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Chapter One Introduction
1.1 This chapter outlines the context of the evaluation of post-school psychological services at local, cluster and strategic levels across the 12 local authority Pathfinders in Scotland. It summarises the background to the development of PSPS in educational psychology, and considers its national and international significance in the light of relevant literature.
Context of evaluation
1.2 In 2003 the then Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Lewis Macdonald approved 12 Post-School Psychological Service ( PSPS) Pathfinders for the period April 2004 to March 2006 to demonstrate service delivery at local, cluster and strategic levels. The local authority Pathfinders are: Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Midlothian, Perth & Kinross, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian. These services are embedded within the support, quality assurance and management structures of local authority educational psychology services.
1.3 PSPS represents an extension of the existing work of services with the 0-19 age group. Services work collaboratively with key stakeholders, and in particular with Scotland's Colleges, Careers Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and local training providers. Where possible, clusters are formed to maximise resources and to ensure that effective services are provided to stakeholders whose boundaries are not co-terminous with local authorities.
1.4 Educational psychology services in Scotland have 5 core functions (MacKay, 1989), which in recent years have been formalised in nationally-agreed documents (MacKay, 1999; Scottish Executive, 2002a). These are: consultation, assessment, intervention, training and research. They summarise the role of the psychologist in working at a consultative level with young people, parents and other professionals; in assessing needs using a range of methods and approaches; in designing and carrying out interventions to address needs; in offering training and professional development to others who work with young people; and in designing and participating in action research and projects.
1.5 These 5 core functions are reflected in the roles specified for psychologists in delivering post-school psychological services, where they have been grouped in the 4 areas of: consultation, assessment and intervention, training and development, and projects and action research (Boyle, Crichton & Hellier, 2003). This range of educational psychology functions provides a collaborative basis for effective interagency working. While several other professionals also have important roles in relation to all of these 4 areas, the work of the educational psychologist represents an essential and separate component as it is based on the distinctive foundation of psychological theory and practice.
1.6 Provision has also been made for 2 Strategic Officers ( SOs), linked to local authorities, who deliver services to national bodies such as Careers Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and Scotland's Colleges (previously Further Education colleges), partly through Beattie Resources for Inclusiveness in Technology and Education ( BRITE) and the Scottish Further Education Unit ( SFEU). They also have responsibility for overseeing development of PSPS at local and cluster levels and for liaising with non-Pathfinder authorities to keep them informed of developments and to support post-school initiatives.
1.7 In May 2004 the Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department commissioned an evaluation of post-school psychological services Pathfinders in Scotland, to be undertaken between August 2004 and March 2006. Following the first evaluative exercise and an interim report in December 2005, this final report covers both evaluative exercises and the other evidence gathered throughout the period of evaluation.
1.8 The aims of the evaluation were to assess the way in which post-school psychological services have developed, the contribution they have made and their effectiveness in promoting better outcomes for young people. The objectives were:
- to assess the development of PSPS at local, cluster and strategic levels
- to evaluate the role of the Strategic Officers and their contribution to planning and facilitating implementation of PSPS within educational psychology services
- to assess service delivery in the 12 Pathfinder authorities and the part played by PSPS in strategic development
- to assess the extent to which PSPS service delivery has contributed to improved outcomes for this client group.
1.9 The vision of PSPS was described in the research specification as being to apply psychological knowledge and skills to support clients and key stakeholders to enhance lifelong learning, through deployment of the full range of professional roles. Overall, the aim was to promote better outcomes for young people and, in so doing, to contribute to the reduction of the proportion not in employment, education or training ( NEET). In seeking to promote better outcomes the aims of PSPS were defined as being:
- to support the young person's transition to post-school by enhancing continuity and progression
- to complement the assessment and advice of college, training provider or Careers Scotland
- to improve the understanding, skills and effectiveness of service providers through consultation, training and action research
- to contribute to strategic developments locally and nationally, including policy development.
