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Chapter S ix The impact on Young People

6.1 Taking account of the views and experiences of young people in relation to PSPS was an important part of the evaluation process. This chapter considers the impact of post-school psychological services on young people, by reviewing evidence that derives both from direct views and experiences of the young people themselves and from outcomes that indicate a range of specific benefits for young people. On the basis of the available evidence it is concluded that:

• a context for supporting the view that PSPS was having a positive impact on the quality of life of young people and their families had already been established from earlier work
• the more extensive development of PSPS in Pathfinders has been accompanied by a wider range of initiatives involving consultation with young people than in non-Pathfinders
• these initiatives are of direct relevance to the key objectives of the Pathfinder project
• young people and their parents and carers have valued the work done by psychological services at the post-school stage
• the initiatives being carried out by Pathfinders have led to a vast number of demonstrable improvements in outcomes for young people not only through training and strategic work but also through more traditional work with individuals
• the evidence gathered in relation to young people has further validated the evidence from all other sources regarding the value of PSPS in the Pathfinder services.

Obtaining direct views from young people

6.2 It is acknowledged that the experience and expertise of educational psychologists equips them for a key role in supporting young people in general and those with additional support needs in particular. The initiatives detailed in Chapter 3 on the development of PSPS in Pathfinders and non-Pathfinders, and the validating evidence from other post-school agencies, are replete with examples of how this task is carried out through consultation, assessment and intervention, training and research.

6.3 As PSPS becomes increasingly established in Pathfinder services, and as clients and partner agencies increasingly experience the value of the services offered, it is expected that there should be a developing body of evidence of the impact of PSPS on the young people themselves, as reflected in their views and experiences. At the same time, this is an area which presents a number of challenges in terms of evaluation.

6.4 In particular, a challenge arises from the model of service delivery appropriate to this area of work. As discussed and exemplified throughout this report, the recommended model was a strategic one based on supporting other post-school providers through a process of consultation, training and involvement at research and policy levels. This was in contrast to a direct model of individual assessment and intervention. Although the place for individual work was recognised and such work was being carried out when appropriate, the efficient use of modest additional resources and the overall benefits of a strategic model dictated that a strategic role would be the main approach used for post-school work.

6.5 In the nature of a strategic role the delivery of psychological services is usually some distance removed from direct contact with young people, although they are the ultimate beneficiaries of the services provided. This makes it more difficult to isolate specific contributions that might be clearly reflected by young people themselves as stemming from psychological service input. Indeed, in many cases the contribution of the psychologist may be several stages removed from the young person. For example, when the PSPS contribution has been to provide training in areas such as identifying support needs or improving behaviour management, and those trained take on the role of training staff in their services, the ultimate benefits in better identification and management, however real and important, are unlikely to be identifiable through direct feedback from young people.

6.6 It is also the case that young people who experience benefits from improved services to which psychologists have contributed may not have a basis for making comparisons with any other experience of service delivery, since they are exposed only to the improved services. In addition, for some services a direct approach to young people may be inappropriate for other reasons. For example, in one case the psychologist was part of a multi-agency group to design new procedures for college assessment. The new assessment framework was then disseminated to key college staff, but part of its rationale was to move from singling out young people with additional needs and to make the process less conspicuous. The work to which PSPS had contributed was therefore not only some steps removed from the young people but was designed to be inconspicuous to them.

6.7 A final challenge relates to ensuring that young people's views and experiences are representative. This does not merely reflect the usual constraints on obtaining what might be viewed as representative samples for research but includes issues specific to the population under consideration. A key role of psychological services is in providing support for vulnerable young people who have additional support needs. This includes those young people whose learning and other disabilities are at a level where their voice will not be heard because they are not equipped to express a viewpoint on the services they require. Within this group are many with severe and complex learning difficulties and with autistic spectrum disorders.

6.8 It was therefore considered appropriate to collaborate with psychological services and other agencies that might be able to co-operate in taking this strand forward, through work they had undertaken in relevant contexts with young people with whom they were already involved. It was also important to consider any available views from parents and carers in relation to the post-school stage. The questionnaires sent to psychological services included a question on whether they had taken any steps to obtain views from young people on PSPS. Where necessary further information on this area was obtained on follow-up interviews.

