Members of the Judiciary who hold the position of magistrate judge may specialise in juvenile matters as referred to in Article 329.3 of the Organic Law on the Judiciary by completing a specialisation course in juvenile matters, in accordance with Chapter V of Title II of Regulation 2/2011 on the Judiciary.

Holding the position of magistrate judge at the time of submitting the application is an essential requirement for taking the specialisation course. The General Council of the Judiciary will select the participants of the specialisation course, taking into account the number of participants in the call for applicants, and will assess the personal file, professional services and the merits of the applicants as a whole.

The body responsible for the selection process is the General Council of the Judiciary.

The selection process will comprise the following stages:

I. Completion of an objective test, which involves answering a multiple-choice questionnaire on issues related the teaching material provided to applicants selected to take part in the specialisation course, which in all cases will include a set of current legislative provisions on the subject matter.

II. Completion of a theoretical and practical course at the Judicial School, which will take place over three months in three monthly periods:

a) First and third monthly periods: the programme content will be theoretical and cover law and other complementary disciplines considered necessary to reach the appropriate level of professional training.

b) Second monthly period: this is practical in nature and includes attendance at Juvenile Courts and juvenile protection and rehabilitation institutions or community support services.

III. Completion of a final evaluation test, theoretical-practical in nature.

The candidates will be assessed in all cases by the teachers of the programme, taking into account the activity reports written by the presiding judges of the Juvenile Courts and the heads of the juvenile protection and rehabilitation institutions or community support services concerned.