Young People Participation Pathway

The Young People Participation Pathway is a new, planned intervention aiming to help children aged 12-17 who are subject to care proceedings to be more involved in the process.

Under the pathway, a specific judge will be allocated to the case to deal with any case management directions and court hearings throughout.

The elder children will then have opportunities to speak to the allocated judge for their case, who will ultimately be the one making important decisions about their lives.

A ‘My Plan’ will be created for each child, based on what the child feels are the current issues in their lives and what they would like to achieve. The aim of the pathway is for the children to feel that they are being listened to and understood, rather than being a name on a paper whose lives are completely in the hands of unknown adults.

A pilot for this scheme has now commenced in the Cleveland and South Durham areas, as well as in the North West. 

Our Family solicitors have been representing parties in some of the first cases taking part in the pilot scheme and are hopeful that this may bring about improvements that make the lives of the young people involved a little bit easier at what is often a very difficult and stressful period for them.

If Children’s Services becomes involved in respect of your children and you feel you require legal advice or representation in court proceedings, do not hesitate to contact our team, who will be more than happy to help. We can also advise you on whether Legal Aid funding is available in your case and make the application for funding on your behalf if required. Please contact us by calling 01429 235 616 or email enquiries@tmjlegal.co.uk.