6.9 The support of the Strategic Officers in gathering and preparing evidence for this section is acknowledged. The National Development Officers had collected evidence from young people at an earlier stage (Boyle, Crichton & Hellier, 2003), and at the time of this evaluation the SOs had already requested psychological services to send further information on impact on young people. Rather than making a second approach to services for the same information, it was agreed that the evidence collected by the SOs would continue to be collated by them and passed on to the researchers. Most of the evidence prepared and annotated by them has been utilised in this chapter. It both complements and supplements the documentation and feedback obtained by the researchers.

The background context

6.10 A range of evidence relevant to the impact of the educational psychologist's work on young people and their families was available for some time prior to this evaluation, and some of it informed the context for post-school work. In recent years it has been increasingly recognised as good practice for psychological services to obtain structured feedback from service users. This was one of the requirements of the profession's performance indicators (MacKay, 1999), which stipulated the type of evidence expected in relation to work with children and young people. This included evidence of listening to and taking full account of the views of young people, ensuring that they knew that their views were valued and having structured arrangements for feedback on quality of service delivery.

6.11 The research undertaken for the Currie review of educational psychology services (Scottish Executive, 2002a) showed that structured feedback was obtained from educational establishments by all but one psychological service, from parents by three-quarters of services and from children and young people by 11 services (approximately one-third). The evidence available to the Currie Committee, both published and unpublished, consistently showed very high levels of satisfaction with psychological services provided for all categories of users. This included young people's views of services, and in covering all age ranges included examples of work at the transition and post-school stage.

6.12 The evidence gathered by the National Development Officers (Boyle, Crichton & Hellier, 2003) was of direct relevance to PSPS since its purpose was to focus on this area of work. They devised a questionnaire to be completed by young people, facilitated as necessary by a third party such as a guidance teacher. All the young people were preparing to move on from school and educational psychologists were seeing them to assist with this preparation, either as part of the Future Needs process or for other purposes. Most of the young people had a Record of Needs, and their support needs varied from curricular to behaviour. The findings were generally positive. Young people felt comfortable with the educational psychologist, and they considered that their views had been listened to and that the encounter was a helpful one. Some appreciated the continuity provided at transition by involvement with a professional they knew and trusted.

6.13 These examples of earlier evidence are of value in setting the context for evaluating the impact of further PSPS developments on young people. Such evidence as has been available has consistently indicated that educational psychology services at the post-school stage are generally valued by young people, and it is therefore expected that Pathfinders in developing enhanced services will also be valued by this client group.

Evidence on PSPS questionnaire returns

6.14 A total of 8 psychological services indicated on their questionnaires that they had obtained views from young people regarding some aspect of post-school service delivery. Of these 6 were Pathfinders. The following examples from Pathfinders were noted:

• a document entitled, PSPS Impact on Young People - Persuasive Evidence from Glasgow Pathfinder Initiative, outlining a range of initiatives in which young people's views had been or would be canvassed, and including some brief case studies (see Box 6.1)
• ongoing involvement of young people in the development of a 'School Leaver Passport'
• involvement of young people in a post-school transition project and a transition co-ordinator project in both of which the psychological service played a central role (both published on the PSPS website)
• views of trainees on a PAVE programme (Programme for Alternative Vocational Education) and on a literacy/dyslexia training event
• evaluation forms from young people following a training event on trauma, bereavement and loss (the evaluation was highly positive, with a return of 100%, 87% stating that the training met their individual work-related needs and 73% stating that it met their individual personal interest)
• feedback arising from direct work with young people.

These examples from non-Pathfinders were also noted:

• interviews with special and mainstream pupils as part of a wider consultation with stakeholders to inform planned PSPS developments
• the inclusion of college students on focus groups as part of the Council's consultation on the accessibility strategy.

6.15 In addition to these examples, some Pathfinders had carried out or contributed to research and evaluation relating to post-school services provided by other agencies, in the course of which they had engaged with young people to ascertain their views. One piece of research examined stakeholder perceptions of the system of transfer from school to post-school settings for a particularly needy group of young people, namely, those with severe and complex learning difficulties and physical disabilities. This project had engaged with some young people and also with their carers, and it therefore contributes to the available evidence on the impact on young people of psychological services. It led to recommendations designed to enhance the transition process throughout the authority, with proposed improvements in planning, co-ordination, provision of information and communication.

