Public appointment: members appointed to the Board of the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration

The Minister for Children and Young People, Claire Haughey MSP, has today announced the appointments of Kay Barton and Lorraine Moore as Members of the Board of the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration.

Members

Kay Barton’s working life in government and the Third Sector was all about social justice, wellbeing and addressing underlying causes of poverty and exclusion. She has been for over 25 years a trustee of several charities, both local and national. She has further developed her strategic, governance, management and financial skills in these roles. She chaired a family support organisation through the recent difficult Covid times. She also mentors young people, and learns a lot from listening to and supporting them.

Lorraine Moore is a qualified social worker with over 30 years’ experience in working alongside children, young people, and families. Lorraine set up the Hub for Success in 2018, a collaborative hybrid project which works directly with people with care experience to access further and higher education alongside lobbying for change in policy and practice around further and higher education. Lorraine worked as an advocate for 14 years, supporting children and young people to attend and participate in children’s hearings. Lorraine was a board member of the Stop-Go Group for the Independent Care Review and is committed to Keeping the Promise.

Appointment

These appointments will be for four years and will run from 1 November 2021 until 31 October 2025.

These appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

These appointments are part-time and attract a maximum annual remuneration of £3,331.26 for a time commitment of up to 1.5 days per month.

Other ministerial appointments

Ms Barton and Ms Moore do not hold any other ministerial public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.  

Ms Barton has canvassed on behalf of the local Labour Party candidate at the 2019 General Election.

Ms Moore has had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) is a national body focused on children and young people most at risk. SCRA was formed under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994 and became fully operational on 1st April 1996. SCRA’s main responsibilities as set out in the Act are:

• to facilitate the work of Children’s Reporters,
• to deploy and manage staff to carry out that work,
• to provide suitable accommodation for Children’s Hearings.

The Children’s Hearings System provides the operational setting in which SCRA and partner agencies work. The aim is to provide a safety net for vulnerable children and young people, and deliver tailored solutions which meet the needs of the individuals involved, while helping to build stronger families and safer communities.