Jean

Only one photo today and it is of Jean Raeburn-Warner.

I first met Jean some 18 years ago when I first became involved with the children's hearings system. It has been good to catch up with her again in her current role as Area Convener for the Edinburgh Area Support Team.

This is one of 22 teams - amounting to some 400 volunteers - who help manage the 2,500 volunteer panel members who sit on hearings to take decisions about vulnerable children. Jean and her team help with the recruitment, observation and support of panel members, organise events and training arrangements, manage the rota to ensure panel members are on hand when required, and a number of other activities. They are supported at local level by local authority staff and we provide the national support.

The AST volunteering is a crucial part of the hearings system alongside the more publicly known volunteering by panel members.