6.16 Not all of the examples noted above related to evidence that had been gathered in a structured and formal way, and some of it represented consultation on services that were planned rather than feedback on services that had been provided. Nevertheless, on follow-up interviews it was clear that even the informal feedback and prospective feedback had been helpful and positive. In general the engagement of services with the views and experiences of young people had supported them in tailoring their PSPS to address identified needs and in making recommendations for enhancing provision and services for young people throughout the authority.

6.17 Box 6.1 provides 5 individual case studies from one Pathfinder service. These studies illustrate 2 points regarding successful psychological interventions for young people at the post-school stage. First, they demonstrate that while wider training and strategic roles lie at the heart of the model of practice proposed for the general development of wide-ranging and efficient PSPS, the work of the psychologist with individual young people continues to play a key role. Second, they demonstrate valuable PSPS work that is simply an extension of the day-to-day generic activity of educational psychologists. Together, the 5 case studies highlight both the distinctive contribution of the psychologist and the ways in which educational psychology overlaps with and complements the work of other professionals in supporting young people. Often it is the support of the psychologist using evidence-based psychological interventions that is crucial to young people like these with social and emotional difficulties, autistic spectrum disorders and other additional support needs. However, in addition to distinctive functions, psychologists also work cooperatively as part of a team in supporting and facilitating the continuity and progression required at the transition stage.

Box 6.1 Impact on young people - individual case studies

'Persuasive Evidence from Glasgow Pathfinder Initiative'

Case study 1

A young man with 20% attendance in S3 secondary schooling. Following intervention by the educational psychologist he was successfully placed on a Sport and Recreation Course and is doing well. His attendance is now 76%.

Case study 2

A young man living in poor circumstances with a mother who obviously had an alcohol problem. His attendance in S3 was about 10% and in S4 he had stopped attending. Psychological services were proactive in visiting his home and re-engaging with him. A placement was arranged for him at Spark of Genius (one of the range of training providers) and his attendance reached about 85%. He gained a number of qualifications and is now seeking an apprenticeship.

Case study 3

A young mother of 14 years with an 11-month son. She was depressed, did not go out much and felt that she had no other options, but had stated: 'I'd like to see myself with a job and some kind of career'. She was identified via the school Joint Assessment Team. The educational psychologist undertook a number of home visits to re-engage with her and discuss options which could be available. Together they thought a vocational child course in child care would be an option and the psychologist referred her to the EVIP programme ('Enhanced Vocational Improvement Programme'). Despite her age they offered her a place and she did the part-time course on First Steps (Child Development) and then moved on to a full-time social care course. Attendance at college was 96%. Not only did this allow her to gain qualifications (a number of modules), but she was able to use her skills with her own son. It also increased her confidence in her own ability overall and raised her aspirations about her future.

Case study 4

A young man with Asperger's syndrome who was very well supported by his secondary school. When it came to transition it was assumed by the young person and his family that the only option was to move on to a specialist course for young people with Asperger's. The educational psychologist pointed out that if he decided what he wanted to do, he could be helped to find an appropriate college placement and to negotiate supports. He wanted to do computing and did not want to be defined by his Asperger's. The psychologist negotiated a place for him doing computing at Glasgow Metropolitan College. He graduated from there and is now at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Case study 5

A vulnerable young man on the autistic spectrum, who transferred from secondary school into a specialist course at Glasgow Nautical College. Psychological services kept a watching brief over him and when it was apparent that there was not a clear progression for him at 17_ years, they organised a transition-planning meeting for him. It was decided to involve a key worker from Careers Scotland. He successfully moved on to a college placement and the psychologist is still monitoring his progress and providing support, with his agreement, one year later.

6.18 The themes that follow in paragraphs 6.18 to 6.22 have been annotated by the Strategic Officers in the evidence they collated from psychological service returns for 6 Pathfinder areas.

Key themes

Services shaped by young people

6.19 Several examples were provided of the views obtained from young people being instrumental in shaping service provision:

• views of disengaged and hard to reach young people sought locally and used to facilitate coordination of fragmented services and to target strategies and resources; this theme is repeated in numerous action research projects to advise local and national development
• young people's feedback used to inform development of improved data gathering and tracking of those in or at risk of being in the NEET group
• interviews with students regarding high dropout rate on a college course led to changes to application process, support offered by staff and strategies for relationship building with peers and staff
• action research by trainee psychologist on placement on views and experiences of disengaged young people; initial contact with homeless school leavers led to their shaping the process of consultation with other at risk groups, and informing the authority's transition strategy .

