The children's hearings system is a system of statutory intervention in the life of a child and their family. The statutory intervention takes the form of an order such as Compulsory Supervision Order (CSO), and a CSO is issued by a children's hearing or by a sheriff. The children's hearings system deals with referrals in the same way, regardless of the ground on which the child has been referred e.g. whether they have been referred for care and protection concerns or as a result of their own behaviour, which can include offending.