The hearing will be as relaxed and as informal as possible
It will be virtual, and it’ll come with joining instructions, these are important and must be followed
Depending on the type of case the panel will be made up of a judge, and one or two specialist members
Phones cannot be used in the hearing
Those in the hearing must stay calm and not talk over people
There will be breaks but we would encourage anyone to ask for another break if needed
If the parent, carer or young person is not represented the judge should make sure they are able to contribute as much as the local authority
Parent, carers or young people should take a summary of the main points they want to make known, to ensure the tribunal hears this at the end when it’s being summed up.
We would advise the parent, carer takes a photo of their child or young person and introduce them
Children can attend the hearing to give their views and wishes.
But they cannot stay in the hearing, there will need to be childcare for them after they’ve given their views and wishes.
If children do attend the hearing, they will usually just speak to the tribunal members, it’ll be less formal than the hearing.
If the child or young person doesn’t attend the hearing to give their views and wishes these need to be gathered before the hearing and presented on the day.
A decision will not be made on the day of the hearing, the tribunal will go away to make their decision
Please see the next video in the series ‘After the appeal hearing’.