Child witnesses will be allowed to use video links

The measures have been agreed by the Crown Office, the Law Society of Scotland and children's charities.

The steps include giving priority to cases where child witnesses are involved and allowing youngsters to give evidence via a video link.

The Scottish Executive is also making moves towards the appointment of special vulnerable witness officers.

New funding

The good practice guidelines, which will form the new national standard for the treatment of children by judges and lawyers, were published by the executive on Tuesday.

Their aim is to protect all children who come into contact with the courts.

Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry said that �1m is being set aside to fund the new body.

He said: "We will deliver the reforms necessary to improve our justice system, delivering the service victims have a right to expect.

"Children are among the most vulnerable of witnesses and I am pleased that we are launching the first of a set of guidelines which will set the standards that all the participants in our justice system expect their representatives to adopt.

"An extra �1m to invest in victims and witness support from 2004-05 will allow us to get the practicalities into place."

National service

They will eventually be backed by changes in the law giving children the automatic right to a video link.

Cases involving child witnesses will be given a higher priority to prevent the long wait before the cases come to court.

A special unit will be created within the Scottish Executive to look at the establishment of a new national service of vulnerable witnesses officers.

Opposition parties have welcomed the changes, but said they had been astonishingly slow.