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SECTION 8: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

8.1 Summary

The broad conclusion of the evaluation is that Enquire is providing an important and highly valued service which empowers parents and makes a positive contribution to the work of local authority staff, health professionals and the voluntary sector. In the light of radical changes in provision of services for children with additional support needs, access to accurate and reliable information and advice will be even more important in the foreseeable future.

There was general agreement amongst all groups that the advice and information provided by Enquire via the helpline was impartial, accurate and supportive. Parents were particularly enthusiastic in their endorsement of the support offered by the helpline, describing the knowledge gained from the service as fundamentally empowering. A few suggested that more local information would be helpful. Local authority staff and support organisations, whilst generally positive, were more likely to sound cautionary notes. Some local authority staff felt that enquiries about local matters should be referred back to them, since Enquire was a national service and was unlikely, therefore, to have enough insight into local authority policy and practice. It was also suggested by local authority staff that Enquire might encourage parents to adopt an adversarial stance. Some support organisations also suggested that Enquire perhaps did not have enough local knowledge and argued that they should do more to build up contact with local and specialist support groups. Questions were also raised by a few organisations about whether Enquire, in endeavouring to provide an impartial service, failed to empathise sufficiently with individual parents. Some concerns were also expressed about the ability of the service to provide an adequate service for parents with communication difficulties or in very disadvantaged circumstances.

Whilst Enquire had clearly been making efforts to increase its public profile, there was a general view that amongst parents, local authorities and support organisations that there was insufficient knowledge of the service. Some parents felt that Enquire was a 'well kept secret', which many other parents could benefit from. They felt that parents needed to know about the service as soon as their child was diagnosed, underlining the need for close links with social workers and health professionals, as well as parents. Local authority staff felt that Enquire could do more to publicise the support available within education departments, and the name of the responsible officer should be communicated to parents as soon as an enquiry was made. Other support organisations felt that Enquire could do more to publicise their services generally, but should also alert parents to the complementary specialist services available elsewhere and should do a lot more cross-referral. Clearly, responsibility for alerting parents to the existence of the service does not lie with Enquire alone. There is a great deal which local authority staff, health professionals and support organisation workers can do to inform parents about the work of Enquire and the support which is available.

Like other aspects of Enquire's work, events and training activities were generally regarded very favourably by both parents/carers and local authority staff. It is clearly difficult to aim events at a very wide audience, and a few comments from local authority staff suggested they would prefer something tied slightly more closely to practitioner concerns. The outreach work with children and young people is at a relatively early stage of development compared with other aspects of Enquire's portfolio of activities, and it is evident that strong links with schools and other children's organisations take quite a long time to establish.

Publications were seen as a very important part of Enquire's work, and were used extensively by parents and professionals. Some local authority staff were distributing them routinely to all parents whose children's needs were being assessed, and were keen to explore joint publication with Enquire in the future. Other support organisations were also positive about Enquire's publications, but suggested there was a need for more information on (a) local provision and alternatives, (b) how to manage interaction with professionals successfully and (c) specific impairments. It was also suggested that the publications were often pitched at quite a high level of literacy, and easy-read publications were needed for some parents and children.

With regard to service management, there was evidence of good practice in terms of staff supervision and development arrangements. However, the view was expressed that, because of the competitive labour market in Edinburgh, high staff turnover was a problem, and some suggestions were made on steps which might be taken to address this, including better staff remuneration.

In the following section, we first draw some wider conclusions before sketching some recommendations arising from the evaluation.

8.2 Conclusions

Parents, professionals and support organisations: specific standpoints

In considering the views expressed above, it is evident that the strongest endorsement for the service comes from parents, who feel that Enquire acts as a bulwark against local authorities which, they believe, are inclined to provide parents with only partial information. Local authority personnel, whilst generally positive, have some underlying reservations and concerns. In particular, there is concern that Enquire may encourage parents to question local authority decisions on placement and resourcing matters. Other support organisations have particular criticisms and concerns, which may arise, at least in part, as a result of the competitive funding environment in which they operate. In interpreting the views of different parties, it is important to bear in mind that some degree of tension is inevitable. In relation to tensions within the voluntary sector, the Scottish Executive might be able to play a positive role by encouraging organisations to recognise their complementary roles and organising funding streams to reflect this.

Overview of Enquire

Despite these different perspectives, there was general agreement that Enquire was offering an extremely useful and targeted service, which complemented the legal advice available which was needed by a small number of parents who were considering taking action against the local authority. It was pointed out that, particularly in the light of new legislation which devolved considerable power to local authorities, there was a need for a clear and unambiguous statement of the legal position of parents and children and minimum standards of provision which users of educational services might expect. The specific challenges thrown up by the new legislation will be discussed further in the Part 2 report.

It should be noted that Enquire's services were not simply being used by parents and carers, but also by professionals and other support organisations. Whilst the helpline was mainly used by parents, other sources of information, such as publications, were used by a much wider group of people working in the area of additional support needs.

There was a general view that efforts should be made to increase Enquire's public profile, so that as soon as a child was identified as having additional support needs, parents were encouraged to contact an external agency for information and advice. Education, social work and health professionals, as well as other support organisations, have clear responsibilities here.

