When the children's hearing system was introduced 40 years ago it was welcomed as a pioneering way to deal with children in trouble or at risk. The aim was to concentrate on the welfare of children. The global reputation the system came to enjoy testified to the success it came to achieve in meeting the needs of youngsters. However, flaws have appeared in the system. These include difficulties experienced in handling the offending side of the system promptly and effectively, a result of combining that side with caring duties.

Originally, most referrals were of children and youngsters who had committed offences, but in recent years referrals on grounds of care have become more common. There is evidence to show that the system had been swamped, potentially putting children at continued or even greater risk if not referred within the target timeframe. It is against this backdrop that the Scottish Government announced its intention to bring together the disparate parts of the system to provide a more rigorous and consistently applied service.

Adam Ingram, the Minister for Children and Early Years, yesterday put flesh on the bones of the government's proposals, which will be out for consultation until the autumn. In principle, there is much to welcome in the planned overhaul. There are now some 100 different bodies in the hearing system and it would appear to make sense to bring them together in a single unit. Streamlining offers the opportunity to make economies of scale.

Given that an overstretched social work service, in terms of staffing and funding, had contributed to the failure to refer children in need of help as promptly as should have been the case, there would be a clear benefit where most needed if funds freed up in administration could be diverted to bolster the front line by investing in training and support. Concern had been expressed that local delivery of services could be undermined under a centralised control. The local dimension is critical in deciding how best to meet the needs of children in the system so it is important that the proposals guarantee local delivery in each council area.

The true test of any overhaul will be whether it creates a brighter and better future for vulnerable youngsters. That aim will be achieved only if the system is given the level of resources required, which has not been the case in the past. There are thousands of children in the system each year. Regardless of the model created to meet their needs, they must not be failed by a lack of proper investment.