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For Scotland's children report

Chapter 6 the policy framework

Introduction

The Scottish Executive's programme for government Making it Work Together stated that:

'Our children are the future of Scotland. We need to give them the best possible start in life so that they have the opportunity to play their full part in Scotland's future. Getting it right in the early years lays the foundation for the whole life of a child.'

The Scottish Executive's responsibilities are wide ranging. The more obvious areas of responsibility that directly affect children are education, health and social work services. But the Executive also has responsibility for policy related to subjects and services that may not, at first glance, seem as obviously important such as those related to the environment and housing, transport matters (although some are reserved), civil law and criminal justice. There are a number of policy areas affecting children that are reserved to Whitehall Departments, for example matters related to the tax and benefits system.

There are currently seven main Departments within the Executive:

• The Education Department
• The Environment and Rural Affairs Department
• The Development Department
• The Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department
• The Finance and Central Services Department
• The Health Department
• The Justice Department.

Following devolution a number of priority crosscutting issues were identified, to be driven forward by designated lead Ministers. Integrated services for children and young people is one such priority. Within the Education Department, a new Children and Young People's Group was established, now incorporating four Divisions: Early Education and Childcare, Children and Families, Young People and Looked After Children and Information, Analysis and Communication. The Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs, Nicol Stephen, has particular responsibility for children's issues and these are represented at Cabinet level by the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs, Jack McConnell.

More generally, a particular focus of recent consideration has been the move towards encouraging 'joined up government' both in policy and implementation. The Scottish Executive Policy Unit published a report Making a Difference: Effective Implementation of Cross-Cutting Policy in June 2000. A key message that came out of the report was the desirability of involving those who would be implementing a policy, for example in local authorities or the voluntary sector, at an early stage in its formulation.

The Executive is committed to considering the needs of children when developing new policy. In 1997 Scottish Office Ministers announced the introduction of a 'child-proofing statement' - the Child Strategy Statement - designed to ensure that all parts of the Scottish Office took account of the effects on children when developing policy. The Child Strategy Statement was issued in revised form in September 2000 by the Scottish Executive. It describes the legislative and policy context (including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) and key issues that should be borne in mind when developing policy affecting children either directly or indirectly.

The Child Strategy Statement emphasises that departments taking forward policy in areas affecting children should consider whether it is appropriate to invite the views of relevant statutory and non-statutory organisations involved with children during the policy development stage. It also urges that consideration be given to taking the views of children themselves, either directly or through a representative organisation such as "Who Cares? Scotland" or local Youth Forums.

In the past the consultation process has been undertaken through formal consultation documents. However other less formal methods are increasingly being explored such as focus groups and on-line discussion rooms. Progress is being made in this area. Children's views were sought directly in the consultation process prior to implementation of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000, and amendments were made. Children must now be consulted in their school planning process. On 19 June 2000, the Executive hosted the first Youth Summit in Motherwell where more than twelve hundred young people from across Scotland told Government Ministers their views on issues including homelessness, drugs, health and leisure. Two hundred youngsters, aged between 11 - 18, attended the main summit in Motherwell and a thousand more attended gatherings at 8 satellite sites in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fort William, Inverclyde, Dundee, Angus, Campbeltown and East Renfrewshire.

The Executive has recently published a consultation toolkit giving advice and examples of best practice on consultation with young people and children.

In addition, following an invitation from the Scottish Executive, the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament is conducting an inquiry into the need for a Children's Commissioner in Scotland. Scottish Ministers have indicated that the Executive is sympathetic to the idea of a Children's Commissioner but want to be clear about the functions that such a Commissioner should have and the added value that would be provided.

The remainder of this section highlights a number of Executive policies that are relevant in the context of integrated children's services.

Childcare and Pre-School Initiatives

Sure Start Scotland is an initiative to address the specific needs of families with children aged 0-3 years, targeting communities in more deprived areas. The initiative emphasises the importance of joint working and guidance was issued from the education, social work and health departments of the then Scottish Office on 18 December 1998. Local authorities, voluntary agencies, health services and existing child support networks are encouraged to work together to provide a more cohesive service for parent and child. The initiative covers the whole of Scotland. An evaluation programme has recently got underway.

One of the Executive's main commitments is to "deliver high quality, affordable, accessible childcare".

Ministers are committed to developing a Childcare Strategy for Scotland which delivers in each neighbourhood, quality childcare services which are accessible and affordable. The strategy covers services for children aged 0 - 14. Local strategies are being taken forward in each local authority area by childcare partnerships. These partnerships are cross-sectoral and are tasked with developing provision in their local area.