1.10 These aims and objectives pointed to a model of evaluation based both on process and on outcome. In terms of process, it was necessary to assess how post-school services had developed in the Pathfinder authorities and how their development had been supported and facilitated by the SOs. In terms of outcome, it was necessary to assess how any such developments had played a part in effecting improvements in the post-school experience of young people. In particular, the aims of PSPS pointed to clear research questions. Have the young person's transitions been enhanced? Is there better assessment? Do service providers have better understanding, skills and effectiveness? And, in what ways has local and national policy been influenced? The evaluation was therefore designed to address these issues.
1.11 There is virtually no existing literature on the provision of post-school educational psychology services within a local authority context, and much of what does exist has originated from developments in Scotland. This study therefore represents a unique opportunity to evaluate a distinctive and innovative service that has the potential to provide not only a Scottish but also an international standard for services to young people in this age group.
1.12 The importance of Scottish educational psychology in setting international standards of good practice and provision has been widely recognised in relation to several areas. These include: the most comprehensive statutory foundation for service provision of any country in the world (MacKay, 1996; 2003); the first nationally recognised performance indicators for educational psychology (MacKay, 1999); and the first national endorsement of a role for educational psychology in providing services to all children and young people and not just those with additional support needs (Scottish Executive, 2002a). The structure of service delivery on which PSPS is based - the foundation of consultation, of assessment and intervention, of training and development and of projects and action research (MacKay, 1989) - itself represents an international standard of good practice, and indeed Scotland was the first country to provide official national endorsement of research as a core function of educational psychology provision (MacKay, 1999, 2002; Scottish Executive, 2002a).
Background
1.13 The statutory context in which educational psychology services operate is set out in section 4 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, as amended by subsequent legislation. The functions of services include the study of children and young people with additional support needs, the giving of advice to parents and teachers as to appropriate methods of education for such children and young people, in suitable cases making provision for their needs and the giving of advice to a local authority within the meaning of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 regarding assessments of need for the purposes of any of the provisions of that or any other enactment. There is, however, a wider statutory context relating to the powers and duties of local authorities in respect of the post-school age group. This includes their duties as corporate parents to provide throughcare and aftercare for children and young people who are looked after and accommodated, support for those with incapacities and mental health issues, duties relating to the care and protection of vulnerable adults and the general powers under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003 to promote well-being across the community. Most recently in the implementation of the Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Act 2004 includes a statutory function for local authorities to undertake transition planning to post-school for a much wider client group. In giving psychological services a key role in assisting local authorities in the discharge of these functions PSPS is a groundbreaking initiative for Scottish educational psychology.
1.14 Historically, the provision of educational psychology services in the post-school sector has been late in developing. Despite the breadth of the statutory foundations of Scottish services, for a long period the client group to whom services were provided was narrower both in scope and in age than at the present time. As far as scope is concerned, services to children and young people with the most severe and complex level of needs was limited. It was the publication of the Melville Report (Scottish Education Department, 1973), leading to the Education (Scotland) (Mentally Handicapped Children) Act 1974, that extended the involvement of psychologists with children who had severe learning difficulties, and then gave them a statutory involvement with the most complex group, who had previously been described in the Education (Scotland) Act 1969 as 'unfit for education or training either by ordinary methods or by special methods'.
1.15 As far as age is concerned, the child guidance services that later became psychological services were established by statute as early as the Education (Scotland) Act 1946, and became mandatory on all authorities in 1969. However, it was not until the passing of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 that statutory provision was made not just for children of school age but for the entire 0-19 population, although some additional services for pre-school children and young people aged 17-18 were included in the Record of Needs legislation provided in the Education (Scotland) Act 1981. Over a lengthy period, psychological services had gradually moved from their main concern with the population of primary school age to providing regular services to pre-school establishments and secondaries. Services to young people over 16 tended to be provided mainly for those who were still at school, particularly special school, or during a brief period of transition into post-school provision.
1.16 The main thrust in the development of post-school psychological services in Scotland was the appointment in April 1998 of the Advisory Committee on Post-School Education and Training for Young People with Special Needs (the Beattie Committee). Its terms of reference were:
'To review the range of needs among young people who require additional support to make the transition to post-school education and training or employment; the assessment of needs; the quality and effectiveness of current provision in improving skills and employability; and to make recommendations to improve coherence, continuity and progression.'
