Children’s Hearing court proceedings
There are no members of the public present, unless the sheriff allows it. There is no jury and it is always the sheriff who makes the decision. In children’s hearing court cases, the sheriff will hear all the evidence and will decide if something has happened or if the concerns about a child have been proven.
If the sheriff agrees with the children’s reporter’s case, it will be sent back to the children’s hearing to decide what help is needed for the child. The sheriff does not decide what should happen; the children’s hearing will decide this.
Because these cases involve children, unless you are a victim of an alleged offence by a child, you may not hear what the final outcome is.