.”