Short-life Working Group on Co-ordinated Support Plans (CSPs): Final Report

Variations in awareness and understanding of the legislation, support and planning process within the Staged Level of Intervention and CSPs:

• Purpose
• Criteria
• Role of each stakeholder
• Statutory requirements.
• Statutory requirements for looked after children and young people

The Scottish Government and Education Scotland will work with partners to co-produce information and guidance with and for children and young people.

Accessible information and guidance developed for families to be made available through a range of appropriate sources.

There will be information and guidance targeted at children and young people in a range of formats from early years to senior phase. This will include:

• Signposting to existing information and support
• An overview of how ASN is supported
• Rights and entitlements
• Refreshed guidance for children and young people.

The Scottish Government and Education Scotland will work with partners to co-produce information and guidance with and for parents and carers.

Accessible information and guidance developed for families to be made available through a range of appropriate sources.

There will be information and guidance produced in a range of formats and targeted at parents and carers and children and young people

This will include:

• Targeted information for identified stages e.g., Birth – ELC P1, P7, Senior Phase.
• An overview/summary of the Scottish context for inclusion and ASN
• The inter-relation of educational planning
• Explanation of terminology
• Rights and entitlements
• Refreshed guidance for families

The Scottish Government and Education Scotland will work with partners to develop and provide access to a suite of national relationship based professional learning approaches and resources applicable to education and multiagency partners.

The development of professional learning resources will include areas highlighted within this table and will be targeted at 3 incremental levels of knowledge and understanding – 1. Informed 2. Specialist and 3. Enhanced. These will include signposting to existing information and supports and a focus on:

• The inter-relation of educational planning
• Rights and entitlements of children, young people and families.
• Professional duties (including the Corporate Parent role) and rights, with particular focus on the duties which apply when children and young people are Looked After by one local authority and educated in another.
• Access to professional learning opportunities
• Refreshed national guidance on the Staged Level of Intervention
• Refreshed national guidance on Individualised Education Programmes (IEPs).
• Explanation of terminology
• Ensuring the information, guidance and resources is accessible.

These professional learning resources will align with the refresh of the statutory supporting learners' Code of Practice and refreshed GIRFEC policy and practice guidance.

The relationship of CSPs to other support plans - Education and multi-agency.

Variations in an inclusive experience of requesting, compiling and reviewing a CSP across different educational establishments and authorities

Age appropriate resources and information to support engagement of children and young people within processes involved in ASN planning including CSPs

Resources and information to support parental engagement and collaboration within the processes involved in ASN planning including CSPs

Professional engagement and learning opportunities will focus on the development of relational approaches for all professionals to promote a common understanding of statutory duties and language relating to CSP criteria.

Consideration of time and resources allocated to promote the development of this relational approach in practice.

The processes of requesting, compiling and reviewing a CSP can, for some be stressful. This can result in difficulties in establishing and maintaining positive collaborative relationships.

Inconsistent across 32 local authorities.

Scottish Government and Education Scotland will collaborate with partners to co-produce refreshed information, guidance and professional learning opportunities which will be developed during the 2021/22 academic session. Work with partners to share key messages through social media and national platforms. Targeted to the range of stakeholders involved.

Ensuring statutory time scales are met by all agencies.

Ensuring that a focus on timescales is included within the co-production of information and guidance for, children and young people and their families.

Professional engagement and learning opportunities will focus on:

• Multiagency participation and responsibilities within the time scales
• How to ensure there is sufficient time for CSP planning and review,

Misunderstanding that a CSP will be the trigger for the allocation of resources – staff time, support approaches, equipment.

Ensuring that a focus on the purpose and criteria of CSPs and the role of each professional involved is included within the co-production of information and guidance for children, young people, parents and carers.

Ensuring there is appropriate time and support for Early Intervention approaches; for planning, preparation and relational engagement.

Overly bureaucratic planning processes., resulting in duplication of paperwork.

Rising complexity of need.

Increase in the number of children and young people in Scotland with additional support needs.

Pressure on specialist staff in Education and the partner agencies which can result in increased waiting times.

Strengthen guidance around a single planning process with aim of early intervention, reducing bureaucracy and duplication. Work with other policy areas and stakeholders involved in planning for the Child to move towards a 'one child, one plan' approach.

ASLIG to consider as part of their future work plan the issue of resources having due regard to the rising complexity of need and the need to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of appropriately trained staff to provide support for children and young people. ASLIG will engage fully with the Scottish Government and Local Government to support any audit of outcomes for children and young people with additional support needs undertaken by Audit Scotland.

ASLIG to continue to develop a national measurement framework (as set out in detail at section 1.2 of the updated ASL Action Plan). This framework will include information and data from a range of sources, including on CSPs. A set of aims, aligned to UNCRC and structured around the four principles of Inclusion (present, participating, achieving, supported) have been developed by ASLIG and will support the development of a co-produced annual report to record outcomes for children and young people with additional support needs. As part of this work, ASLIG will continue to work closely with local authorities to address any barriers to data collection, including data on CSPs.

As set out at 5.1.6 of the ASL Action Plan, the Scottish Government is working with partners, including the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, to ensure there is appropriate career progression and pathways for teachers looking to specialise in Additional Support for Learning, with particular emphasis on ensuring that the Lead Teacher structure delivers on this outcome.