1.17 The Committee focused on young people in the 16-24 age range with a 'wide range of diverse and complex needs', including those with physical disabilities, learning difficulties, mental health problems and emotional and social difficulties. Many were disadvantaged in multiple ways, and many belonged to the NEET group. Evidence from a variety of sources pointed to over-representation in this group of males, those who were looked after and accommodated by local authorities, young offenders, those with few basic skills, those from disrupted family backgrounds and those with a high prevalence of risk-taking behaviour, such as smoking and substance abuse. Despite their varying difficulties, they nevertheless tended to share a similar outlook on life. They wanted to participate in society and, for most, employment was the key to realising this aim.
1.18 The recommendations of the Beattie Report, Implementing Inclusiveness, Realising Potential, (Scottish Executive, 1999a) emphasised the need for a culture of inclusiveness which would ensure that the needs, abilities and aspirations of young people were recognised, understood and met within a supportive environment. These recommendations led to new partnership developments such as the Inclusiveness Projects managed by the Careers Service and then taken over by Careers Scotland in April 2002, providing key workers to support transitions and progression for young people, and the BRITE initiative, as part of improved assessment and support services in Scotland's Colleges. The Report also emphasised the need for all agencies to work together to plan provision for young people who required additional support to make a successful transition from school to further education, training or employment, supported by an improved assessment process and by enhanced staff training and development.
1.19 In supporting these aims the Report anticipated a key role for educational psychology services. Specifically, the Committee recommended that:
'the Scottish Executive, in co-operation with the Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists, the British Psychological Society and COSLA, should develop a specification for psychological services for 16-24 year olds…They should also review staffing levels and training requirements for psychological services in Scotland in light of this new emphasis and extension of role' (paragraph 6.46).
1.20 The Report acknowledged a lack of such specialist services for vulnerable young people and adults in the post-school sector. The psychological services envisaged in the Report as making a key contribution were: to complement and augment the assessment and advice provided by college or training provider staff; to contribute to contextual assessment which is solution focused and is consistent with inclusiveness; to support the transition process; and to contribute to strategic developments within the area structure arrangements. In this way, the work of other professionals would be complemented by a distinctive and specialist contribution, utilising the knowledge, skills and expertise that derive from the evidence base of educational psychology.
1.21 These proposals were developed further by the Scottish Executive in partnership with the Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists and later became part of the professional development programme for the profession, leading to a specification of the role of 3 part-time National Development Officers ( NDOs) for post-school services (Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists, 2001). The tasks proposed for the NDOs included: working with members of the Beattie Implementation Team; establishing links between Scotland's Colleges, Careers Scotland, training providers, inclusiveness projects and psychological services; contributing to training for project co-ordinators and key workers in inclusiveness projects; linking with postgraduate training courses at Dundee and Strathclyde Universities to determine the implications for training of educational psychologists; offering a consultancy service to Scotland's Colleges and other post-school service providers; setting up a practitioner network for psychological services; and carrying out a survey of stakeholders on the most effective use of post-school psychological services.
1.22 The Currie review of Scottish educational psychology services (Scottish Executive, 2002a) had a specific remit to take full account of the Beattie review, and accordingly took evidence from Dr Cyril Hellier, one of the 3 National Development Officers at that time. The report reinforced the commitment to an extended role for psychologists in relation to the age group up to age 24. To this end it considered the implications of Beattie for future staffing and training requirements. Post-school services were seen as being crucial to supporting the fifth national priority for education in Scotland, namely, 'to equip pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations necessary to prosper in a changing society and to encourage creativity and ambition'. In particular, it was recognised that if the PSPS initiative proved successful, there would 'clearly be a need to train more educational psychologists in addition to what has already been recommended'.
