Supporting Witnesses in the Scottish Justice System
Scottish Police College in Tulliallan on Monday 2nd June
Full details can be found at www.holyrood.com/supportingwitnesses where you can request your FREE place to attend.
Hosted by the Victims and Witnesses Unit in partnership with other stakeholders, with the aim of raising awareness about the development of support for victims and witnesses in the Scottish Justice system through the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 and other initiatives. The impetus for the conference is the completion of the 3 year implementation period of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004.
Purpose
The conference will provide an opportunity for an exchange of information about policy and good practice through the use of speakers, seminars and a discussion panel. The keynote speech will be delivered by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill MSP. The Lord Advocate will also be participating, along with senior officers from the Scottish Government and voluntary organisations. Contributions will also be made by senior members of the judiciary, and representatives of the Law Society of Scotland and voluntary organisations. A question and answer panel will be chaired by the well known journalist Pennie Taylor.
Sponsorship/partners
The conference is sponsored by the Victims and Witnesses Unit of the Scottish Government's Criminal Justice Directorate working in partnership with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the Scottish Court Service, the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration, the Law Society of Scotland, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Victim Support Scotland, the Association of Directors of Social Work, Justice for Children, Scottish Women's Aid and other voluntary organisations.
Target Audience
The conference is targeted at practitioners from throughout the UK, but will be of particular interest to those in Scotland especially the legal profession, the judiciary, those working for voluntary organisations supporting victims and witnesses, children's reporters, teachers, academics, and researchers, and staff of relevant government departments and justice agencies.
Key issues covered by seminars
- Access to justice to people with mental disorder
- Does the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 work for justice?
- Child Witnesses - meeting the challenge
- Identifying vulnerable witnesses
- Using special measures in the courtroom
Why you should attend
- An opportunity to see how special measures work in practice in a mock courtroom
- Raise your awareness of how to identify vulnerable witnesses and how this awareness will assist with securing a fair trial
- How to question child witnesses effectively
- The pros and cons of the Vulnerable Witnesses Act - a chance for debate
- A chance to question senior practitioners about the Act
We hope you find this an exciting programme and will be able to attend the conference. You can find out more or request to attend at holyrood.com's supportingwitnesses page.