Interview Prep Flashcards
Who is the Chief Executive of SCTS and what do they do?
Eric McQueen
Responsible for the day-to-day management of the Scottish courts and tribunal services.
Was appointed as CE on 1st January 2013.
Who are the Executive Directors of SCTS and what are their roles?
Richard Maconachie: Chief Finance Officer
David Fraser: Executive Director of Court Operations
Tim Barraclough: Executive Director of Tribunals and OPG
Noel Rehfisch: Interim Deputy Chief Executive
Kay McCorquodale: Executive Director Judicial Office
Mike Milligan: Executive Director Change and Digital Innovation
What is the communication team?
Handle all media enquiries about the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service
What are the companies value? Can you elaborate and give an example of when you demonstrated them?
Respect: treat everyone with dignity and value diversity. Encourage good performance and give constructive feedback (Deputy Head Domestic Abuse). Work as one team. (VLF)
Service: build skills and knowledge, deliver professional service, manage information responsibly, always do our best (Citizens Advice)
Excellence: innovate, collaborate be accountable. (Deputy Head)
Can you give me a brief history of SCTS
It is a non-ministerial department established by the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008.
Has over 1400 staff and an annual expenditure of more than £100 million.
What is the purpose of SCTS
- Supporting justice- main aim
- Function to provide administrative support to the Scottish Courts, devolved tribunals and the OPG.
- To support justice by providing the people, building and services needed for the work of Scotland’s courts and tribunal, members of the judiciary and the Office of the Public Guardian.
- Vision to build stronger courts and tribunal service focused on providing access to justice, maximising the benefits of technology and improving the service we provide to all users.
- Courts and tribunal should be regarded as a service, not a budling- efficient, accessible and above all fair.
Any recent changes made/changes made to facilitate covid?
- The opening of remote jury centres across Scotland using state-of-the-art technology: allowing High and Sheriff Court solemn trials to resume, physically distanced, with jurors attending at remote locations.
- The launch of our integrated case management system in the Court of Session, facilitating online submission for personal injury cases.
- The Court of Session operating entirely as a virtual court, at business-as-usual levels, using a secure videoconferencing solution with a hybrid of video and teleconferencing supporting the ongoing work of the Sheriff Appeal Court, Bail Appeal Court, evidential hearings and all urgent and non-urgent business types.
- The roll-out of virtual hearings for a significant proportion of Sheriff Court civil cases including proofs, debates, evidential and Fatal Accident Inquiry hearings
What are two goals that the SCTS aim to achieve in the up-coming years?
- To recover from the backlogs of cases that have developed, as excessive delay causes harm to all involved
- In achieving this recover, create a better system- learning from new approaches and opportunities that are now apparent.
What future projects is SCTS undergoing?
• Respond to the level of sexual offending cases. Number of cases are at a all-time high. Group led by Lord Justice Clerk (Lady Dorrian) is examining the way sexual assault cases are dealt with in the courts.
- Following the introudction of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotlnad) Act 2020, presumption for children and vulnerable witnesses to give evidence remotely and pre-recorded. SCTS are currently investing in an evidence and hearing suite. One already in Glasgow. Suites in development in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.
- Continue the merging of the 7 chambers in the First Tier Tribunal. Managing ongoing growth in business and potential for new jurisdictions to transfer.
- In 2019, launched “Civil Online” for simple procedure cases. Allowed access to digitial case files, allowed parties to submit cases, lodge documents and pay court fees online. Want this type of submission to be the norm. Want to expand Civil Online system to include to support Court of Session cases, initially personal injury.
Give a time where you managed your own time and varied workload to meet set deadlines, targets and standards whilst being flexible and supportive to change. (First Example).
Situation
- Learnt how to manage my time whilst at university and completing trainee advisor programme for Citizens Advice.
- Diploma is the postgraduate course that everyone who wants to become a solicitor takes before they can practice law.
- Trainee advisor programme is an in-depth 12 week intensive programme, where you are introduced the wide variety of topics you may have to discuss with future clients. E.g. benefits, legal system, debt recovery etc. Had to be completed before could interact with members of the public.
Task
- Diploma was based on course work and had different assessments each week to submit.
- Assessments included presentations, reports, wills, written pleadings.
- Workload was balanced against training programme with Citizens Advice to become client advisor.
- Training programme had two seminars each weeks and weekly modules to complete online. Weekly modules included researching a certain topic and completing a test online.
- Time also stretched because I would meet with my bureau co-ordinator weekly to check in how I was doing.