A new information service has been established to support the Executive's Childcare Strategy. The new service comprises a free-phone information line - Childcarelink - covering Scotland and England, providing general advice and information on childcare issues and the childcarelink national website (www.childcarelink.gov.uk ), which holds details of local providers and information on general childcare issues.

The Executive is pledged to provide a quality part-time pre-school Education place for each eligible 3 and 4-year-old by the end of 2002.

School Education

The Executive is committed to promoting "social inclusion particularly through early years intervention".

New Community Schools are fundamental to the Executive's aims to raise educational attainment and promote social justice. Central to the approach is the integrated provision of school education, family support and health services. Sixty two pilot projects have been approved ranging from single schools to clusters of varying sizes comprising different mixes of secondary and primary schools, special schools and pre-school and community facilities. Over 400 schools are involved in the pilot stage. Most projects, but not all, are run by Integration Managers funded under the programme and reporting to head teachers or steering groups. The nature and levels of partner involvement, the structures which support the projects and the activities on which they are focused vary according to local needs and the availability of local resources.

The bulk of service provision in New Community Schools is resourced from the mainstream budgets and other funding sources (including the Core Programme of the Excellence Fund) available to education authorities and their partner agencies. The integration of services which is fundamental to the New Community School approach, and the provision of additional support staff and services, has been supported primarily by pilot programme funding.

The national evaluation of the pilot programme is currently underway with an interim report due to be completed in April 2002. In the meantime, multidisciplinary pilot inspections of 6 New Community Schools have been completed and local evaluation material has been assessed. Jack McConnell announced in June 2001 that the New Community Schools approach is going to be rolled out across Scotland.

A specific part of the New Community Schools initiative is personal learning plans (PLPs). PLPs provide an individualised programme of development for each pupil agreed with their parents and teachers. The object of PLPs is to encourage self-evaluation by pupils of their own needs and participation in negotiating personal learning targets to empower the learner and help encourage independent learning habits; to support transition; to encourage all of those involved in the education of an individual child in partnership to know their effective learning; to improve attainment; to allow teachers to focus their training on the prior learning of pupils and to take account of any broader needs which are shown in PLPs; and to inform decisions about resource allocations. The Executive's commitment is that by 2003 every school age child in Scotland will have a PLP to map out a pathway to achievement.

The Early Intervention Programme was launched in June 1997 and aims to assist children in Primary 1 and 2 master the key skills of reading, writing and numeracy. The Programme is worth in excess of £60 million over the five years from 1997/98 - 2001/02. The Scottish Executive is allocating £56 million with the remainder being provided by education authorities. Education authorities were invited to submit proposals for the implementation of the programme in their area taking account of local circumstances and building on any work already being undertaken. A range of projects are taking place under the Early Intervention Programme including the recruitment of additional school staff to assist pupils with literacy and numeracy and the development of home to school links to enable parents to help their children cultivate literacy and numerical skills.

As part of the Excellence Fund - a programme to raise standards in Scotland's schools - the Executive is investing £10 million over a year to help authorities develop strategies to support pupils at risk of exclusion from school and those who have already been excluded and to provide full time education to those excluded for more than 3 weeks. This initiative builds upon the pilot project work already undertaken under the much smaller Alternatives to Exclusion Grant Scheme which began in 1997 and is due to finish this year. The variety of projects is supported under the scheme and most involve multi-agency work, including education, social work and voluntary organisations.

The Executive's study support programme provides £10 million a year in addition to funding from the New Opportunities Fund. Together, the funding aims to ensure that out-of-school hours learning activities are available in all secondary schools, one quarter of primary schools and half of special schools. The study support may be defined as voluntary activity which young people participate in outside normal school hours. It may take the form of any activities that aim to improve self-esteem and help to develop young people's capacity to be more effective learners. The range of schemes is wide. There are homework clubs, study support schemes, breakfast, lunch and evening clubs. Breakfast clubs are often found in areas of deprivation and are based on the thought that breakfast can act as an incentive to turn up. Sports and arts activities are also common. Not all schemes are based on school premises - of the school actually attended by pupils - which is often valued by pupils.

Family Support

Parenting support projects are currently delivered through a variety of sources and provide help in a wide range of areas. In Spring 1998 a research project was undertaken by Reid-Howie Associates for The Scottish Office that identified and mapped the provision of parenting support services across Scotland. The study, Supporting Parenting in Scotland: A Mapping Exercise identified a wide range of provision across Scotland but highlighted a number of gaps in service provision. The current level of provision is concentrated in urban areas and there is limited support which is available to parents of older children, fathers, and which addresses the needs of ethnic minority families or parents with disabilities. The report concluded that there was a lack of an overall strategic approach to developing support to parenting and no identifiable set of common "core" services covering a wide range of needs. It identified a need for a strategic approach in all areas, supported by a national policy.

