Similar to other areas across the UK, Argyll and Bute is experiencing high demand for support services for children with additional support needs, particularly neurodevelopmental assessments and services.
Senior leaders across the multi-agency partnership in Argyll & Bute are committed to supporting a whole system review of the range of services that support children and young people with additional support needs and a number of key priorities are being progressed.
While there is an increasingly strained financial position across the public sector, no funding has been withdrawn, during the course of this or the previous financial year, from supporting those with additional support needs. There is a continued commitment to working closely in partnership with colleagues across the public and third sectors through the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach. The voice of children and families is integral to how we plan to address their individual circumstances.
As with many services, the lockdown period had a significant impact on the delivery of the Neurodevelopmental Assessment Services. Early in the pandemic the service was paused for a period. The break in service had a significant impact on the waiting lists in terms of the number waiting and the lengths of waits experienced. A significant increase in the number of referrals and difficulties with recruitment to some posts has added additional pressure.
An agreement across health, social work and education has been actioned with the development of a Single Point of Access (SPA) for all neurodevelopmental referrals. The aim is to screen referrals, multiagency discussion and ensure the correct pathway alignment at the initial point of referral. Active recruitment continues to be progressed for Allied Health Professionals, Nursing Staff and Support Workers. It is the aim for this model to be operational before the end of the year.
Argyll and Bute Education Service continues to provide significant support for children and young people to access the curriculum as required. The staged intervention process is the agreed model used to identify, plan for and support children who have additional support needs and/or who require a targeted intervention. Interventions can be provided with or without a diagnosis. Staged intervention is used as a means of identification, assessment, planning, recording and review to meet the learning needs of children and young people.
Support can also be accessed through Argyll and Bute’s Social Work Service. Following GIRFEC procedures a parent can ask a ‘Named Person’ to arrange a Child’s Planning Meeting. (School staff will usually be able to indicate who the ‘Named Person’ is.) In conjunction with parents and / or carers a Section 23 assessment, as dictated by the Children’s (Scotland) Act 1995, can be requested. A parent or carer can also directly approach the local social work office to request and assessment.
A social worker will be allocated and will ascertain the views of parents, carers and children. The aim is to look at the young person’s level of need. There will subsequently be an examination of what support can be reasonably offered in the area where the young person resides. This can include, but is not restricted to, referral to third sector agencies where they are available or direct payments to allow families to flexibly shape bespoke support which suits their needs.