Action
- To manage time effectively I prioritised deadlines and tasks I had for the up-coming week.
- Determined which was more important then allocated set time for them to be completed in proportion to their importance
- Could then plan daily workload
- Create plans to meet deadlines with specific steps on how goal would be achieved.
- E.g report on limited liability partnerships would write down steps taking to achieve this goal like research, writing, editing, and reflecting.
- E.g. prepare for tutorial I had to set time aside to read through chapters, complete assigned question, prepare example documents e.g. guardianship order. Ensure I was prepared.
- However, could not plan everything had to maintain a flexible mindset
- Was first year diploma running online due to pandemic
- Teething issues- technological failures.
- Assessments released late and must re-adjust my workload to make up lost time
- Prevent things falling through the crack
Result
- Met all deadlines
- Graduated with a commendation
- Learnt how to manage time effectively
- Self-discipline
Give a time where you managed your own time and varied workload to meet set deadlines, targets and standards whilst being flexible and supportive to change. (Second Example).
Situation
• Whilst studying in my honours at university, I was also deputy head of the domestic abuse project for Aberdeen law project
Task
• This meant I had different tasks to do for my degree. E.g. tutorial prep, exam revision, essay drafting
• Whilst also handling my responsibilities to Aberdeen law project. Here I had to liaison with different charities to help arrange training sessions, handle our social media account during the enactment of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, go in to school to give presentations on digital crime, talk with Grampians womens aid, abused men in Scotland
• Whilst also handling my responsibilities to Aberdeen Law Project, these included:
- Arranging training sessions with different charities. Where different charities would come in and talk about what they did and how we could be an ally to those suffering domestic abuse. E.g. Abused Men of Scotland spokesperson came in. Was my job to welcome them. Also, Grampian women’s aid. Court presentation.
- Promote and inform the public of the changes the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act would have on the general public following its enactment. Through social media account
- Go in to schools to give presentation on digital crime
Action
- To manage time effectively I prioritised deadlines and tasks I had for the up-coming week.
- Determined which was more important then allocated set time for them to be completed in proportion to their importance
- Could then plan daily workload
- Create plans to meet deadlines with specific steps on how goal would be achieved.
- E.g. if I had an essay due in the up-coming weeks I would set out how long it would take to research, write, edit and reflect. I would then fit this in around my tutorials and lectures.
- E.g. if I was presenting in a high school that week, how long it would take to practice the pitch, reherse with my team, how long the trip would take.
- However, could not plan everything had to maintain a flexible mindset
- Sometimes their were opportunities too good to pass up. Law project often had last minute meetings with outside charities.
- Re-adjust my workload to make up lost time
- Prevent things falling through the crack and was completing all my obligations to the best of my ability
Result
- The experience taught me how to handle responsibility, how to cope under pressure and respond when things did not go to plan
- I successfully ran information evenings with Grampian women’s aid and abused men Scotland
- Passed my degree with commendation
- The digital crime projects still continue to work even after I left university.
Give an example of a time you had to communicate effectively with people at all levels, internally and externally.
Situation:
- I volunteered as an advisor for Citizens Advice over the past year.
- I worked on the telephone advice unit, which replaced in person meetings, and it was my responsibility to empower clients by giving the information they needed relating to their problems.
Task
- Each morning I would be given a list of client enquires and I would research a specific clients issue before phoning them to relay that information.
- One specific example was a client had split up with his partner, but his partner was still living in the property they jointly owned. The client wished to sell the property, but he didn’t. The client had came to the bureau seeking advice on what to do.
Action
- Communication was vital in these circumstances because I had to condense the information I learnt and pass it on to the client in a way they understood.
- The client was very emotional at the time due to the separation and so I had to ensure I remained professional and objective to the situation.
- I explained to the client all of his options about selling the house. I told him that he could raise an action for the division and sale of the property or the possibility of the client buying out his partner.
- I refrained from using legal jargon and explained the process clearly so that the client understood what I was telling him.
- I gave him opportunities to ask any further questions or if he needed to repeat anything.
- I was aware that some people get anxious talking over the phone and draw a mind blank. So I tried to make him feel as calm and listened to as possible.
- It wasn’t uncommon for people to dislike the over the phone service delivery CAB was offering.
- Due to covid advice was only giving over the phone. Added an extra barrier, especially to the elderly who were not as familiar with technology.
- Common for an elderly person to phone seeking help on filling out a benefit application.
- For example, a women once phoned because she found it difficult to complete the pip application and the guidance notes didn’t help. Struggle finding information on the internet.