General or local information

There was some disagreement with regard to the extent to which Enquire should focus exclusively on the bigger picture with regard to rights and duties in relation to additional support needs. The Scottish Executive and Enquire staff felt that this was the key part of the remit, whereas parents and other support organisations believed that more information was needed about what was available on the ground. For example, there was a strong view that parents often had to rely on the knowledge imparted by the educational psychologist about possible placement options, but this might be either partial or biased. In order to provide really useful knowledge, general information about rights had to be accompanied by more specific information about widely conceived possibilities.

Parents and support organisations also stated that there was a need for advice about how to manage systems and processes effectively. Suggestions ranged from the provision of a checklist for parents to use in relation to the successful conduct of meetings, to the publication of the type of letter which might be appropriate in certain circumstances.

The boundary between impartiality and advocacy

An important theme arising from the interviews was the extent to which tension might arise between the provision of impartial advice and advocacy services. The majority of parents and professionals reported that Enquire staff were friendly and approachable, but some parents and support groups referred to the need of more one-to-one and ongoing support. This issue is discussed in more depth in the Part 2 report.

Meeting the needs of particular groups

It is evident that Enquire is endeavouring to meet the needs of diverse groups. Some aspects of the service are clearly targeted at one group or another, for example, training aimed at professionals, guides written for parents and videos aimed at children and young people. However, it is inevitable that sometimes a number of different groups are accessing the same service and as a result may find that it is pitched at the wrong level. Such comments were evident in relation to publications, training, events and the helpline. In relation to the latter service, different suggestions were made, ranging from a separate children's service to the greater use of text messaging.

In addition, it is evident that within groups there are likely to be very diverse needs. For example, some children and young people and parents may have no difficulty in understanding quite detailed advice, whilst others may have great difficulty understanding verbal or written communication. Practitioners will also vary from volunteer workers in voluntary organisations to professionals with responsibility for service delivery.

Given the generally high levels of support for the service, Enquire is clearly meeting the needs of a wide range of service users, but it is also likely to be the case that some potential users are deterred by difficulties in accessing or understanding information.

8.3 Recommendations

Overarching recommendation

• There is general agreement amongst a range of interest groups that the advice and information service provided by Enquire is extremely valuable and that there is an ongoing need for such a service. The broad recommendation of the evaluation is, therefore, that the service should continue to be funded.

Telephone helpline

• Enquire's remit is to provide impartial and accurate information and advice. However, as a result of disability or disadvantage, some parents may need more intense one-to-one support. It is therefore necessary to consider to what extent the helpline can offer sufficient support, and to refer on to local advocacy services where necessary.
• Parents express the need for more in-depth information about local services. The extent to which Enquire is able to provide this information should be reviewed, whilst recognising that onward referral to local authorities and local support groups will also be necessary.
• A very low proportion of calls made to the helpline come from children and young people. The possibility of providing a separate children's helpline, or liaising more closely with Childline, could be explored.
• The range of organisations to which Enquire refers callers should be expanded.
• Enquire has extended the information it routinely collects in relation to callers. Information on the social background of callers to the helpline would be useful, and this could be obtained by asking for the first part of the caller's postcode.
• Enquire should continue to review strategies for publicising helpline services to ensure that all parents and others who might benefit are aware of its existence. Professionals working in a range of settings including local authorities, schools, family centres and hospitals also have a great deal to contribute here in terms of encouraging parents to make full use of Enquire's services.

Public profile

• There is general agreement that Enquire's public profile needs to be higher. Continued efforts need to be made to advertise the service, including reminding local authorities that they have a duty to inform parents of additional support for learning services.
• Some local authorities are clearly keen to work much more closely with Enquire. The greater use of joint training, events and publications should be explored. The programme of visits to local authorities to establish links with key members of staff should be continued and extended.
• There is a need for even better two-way communication between Enquire, local authorities and educational psychology services to ensure that knowledge and information are passed in both directions.
• Better links with other support organisations are needed through web-sites and face to face communication. In addition, further advice on communication strategies should be sought from organisations supporting specific groups, e.g. the deaf and those with dual sensory impairment.

Outreach work

• Some professionals expressed criticisms of earlier training. Workshop content has already been reviewed, and ongoing efforts should be made to ensure that training offered is in line with local authority needs.
• Efforts should be made to ensure that parents are directly informed of local events, possibly making greater use of individual mailings or e-mail.
• Outreach work with children and young people is developing and some more thinking is needed about the most effective ways to target a wide range of groups and individuals with different needs.

Publications

• Publications are generally regarded as highly successful. There is a need to ensure that they are produced not only in different languages, but also at different levels to reflect differences in literacy and communication needs.
• The extent to which separate publications are needed for professionals and parents, as well as children and young people, should be considered.

Management and cost-effectiveness

• The service is effectively managed, although staff turnover is a problem. The possibility of enhancing pay to retain valuable staff should be considered.
• Whilst the general view is that Enquire is delivering a multi-faceted and cost effective service, it is important that all aspects of the service are kept under review, so that on-going adjustments to the profile of activities may be made as appropriate.

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