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Chapter Seven The Local Authority Context
7.1 This chapter presents the views of key personnel in a representative sample of local authorities across Scotland regarding the provision of post-school psychological services. On the basis of the evidence collected it is concluded that:
- the views of key personnel in local authorities support the evidence gathered from psychological services and from all other sources
- no PSPS is provided in a number of non-Pathfinder authorities
- there are significant differences between Pathfinders and others in virtually every aspect of PSPS delivery
- in particular, Pathfinders have a higher overall level of PSPS, with a more strategic focus
- Pathfinder authorities report more PSPS growth over the past year and anticipate more growth in the year ahead
- additional resources are seen as being key to the provision of PSPS, and in non-Pathfinder authorities they are presented as the principal barrier to developing provision
- in addition to wider strategic roles, both Pathfinders and others view the ideal contribution of PSPS in terms of developing effective transition for all young people from school to post-school services.
Evidence considered
7.2 In order to obtain a local authority perspective that would be separate from views expressed by individual services or departments within the authorities, such as social work or psychological services, questionnaires were sent to key personnel in all 32 Councils. The personnel selected were Directors of Education, of Children's and Young People's Services and of Community Services. The questionnaires covered level of PSPS delivery, the perceived value of the contribution being made, PSPS as a developing service within their authority, barriers to PSPS development, views of ideal services and examples of PSPS development. A copy of the questionnaire is shown at Annex 6.
7.3 The experience of the researchers in working with this sector suggested two factors that might limit the extent and usefulness of responses received. First, as a sector that no doubt receives many unsolicited questionnaires it has been associated with low response rates. Second, a common response of directorate personnel to requests for information about psychological services is to pass the questionnaire to the principal psychologist. In view of these factors, the covering letter stated specifically that responses had already been obtained separately from psychological services. In addition, a letter was sent to all principal psychologists alerting them to the fact that these directors had received the questionnaire, emphasising that a direct response from the directorate was sought and asking them as much as possible to encourage a response.
7.4 Responses were obtained from 16 local authorities, representing a 50% return rate. Only 3 of these (one of them a Pathfinder) had ultimately been completed by the principal psychologist on behalf of the directorate. Five of the responses were from Pathfinders and the remaining 11 from other authorities. The level of information provided in the questionnaires indicated that they had been completed thoughtfully by personnel who were well informed of PSPS activity and relevant issues arising. In one Pathfinder authority the information had been jointly completed by the service manager for children's services, the team leader for the children with disabilities team, the team leader for the community learning disabilities team and a service manager for post-school service provision.
7.5 Although the small number of responses from Pathfinder authorities was lower than had been hoped for, it was not altogether disproportionate in terms of the total returns received. Pathfinders account for 38% of Scottish local authorities and they accounted for 31% of the returns. The number of responses from non-Pathfinders may have been skewed by the fact that in the case of almost every authority making a response the lead researcher already had a close working relationship with the directorate members completing the questionnaires. However, because of the small numbers the figures for Pathfinders in the following analysis should be viewed with caution, as each individual response accounts for one fifth of all Pathfinder responses. Nevertheless, the results are clear and consistent and even with small numbers they show systematic differences between Pathfinders and others.
Level of service delivery
7.6 Views were sought on whether the psychological service was currently delivering services to the post-school sector, and if so, the overall level of service delivery. This was further broken down to obtain views on work at the stage of transition from school to post-school, delivery to Scotland's Colleges, delivery to Careers Scotland and delivery to other service or training providers, such as the Scottish Enterprise Get Ready for Work schemes. A 5-point rating scale ranging from 'very little' to 'very high' was used.
7.7 The results are shown in Figures 7.1 and 7.2. All 5 Pathfinders indicated that they delivered services to the post-school sector, but only 6 of the 11 non-Pathfinders. The trend was very clear in terms of level of service delivery, both overall and when broken down into different areas of work. Even with these small numbers the differences were significant in every case except for delivery to Careers Scotland.
Figure 7.1 Delivery of services to post-school sector (local authorities)
Figure 7.2 Level of PSPS delivery (local authorities)
7.8 The perceived value of the contribution of psychological services to the post-school sector was assessed on the same 5-point rating scale. As well as ratings for the overall contribution, ratings were provided for supporting the young person's transition from school to post-school, improvements to school leaver destinations, contribution to the authority's strategic planning and policies for this sector and supporting the authority's duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act.
7.9 The results are shown in Figure 7.3. The clearest differences were for overall contribution and the contribution to strategic planning and policies. Supporting transition to post-school also just reached significance levels in favour of Pathfinders. The key differences emerging therefore related to overall extent of PSPS and the strategic contribution. Pathfinders and others had more in common in terms of existing commitments to supporting individual young people at the stage of transition from school and in taking forward the requirements of the Additional Support for Learning Act.
Figure 7.3 Perceived value of PSPS contribution (local authorities)
7.10 Local authorities were asked to rate which of two statements would best describe the development of PSPS in their area: 'during the past year PSPS has been a growth area', and 'during the next year PSPS is likely to become, or to continue to be, a growth area'. A 5-point rating scale from 'very little' to 'very much' was used. The results are shown in Figure 7.4. Not only did Pathfinders indicate considerably more PSPS growth during the previous year, but they also expected significantly more growth in the year to come.