Relevant literature and documentation
1.23 Despite the lack of either academic or professional practice literature in this specific field, a considerable body of documentation is available to support this evaluation. The most relevant documents are in 3 subject areas: first, the literature informing post-school provision and support for young people and young adults, including those with additional support needs; second, the general literature of direct relevance to the provision of educational psychology services; third, the small number of documents bridging these 2 fields and focusing specifically on post-school educational psychology services. While a wider-ranging consideration of this literature will inform the overall evaluation, the following documents are of most direct relevance to developments in Scotland and are referred to briefly here.
1.24 In relation to post-school provision and support for young people and young adults, the Beattie Report was part of a developing context in which there has been an enhanced professional and legislative concern for the interests and well-being of this group. As well as the general impetus of the National Priorities, designed to support the educational and wider interests of all children and young people, there has been a particular concern for those who are most vulnerable. This has been reflected in a wide range of documents aimed at promoting social inclusion, mental health, enhanced educational provision and inter-agency collaboration, together with tackling socio-economic disadvantage.
1.25 The theme of social inclusion has been prominent throughout the last decade. It has informed educational legislation, such as the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000, the Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils' Educational Records) (Scotland) Act 2002, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, with its emphasis, inter alia, on statutory transition planning and on post-school continuity and progression, and wider legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It is also the theme of official documents in which inclusion of people with additional support needs is the philosophy governing their titles and content, such as Equally Successful ( HMI, 1996), The Same as You (Scottish Executive, 2002b) and Life Through Learning, Learning Through Life: The Lifelong Learning Strategy for Scotland (Scottish Executive, 2003).
1.26 Inclusion has also been the theme of health documents of central relevance to vulnerable young people in post-school educational provision. The White Paper Towards a Healthier Scotland promised 'a sustained attack on social exclusion' (Scottish Office, 1999). The aim, as outlined in the report Social Justice: A Scotland Where Everyone Matters was 'to focus support on the most vulnerable young people who are in greatest danger of becoming permanently excluded' (Scottish Executive, 1999b). The need was 'to work on a broad front to improve physical, mental and social well-being, fitness and quality of life', with a view to a population that would be well, with energy, confidence and enthusiasm.
1.27 A major theme of effective transition, identifying need and appropriate sharing of information, to aid continuity and progression, has been evident in recent years, together with a move increasingly to offer a flexible curriculum, high value vocational courses and work experience. Subsequent to the Beattie Report, Moving on From School to College ( HMIE, 2002), set the scene in highlighting best practice in relation to transition from school to college. The recent Code of Practice to accompany the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 includes a new statutory focus for local authorities on transition planning to post-school. In addition, the NEET strategy 1 (Scottish Executive, 2006a) and Employability Framework 2 (Scottish Executive, 2006b) have emphasised the importance of early intervention in school, to reduce the likelihood of disengagement in the world of training, education or work.
1.28 The need to integrate services underscored in For Scotland's Children (Scottish Executive, 2001) is repeated in the HMIE report Working Together on cross-sectoral provision of vocational education for Scottish school pupils (2005). 'Determined to Succeed', the Scottish Executive's strategy for enterprise in education, represents a flagship policy for Scotland, to promote enterprise across primary and secondary schooling and guaranteed work experience from S3 onwards. 3 The School College Review (Scottish Executive, 2005) signalled a significant move toward partnership working between schools and Scotland's Colleges in developing new vocational courses and qualifications. All secondary schools should be working in partnership with Scotland's Colleges by 2007. Getting it Right for Every Child (Scottish Executive, 2004a), a review of the Children's Hearing system, includes guidance on the development of a single integrated assessment across agencies.
1.29 The report of the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme Mental Health Promotion Among Young People examined the mental health of young people up to 18 years and considered implications for the enhancement of emotional well-being among this age group (Scottish Needs Assessment Programme, 2000). It recommended that support should be provided for parents and others such as educational professionals working in direct contact settings. Effective inter-agency working has been recognised as being crucial to all of these aims , with a need for work across agencies to help those who are 'at risk through behavioural disorders and educational failure' (Scottish Office, 1999).
