Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019: child interview rights practitioners application guidance
We're inviting expressions of interest from children's solicitors to support children during police and social work investigative interviews into serious harmful behaviour.
Application assessment
We'll review your application in 2 stages.
First, we'll check your application against the eligibility requirements.
If you're eligible, an evaluation panel of 3 assessors will then score your application using the evidence you've given for the 6 competency areas.
How we score your application
We'll base your score on the evidence you submit in the application template. You'll get a mark between 0 and 4 for each criterion, using the scoring method below.
| Score | Definition | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Unacceptable | No response, or an inadequate one. Fails to show an ability to meet the requirement. |
| 1 | Poor | Partially relevant but generally poor. Addresses some elements of the requirement, but lacks enough detail or explanation to show how you'll meet it. |
| 2 | Acceptable | Relevant and acceptable. Shows a broad understanding of the requirement, but may lack detail on how you'll meet it in some areas. |
| 3 | Good | Relevant and good. Detailed enough to show a good understanding, and explains how you'll meet the requirement. |
| 4 | Excellent | Completely relevant and excellent overall. Comprehensive and unambiguous. Shows a thorough understanding and fully explains how you'll meet the requirement. |
Each assessor will score your application independently. The panel will then hold a moderation meeting to make sure they've applied a consistent approach.
When you'll hear back
We expect to let everyone know the evaluation panel's decisions at the beginning of October. We'll contact you individually to tell you whether, and to what extent, you've been successful.
If you're successful at this stage, we'll invite you to pre-registration training.
You can request tailored feedback on your application.
Joining the register
If you're successful and you complete pre-registration training, we'll add you to the ChIRPs register for an initial period of 3 years.
We'll carry out an annual review to check you still meet the requirements for the register and that you want to remain on it.
Reserve list
If we receive more applications than we initially estimated we'll need for 2026 to 2027, we may keep a reserve list of successful applicants. We'll use this list to fill any gaps during that period. We'll keep the list in proportion to the coverage and demand we expect.
When you apply, you can tell us if you agree to be added to the reserve list. This applies if you meet the criteria but aren't selected in the initial round of registration.
We'll issue formal registration letters in November 2026, once you've successfully completed the training requirements.