The much lauded Children's Panel system in Scotland is struggling and barely able to cope with its workload according to complaints by panel members and staff who administer hearings and children's reporters.

In a number of telephone calls to Community Care, panel members have described the support and administration as "falling apart in recent years".

One panel member from Edinburgh said: "Meetings and hearings are frequently cancelled at short notice, basic administration doesn't happen and panel members are leaving disheartened after a short period."

Maureen McMillan, chairperson of the children's panel advisory committee in Edinburgh, blamed the high staff turnover on pressures of the employment market . McMillan acknowledged that support to the system had deteriorated in Edinburgh.

Children's reporters, who asked not to be named, stated that difficulties had grown steadily since the creation of the Scottish Children's Reporters Administration as a national agency in 1996. Among other difficulties, SCRA is understood to be facing a substantial overspend.

An SCRA spokesperson told Community Care the "working practices which have been agreed by panel members and SCRA" had been endorsed by the Scottish executive.