- Here I had to set up a meeting with her whereby I would ask her questions and I would help to complete the pip application.
- She couldn’t hear well over the phone so I would shout. But I remained patient throughout and made sure the client felt empowered.
- Was not only client I had to interact with, but also members of my own team.
- Worked from home the entire time and so communication with my colleagues was down by way of teams and email.
- It was important to have weekly meetings with my bureau co-ordinator and ask any questions to make sure I had handled situations correctly.
- Written communication was essential also. Had to write up a case report after every client interaction.
- This was so every time a client came into the bureau there was a detailed account about their interaction. This meant that if the same client came in about the same issue multiple times, I didn’t have to be handled by the same advisor. The advisor could read the previous case report and jump right in.
- In that sense I learnt how to write clearly and communicate effectively.
Result
• My client interactions often went very well and left me feeling as though I had empowered my clients.
Demonstrate discretion understand importance and responsibilities when dealing with confidential information
Situation
• Volunteer for Citizens Advice
Task
- My role was to provide confidential and impartial advice to clients about a variety of problems.
- However, before I could give a client any advice it was vital that I obtained their consent to Citizen’s Advice collecting and recording the client’s personal information.
- My job was to explain to the client that Citizen’s Advice would keep their information securely and it would not be shared without the client’s consent.
- Once I had received this consent, I then had to fill out a client consent form in order to comply with data protection laws.
Action
- However, often had people on behalf of loved ones seeking advice. In these circumstances, it was vital that the individual who the loved one was representing gave consent to their details being shared and a third-party consent form be completed.
- This was to uphold not only Citizen’s Advice’s principal of confidentiality but also to prevent important data being leaked.
- Third party consent became even more important when the switch was made from in-person advice to telephone advice only during the pandemic.
- Often people would phone the advice unit to find out if someone they knew had been into the centre recently and what advice they were giving.
- This was particularly common in cases where a couple had recently broken up and one of the partners wanted to know what advice the other one had been given.
- In these circumstances, it was important not to give out any information about an individual who was not on the phone at the time.
- Preventing these data leaks were made particularly challenging during the pandemic because all advice was given over the phone. This meant I had to go to extra lengths to ensure that someone was not pretending to be someone else and I had to ask extra security questions to ensure I did not release confidential information.
- One time a daughter phoned asking information about her father who was in hospital. The women told me that the father was deaf and blind and was unable to give consent. In this circumstance, I had to ask for the women to send out proof of the power of attorney she claimed to have before I could give out any information.
- Working from home during the pandemic also meant I had to be extra cautious to ensure no details about clients were leaked. This meant all client details had to be kept securely and could not be accessed by any of my flatmates and the case record were kept on Citizen’s Advice’s secure server.
Result
• I constantly ensured I met data protection regulations and exceeded company standards.
Demonstrate a working knowledge of microsoft office programmes, including outlook and calendars
Situation
• I became well versed in Microsoft office during university, working as a receptionist and for citizens advice.
Task
• Throughout university, I needed an online server to keep all my documents
Action
- Throughout university, I used Microsoft word, power point, One note and one drive. Learnt shortcuts on the software to make my work more efficient
- Receptionist: use excel for cashing up and summarising daily intake, stock and inventory, promotional offers January free
- Outlook calendar: Client Representation team, all meetings and appointments were scheduled through outlook calendar so became well versed.
Result
• Efficient worker
Give an example where you had experience of supporting colleagues and working as a team player. (First example)
Situation
• As a lifeguard, it is my responsibility to provide the first aid to any customers who are injured during their visit.
Task:
- On one occasion, a lady in her 60s tried to get climb down from the ledge on poolside over into the shallow end where she then slipped and fell onto her shoulder.
- An emergency code red was then called over the radio where all available members of staff went to poolside.
Action
- There was a team of three and we all worked together to help the women get to her feet without cause anymore damage to her shoulder.
- We had to communicate to one another what each of us would do and remain calm as to not give the lady any more reason to panick.
- I then went to get the wheelchair so she could be taken off poolside and given the necessary first aid.
- My colleague and I then decided that she would put a sling on the customer, and I would obtain her details to fallout an incident report form.
- Throughout the entire incident, I kept chatting to her and trying to keep her mind of the pain to help make the situation better.
Result
- After we administered first aid, the women was taking to hospital with her son where it was then discovered she had dislocated her shoulder.
- The women got in touch with the centre the next day and reported how lovely all the staff had been and that I had helped keep her calm in a stressful situation. We had worked together as a team to help the women and had communicated effectively so as to reduce the amount of pain she was in.
