LAC Manual - Part 2.1 Compulsory Supervision at Home
2.1 What is Compulsory Supervision at Home?
Compulsory Supervision Orders at home are temporary legal measures, compelling the child and parents to receive, or work with specific, time-limited services, and/or to observe specific conditions. The aim is to support parents to carry out their parental responsibilities effectively ensuring that their children’s needs are met, enabling them to grow and develop appropriately, while living with their families.
Compulsory Supervision Orders are imposed by a Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011.
There are 2 broad groups of children who may be subject to a Compulsory Supervision Order at home :
- Children living in vulnerable situations but whose needs and/or identified risks can safely and effectively be addressed through supervision.
For these children, the needs or risks may result from parental behaviour, their own behaviour or that of other people in the household;
- A child returning home after being looked after away from home, but where there remains a continuing need for supervision.
The overall aim of compulsory supervision at home is to promote beneficial changes in the life of the child while enabling him or her to remain at home with the following objectives:
- to provide effective measures for the care, protection, support, guidance, treatment or control of children living at home with their families;
- to enable children and their families to recognise and tackle successfully the difficulties and problems which led to the child being referred to a Children's Hearing;
- to reduce offending behaviour where this is an issue;
- to provide protection for children from others or from themselves, where this is an issue;
- to help ensure school attendance where this is an issue;
- to provide programmes of supervision which will maintain the confidence of Children’s Hearing members and the public in the effectiveness of compulsory home supervision as an option;
- to provide programmes of supervision which aim to integrate the child in the community and maintain the confidence of the community.