The Executive is investing £15 million over 3 years (1999/00-2001/02) into a supporting parents programme. The objective of the parent support programme is to help parents support their child in education. Typically expenditure is on such activities as the family literacy scheme and the provision of homelink teachers. The Executive has committed itself to involving parents as partners in their children's education. It believes that the role parents play is important throughout the school years but is critically so in the early years where parents can complement the learning process that happens in schools. In some cases, however, parents need support and guidance to ensure that they have the necessary skills and confidence to play their role. Authorities have been encouraged to put forward proposals for schemes that actively help parents who do not normally engage, or have difficulty in engaging, with their children's learning.

Under Section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 the Executive provides core funding for a range of voluntary organisations dealing with children and families.

Children's Hearing

The Children's Panel is a body of lay people appointed by Scottish Ministers on the recommendation of a local Advisory Committee. A Children's Hearing will involve 3 panel members. Children come to Hearings because they are in need, have offended or have been offended against. The Hearings System recognises that the need of both groups of children are often the same. Hearings work with children and young people who:

• Have offended
• Have truanted
• Have misused drugs or alcohol
• Have been physically, emotionally or sexually abused
• Are in moral danger
• Need care and protection
• Are out of control.

Social Justice and Child Poverty

The Social Justice strategy included a long-term target to defeat child poverty in Scotland within this generation.

Child poverty in Scotland is affected not only, of course, by Executive policies but also by those of the UK Government. The tax and benefit system is of particular note here. The UK Government also has an emphasis on tackling child poverty - with an overarching commitment to eradicate child poverty in the next 20 years and to half it within 10. The Executive is working in close partnership with Whitehall Departments to drive forward the changes necessary to meet these exacting targets. The proportion of children in income poverty in Scotland is beginning to fall. The UK Government's budget announcements on children and families will lift 100,000 Scottish children out of poverty. Progress is being made - since 1997 the proportion of children in low-income households is down from 34% to 30% while the proportion of children living in workless households has fallen from 19% to 16%.

Social Inclusion Partnership

The Social Inclusion Partnership programme funds a network of 54 Social Inclusion Partnership (SIPs) tackling social exclusion across urban and rural Scotland. Six are multi-agency partnerships, comprising all relevant local partners including representatives of the voluntary and private sectors, with the local community at the heart of the process.

Based on the principles of co-ordination, prevention and innovation to tackle social exclusion, SIPs focus on the most needy members of society; they co-ordinate and fill gaps between existing programmes to promote inclusion; and they seek to prevent people becoming socially excluded. The partnerships are supported with funding of £69 million over the 3 years to March 2003 but they are also expected to target existing spending programmes more effectively on tackling social exclusion at a local level.

The 34 area based SIPs all have activities that focus on, or benefit, children and young people, as their aim is to tackle the multiple problems associated with social exclusion in the most disadvantaged communities, e.g.:

• Providing play and recreational/sport facilities
• Childcare services
• Cyber cafes
• After-school clubs.

The remaining 14 SIPs are thematic, targeting a specific socially excluded group and many of these are particularly aimed at young people. These include:

• Big Step - Pathways to Independence: improving opportunities and addressing inequalities faced by young people looked after in Glasgow.
• Dundee Young Carers: identifying and helping young carers in Dundee.
• Edinburgh Youth: developing an accurate picture of the extent of youth exclusions in Edinburgh, working with young people to develop and test solutions for inclusion through action research, and promoting their lasting implementation in Good Practice and Policy development.
• Generating Opportunities - Perth and Kinross: preventing young people previously looked after by the council from being socially excluded and improving access to enhanced life opportunities.
• Highland and Islands SIP: tackling disadvantage experienced by young people aged 14-25 years.
• Moray Youthstart: ensuring all young people in Moray have genuine opportunities to become full and active citizens and to contribute to and benefit from living in a healthy community.
• Scottish Borders (Young People 12-25): creating viable opportunities for economic and social inclusion and personal success while staying in the Borders.
• Tranent: developing a holistic strategy to promote social inclusion for pre-school and school age children and young people.
• West Lothian: securing the social inclusion of those children and young people in West Lothian most at risk of being excluded from the social and economic mainstream, and encouraging them to achieve their full human potential.
• Xplore: addressing the problems of socially excluded young people in Dundee.

Roads and Transport

The number of child injuries and fatalities through accidents is a source of concern. Road traffic accidents are the largest cause of child fatalities through accidents. The Executive is working towards a 50% reduction in fatal and serious road injuries among children by 2010. A research study on Road Accidents and Children Living in Disadvantaged Areas was published in June 2000, which indicated a link between high levels of deprivation and high numbers of road accidents for children.