1.30 The wider agenda for tackling socio-economic disadvantage is fundamental to the programme of social inclusion, promoting mental health, enhancing educational provision and fostering effective working among agencies. This aspect is of such importance that tackling inequalities has been described as an 'overarching aim' (Scottish Office, 1999), with social disadvantage being recognised as having a profound influence on educational attainments, mental health and uptake of post-school services and support.
1.31 A wide range of literature is available of direct relevance to the provision of educational psychology services in Scotland. The Currie Report was both preceded and followed by a variety of documents that recognised the developing role of the psychologist within a framework of quality standards (MacKay, 1999; HMI, 1997), that referred to psychological functions within a statutory context (Education [Additional Support for Learning] [Scotland] Act 2004) or that dealt with other aspects of role, training and staffing in psychological services (Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists, 1997; Closs, 1998).
1.32 In addition, since 1989 an extensive series of publications has been available through the Professional Development Programme (formerly the Professional Development Initiative) funded by the Executive for education authority psychological services. These publications provide an extensive body of evidence regarding the distinctive contribution of the educational psychologist within a Scottish educational context. They provide many exemplars of the value of the specialist psychological role in relation to the core functions of consultation, assessment and intervention, training and development, and projects and action research.
1.33 The small number of documents that bridge the above areas and deal specifically with the provision of post-school psychological services is of considerable importance in informing the context of the evaluation. It includes 3 Professional Development Programme reports 4, one on developing a role for psychological services post-16 (Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists, 2001), one on post-school transitions (Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists, 2005) and a third paper in press, The Strategic Contribution of Post-School Psychological Services to Integrated Assessment (Hellier, in press). There is also a brief paper on Post-School Psychological Services ( PSPS) - Present and Future (Hellier & Crichton, 2005), a section of the report Partnership Matters (Scottish Executive, 2004b) and in particular the survey of key stakeholders (Boyle, Crichton & Hellier, 2002) and the Developing Post-School Psychological Services Interim Report (Boyle, Crichton & Hellier, 2003).
1.34 In the context of social justice targets, psychological services now face a changing world with direct inspection, to be piloted in 2006 as part of an integrated inspection of all authority services by 2008. Quality indicators to underpin this process are likely to include direct reference to management of information on tracking and outcomes in school and post-school settings. The HMIE report Missing Out (2006) identifies the challenge for authorities to raise levels of achievement and also track post-school outcomes for the bottom 20% of pupils more effectively.
1.35 The survey of key stakeholders (Boyle, Crichton & Hellier, 2002) obtained responses from a wide range of relevant post-school agencies - 36 colleges, 17 training providers, 12 Careers Scotland inclusiveness projects and 10 others. It therefore provided a broad basis from which to plan the development of psychological services appropriate to the needs of this sector. The recommendations arising from the survey emphasised a context of multi-agency working in which engagement and empowerment of the client should be the guiding principle, and in addition established a range of proposals for PSPS development in the areas of consultation, assessment and intervention, training and action research. The focus was on the need for service delivery in a strategic context.
1.36 The interim report on the development of PSPS (Boyle, Crichton & Hellier, 2003) was of central importance in paving the way for Pathfinder services and for national strategic developments beyond the National Development Officer phase. It also made clear proposals for key roles for educational psychology services, for a model of service delivery at local, cluster and strategic levels, for a recruitment and training strategy both for new trainees and for continuing professional development and for a long-term implementation plan. In addition, it provided an outline portfolio of services that would form the basis of service level agreements with stakeholders.
1.37 Prior to the establishment of Pathfinders, psychological services were invited to make submissions to the Executive regarding the post-school services they would wish to provide if selected for the Pathfinder project. The detailed submissions from the 12 authorities that were selected have been of considerable value in contributing to the available documentation for this evaluation.
Summary
1.38 This chapter has described the context in which the evaluation of post-school psychological services at local, cluster and strategic levels across the 12 local authority Pathfinders in Scotland has been carried out. It has summarised the way in which PSPS has evolved within the profession of educational psychology, in the light of relevant literature and of key legislative and professional developments. It has also pointed to the significance of the development and evaluation of PSPS in Scotland in terms of national and international standards for educational psychology as a profession in its support for the post-school client group.
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