The document discusses the Children's Hearing system in Scotland which was established to decide how to care for and protect children under 16 who have committed offenses or are in need of protection. The legal reasons a child may be referred to a hearing include being beyond parental control, at risk of harm, a victim of an offense, at risk of serious harm to health or development, misusing drugs/alcohol, committing an offense, or not attending school regularly. Hearings are conducted privately by volunteer panel members to determine outcomes that are in the child's best interests such as requiring supervision, deferring the hearing, or discharging the case.