Health

There is widespread recognition that the health of children from the earliest age offers the prospect of improvements in health throughout life. There have been a number of developments in recent years.

The Public Health White Paper, Towards a Healthier Scotland, whilst concerned with the population as a whole, placed particular emphasis on the health of children and young people. It identified child health as a priority health topic and gave a commitment to drive forward improvements in child and maternal health through a range of action, including:

• The production of evidence based guidance to support the planning and delivery of interventions that promote the health of children.
• Two Health Demonstration Projects.
• "Starting Well", to develop and disseminate best practice in the promotion of children's health from preconception through to starting school.
• "Healthy Respect" focusing on encouraging sexual health and well being among Scotland's young people and the avoidance of unwanted teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.
• The promotion of the fluoridation of the public water supply to protect against dental decay.
• The development of a dental health "prevention from birth" programme.
• Funding to the sexual health voluntary body "Positive Steps" to enable it to offer its services to a greater number of schools, addressing sexual health, drugs and alcohol misuse and related issues, including teenage pregnancy.
• Action to improve accident data collection and local inter-agency accident prevention work, the provision of a website database of best practice and home safety for use by local authorities and other agencies involved in the well-being of children and their families.
• The funding of two public health professionals to work with CoSLA to help local authorities develop, to their maximum potential, their health promoting policies and actions, much of which impacts on the health of children and families.
• Enhanced lifestyle Education by the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS), focusing on children and their parents, through the Board's existing programmes and campaigns and, more specifically, the planned introduction of a specific children's programme.
• The establishment of a specialist Health Promoting Schools Unit jointly by HEBS/CoSLA and Learning and Teaching Scotland to support schools develop the holistic health promoting schools ethos.
• The development of a National Physical Activity Strategy to cover inter alia the needs of children both within and outwith the school setting.
• A Review led by the Chief Nursing Officer of the contribution made by nurses to improving the population's health, focusing inter alia, on the role of health visitors and school nurses who are in a prime position to support children and families. This was subsequently published as Nursing for Health, which made a number of recommendations in relation to young children and their families, and school aged children and their families.
• The establishment of Healthy Living Centres, resourced by the New Opportunities Fund, many of which will benefit the health of children and their parents.
• The identification of health targets covering, inter alia, smoking by women during pregnancy and among 12-15 year olds, teenage pregnancies, the dental health of 5 year olds, alcohol misuse by both adults and young people, diet and physical activity.

The priority for children was re-emphasised in Our National Health: a plan for action, a plan for change, which made children's health a new clinical priority for the NHS in Scotland. This commitment built on the work of the Child Health Support Group established in June 2000.

The Child Health Support Group has a number of specific tasks:

• Identifying the main issues which children and their parents regard as important in the provision of child health care.
• Identifying areas for improvement or where there is no current provision.
• Supporting health boards and NHS trusts in the preparation of their Improvement Programmes, Trust Implementation Plans and contribute to Children's Services Plans in relation to health services for children, aiming to achieve consistency and ensuring inter-agency working.
• Assisting in the identification of innovation and improvements in services nationally and locally, and providing advice on the evaluation of these services.
• Supporting boards and trusts in identifying best practice across the whole range of children's services and acting as a catalyst for the dissemination and implementation of that best practice.

In June 2001 it published a template for child health services in NHS Board areas, which provides a framework against which local providers can benchmark the services they provide. It lays particular stress on the importance of close working with partners, of keeping children well, of informing and empowering parents to take healthy choices in the care of their families, and of targetting services for the most vulnerable.

The Planning and Priorities Guidance 1999/2002

The guidance supported tackling inequalities in health by improving the health of children and young people. It stated that the NHS should develop a co-ordinated, child centred and effective programme of action including:

• Maternal health
• Childhood nutrition
• Reducing childhood accidents
• Screening, surveillance and immunisation
• Teenage pregnancy
• The health of socially excluded young people
• Identification of risk factors for behavioural and educational problems
• Post natal depression
• Health service response to domestic violence.

The guidance also stated that the NHS should take account of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and in particular children's health and rights of access to health care.

All NHS Boards now have a lead commissioner of children's services working closely with other agencies to address the health needs of children including the development of Children's Services Plans, child protection, New Community Schools and social inclusion partnerships. They ensure that Health Improvement Programmes and Trust Implementation Plans have clear targets and outcomes setting out proposals aimed at improving health and tackling inequalities in relation to children.

At more local levels, Local Health Care Co-operatives, groups of primary care professionals working together to develop services and offer consistent and fair provision of care to patients in a local area have been established across Scotland.

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