Figure 7.4 PSPS as a growth area (local authorities)
7.11 As with psychological services, local authorities were asked what barriers they faced in the provision of PSPS. The dominant theme in the responses was similar to the responses from psychological services, namely, the need for staffing resources to engage effectively with the post-school sector. In the case of Pathfinders the references to resources referred to the dependence of these services on the extra resources provided and the requirement for resourcing to continue so that services might also continue. Even within the context of extra resourcing the scale of the need was recognised in terms of seeking to provide equitably across the whole range of post-school services. In the case of other authorities, the majority of responses simply reiterated the difficulties of meeting the needs of a new area of work without new resources to match the needs that must be met.
7.12 The wider implications of the resource issue were expressed by one local authority as follows:
'This is an unusual and complex area in that a local authority service is being funded to provide a service outwith its statutory remit, and to agencies which are independent of the authority in some cases. It would also be important to establish a funding model which would permit longer-term planning of service development to be undertaken. In view of this it might be appropriate to give consideration in due course to an amendment of the statement of statutory duties of local authorities in the provision of psychological services' (member of educational directorate, Pathfinder).
This reflects expressed concerns of some local authorities about capacity in regard to meeting direct statutory functions. It emphasises the key importance of the additional PSPS resources in supporting local authorities to meet the requirements of the wider corporate agenda and wider statutes.
7.13 In addition to funding issues, several other main themes emerged as barriers in PSPS development. These included: structural change in partnership organisations, such as college mergers; poor understanding of the potential contribution of psychological services; lack of appropriate post-school placements for young people, especially for those with more severe and complex needs; and the number of colleges with which to liaise outwith the authority
7.14 In terms of ideal provision, the overwhelming focus of both Pathfinders and non-Pathfinders was on the transition process from school to post-school. This was seen as being the key to continuity of provision and to the achievement of a wider range of post-school objectives. This was expressed as follows:
'Ensuring smooth transition for young people into the post-school sector, and tracking them in this sector' (manager, pupil support, non-Pathfinder).
'The development of a systematic structure or framework to support the transition of all pupils with additional support needs to sustainable post-school provision and thus significantly reduce the NEET statistics' (director of education, Pathfinder).
'The most important contribution concerns continuity in terms of planning and provision for the most vulnerable young people in society, particularly those with additional support needs and/or at risk of becoming NEET. I see psychological services as being ideally placed to make a significant contribution to this' (member of educational directorate, Pathfinder).
Wider, strategic roles were also seen as representing ideal services:
'The development of a more cohesive, young person-centred framework for mapping and identifying appropriate services and strategies, for addressing gaps in provision and for developing more robust quality assurance of the services offered' (joint response from managers and team leaders, Pathfinder).
7.15 Finally, authorities were asked to note examples of important PSPS developments that had taken place in their area. Two observations may be made regarding their responses. First, as shown in Figure 7.5, the Pathfinders reported significantly more examples than others. Second, 50% of the examples given by non-Pathfinders related to existing commitments to the 0-19 age group for individual support at transition from secondary school, and the further requirements of the Additional Support for Learning Act. Only one-fifth of the examples from Pathfinders related to these existing commitments, with the remaining four-fifths referring to other areas of post-school service delivery. Box 7.1 shows a range of examples from both groups.
Box 7.1 The contribution of PSPS: examples from the local authority perspective
Examples from Pathfinders
- increasingly effective networking among three cluster authorities
- the opportunity to provide support and advice to strategic groups
- greater cross-boundary understanding achieved through multi-agency conference organised and led by PSPS
- capitalising on ASL developments to create a comprehensive transitions framework
- modelling creativity and solution-focused approaches to service delivery and development
- a planned research project for backward tracking of NEET population
- pilot study aimed at helping schools to meet the requirements of the ASL Act through a transition planning process
- establishment of the Transition Co-ordinator to facilitate the transition out of school of young people with disabilities
- good links established with the Get Ready for Work network and training opportunities developed with some providers
- excellent collaborative work between psychological services and Council training services, making a significant difference to the support of disaffected young people at the latter stages of secondary schooling
- staff development and support for local authority, college and training providers in developing equitable opportunities
Examples from non-Pathfinders
- excellent partnership arrangements with college including health and care and Careers Scotland for planning of courses and strategic development of resources
- well-established networking relationships with Careers Scotland and College based on individual assessment/support of young people
- maintenance of links with Careers and College sector at strategic level
- support from individual educational psychologists to pupils at transition
- advice on assessment
- involvement in 'Towards Independence Group' as part of Changing Children's Services
Summary
7.16 This chapter has presented the viewpoint of key personnel in a representative sample of 50% of the local authorities in Scotland, both Pathfinders and non-Pathfinders, regarding post-school psychological services. It is clear that both Pathfinders and others are carrying out valuable work in the post-school sector, with a common focus on existing commitments to young people with additional support needs at the transitional stage, but with significantly more strategic work being undertaken by Pathfinders.
7.17 The data obtained have supported all other reported sources of evidence. In particular they have shown marked differences between Pathfinders and non-Pathfinders in terms of virtually every aspect of provision of PSPS, of the value of its contribution, of the extent to which it has developed and is anticipated to develop and of the barriers it faces. Many examples of key developments in PSPS have been provided. A coherent view has been given of ideal services which, while being broad and strategic, focus on enhancing the process of transition of young people from school to post-school services.
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