News

Children are being "held hostages to fortune" as a result of a failure to implement decisions made at children's panel hearings, members of the Scottish Howard League of Penal Reform heard this week.

Malcolm Schaffer, reporter manager for the east of Scotland, told an Edinburgh conference that compulsory supervision orders were not being carried out due to inconsistencies and a shortage of social workers.

Schaffer said: "Legal decisions are not being implemented. If this was translated into the adult system, there would be an outcry."