Case management guidance How to work in court
Information on your role in court and how to support children and their parents/carers.
Official website: gov.uk00
How to use the service
Routine court duty work involves providing a service to the court, children and their parents/carers. This means attending: when children have been held overnight by the police to appear in court the next day (or at the first available court) for those who have been bailed from a previous hearing for children who are being sentenced for children brought back for breach proceedings For scheduled returns to court you should know how to access information about who is expected to appear. To be fully prepared for court, you should have access to a final court list the day before to ensure any information which needs to be presented is available, avoiding unnecessary adjournments. Information on listings is provided through an automated email system. In areas with a shared court, you may have a nominated lead who will receive the information and pass it on to the relevant youth justice service in the area. You should be aware of the process for checking with the police to find out whether any child has been held overnight and charged to appear in court. This is to ensure you obtain information about their offence(s), background and circumstances, whether there are likely to be to any objections to the granting of bail and what role the youth justice service can play in providing a bail supervision and support package. See how to manage bail and remands for further information . If there is a strong likelihood that the child will be remanded or sentenced to custody, you must alert the Youth Custody Service’s (YCS) Placement Team at least 24 hours before the hearing (unless the child has been produced overnight) by sending them all the relevant assessment information and the placement information form. If the child is remanded or sentenced to custody, you should follow the placing young people in custody guide .
Requirements
Video links to court can be used, at the discretion of the judge. They can only be used where the court is satisfied that it is in the interests of justice, having considered representations from parties to the proceedings and any guidance from the Lord Chief Justice. Where the defendant is a child, there is an additional requirement that the youth justice service must be given the opportunity to make representations before the direction is made. This means that you can provide additional safeguards to ensure the interests of children are protected. You should assist the court to determine whether the child’s ability to understand the proceedings will be hindered by the video hearing making a live hearing desirable; and to balance that factor against the stress and inconvenience of the journey to court.
Official source
Case management guidance How to work in court
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