Services to increase engagement of young person and family

6.20 These examples point to initiatives in several Pathfinders that have led to enhanced continuity, consistency and availability of service provision and the increased engagement of young people and parents:

• young people have an agreed 'passport' available for relevant agencies and to serve as a basis for planning future transitions such as going from Get Ready for Work to college
• school leavers experience more direct involvement in the process of assessment, focusing on skills and strengths, when planning for post-school
• direct referral to PSPS available for the first time to support individuals preparing for continuing education, training and employment
• parental involvement built into new transition planning process through increased information sharing and person centred planning
• clients of services experience agencies working with more consistency, common purposes and shared strategies as a result of policy and interagency training developments
• at risk pupils identified at joint assessment team and offered appointment with relevant agency, including psychologist in team.

Students entering Scotland's Colleges and university

6.21 These examples highlight a wide range of PSPS offered by Pathfinders at training, strategic and individual levels for pupils entering college or university:

• PSPS consultation with college support staff led to better understanding of barriers arising from dyspraxia and provision of more appropriate support to undertake a vocational course
• direct interviewing and counselling by psychologist of college students, who valued receiving support from an objective 'outside person'
• focus groups of school leavers and students in college consulted to advise staff on strategy to reduce dropout rate
• students on additional support needs course consulted about impact and relevance of course
• training tailored to suit specific developmental disorders of new students so that staff could respond to needs appropriately
• successful transition from school to Higher Education of a student with Asperger's Syndrome; close liaison with student, parents and educators led to profiling to help staff to provide appropriate support
• previously referred pupil's assessment updated to ensure that nature of dyslexia needs was clearly articulated to aid course choices and planning of supports.

The NEET population and Careers Scotland

6.22 These examples relate to the NEET group and to PSPS work with Careers Scotland, again carried out both in relation to individual young people and also at strategic and training levels:

• disengaged individual young people referred on to Careers Scotland by PSPS to receive guidance in career planning, as part of collaborative working
• training of Careers Scotland key workers led to improved goal-setting for a disengaged client who felt motivated to plan and was more able to set realistic goals
• the assessment process undertaken nationally by Careers Scotland staff with individual clients was modified within a revised operating model to increase the sharing of existing information and derive more from the immediate interview
• PSPS training led to improved group work by Careers Scotland staff working in school-based programmes, contributing to engagement and retention of young people.

Training providers delivering Get Ready for Work to 16-19 year olds

6.23 In these examples training of Get Ready for Work staff led to:

• a more effective response to challenging behaviour on placement and increased likelihood of positive placement outcome
• better understanding of developmental disorders such as ADHD and dyslexia
• cascading of centrally run training reported to have led to increased retention for the overall programme
• a positive outcome following solution-focused training for a young person experiencing numerous barriers to self-improvement, who completed the course and went on to gain sustained employment
• providers in one large Local Enterprise Company reporting significant benefits for clients experiencing challenging behaviour.

Further examples of the work of Pathfinders with this sector included:

• consultation leading to appropriate referral to another agency to provide specific mental health support to a young trainee
• young people receiving more support to generate their own goals
• young people being more involved in review and self-assessment processes, increasing chances of successful outcome.

Summary

6.24 This chapter has provided an account of the views and experiences of young people in relation to PSPS, together with a description of many initiatives that have demonstrably enhanced the quality of life of young people and of their families. The preparatory evidence collected prior to the current project has set the context for a positive view of psychological services provided to the post-school sector.

6.25 It is clear from the new evidence gathered that PSPS developments have been more extensive and more structured in Pathfinder services, together with more consultation and engagement with young people and their families. The initiatives carried out at every level of consultation, assessment and intervention, training and research have been of direct relevance to the key objectives of the project and have been valued by young people. The impact on the lives of young people and their families, both at more general and at individual levels, has clearly been a positive one. The evidence for this area has further validated the evidence gathered from all other sources, and has pointed to enhanced quality of life outcomes for the young people in question.

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