CITY OF EDINBURGH
DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
EDUCATION (ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR
LEARNING) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2004
SOCIAL WORK PROCEDURES
for
COORDINATED SUPPORT PLANS
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Introduction
This document sets out for social work staff the main provisions of the
Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. It also
explains
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how social work staff may be involved in initiating a Coordinated
Support Plan (or CSP) for a pupil and
how they may contribute to an assessment for a CSP which has been
initiated by the education authority.
Additional Support Needs
The Act introduced the concept of ‘additional support needs’. In essence, a
child or young person has additional support needs if they are unable to
benefit from their school education without help, beyond what is normally
given to children or young people of the same age.
A child or young person may require additional support at school for any
number of reasons. For example, their education may be affected by issues
such as
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a learning difficulty
a sensory impairment or communication problem
social, emotional or behavioural difficulties
problems at home
being a young carer or parent
being particularly gifted
having English as an additional language
and these issues may all give rise to additional support needs. The concept
of additional support needs is therefore a wide one: it includes what we
formerly understood as ‘special educational needs’ but it is more extensive
than this.
The Act lays a duty on education authorities to provide ‘adequate and efficient’
additional support for children and young people who have additional support
needs. It also gives their parents (and young people themselves) rights of
appeal against the education authority if they fail in this, or in a number of
associated duties.
Planning to Support Pupils
All pupils, whether they have additional support needs or not, should benefit
from the personal education planning process at school. Pupils who have
additional support needs are likely to have more detailed plans made for their
education.
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Additional Support Plans
Some pupils in Edinburgh will have an Additional Support Plan (or ASP).
These were introduced to City of Edinburgh Council schools in 2005, and
schools elsewhere will have something equivalent. These plans outline the
approaches which will be used in meeting the pupils’ additional support
needs. In most cases the learning outcomes will be similar to those of their
peers.
Individualised Educational Programmes
A smaller number of pupils will have Individualised Educational Programmes
(or IEPs). These involve a more detailed level of planning and provision for
pupils who require it. IEPs have been used in schools across Scotland for a
number of years. These plans contain individualised learning out comes for
each pupil, and set out the approaches and resurces which will be used to
achieve them.
Coordinated Support Plans
A minority of pupils will require a Coordinated Support Plan (or CSP). This is
a statutory document which has been introduced by the Act. The CSP lists
educational objectives, derived from the learning outcomes in the IEP, which
require coordination between agencies if they are to be achieved.
The legislation which provided for Records of Needs has been repealed. The
CSP is not, however, a replacement for the Record and the groups to which it
will apply are different.
All pupils with additional support needs
Pupils who had Records
Pupils who have CSPs
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Coordinated Support Plans
There are five criteria which must be met before a pupil is eligible for a CSP.
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The City of Edinburgh must be responsible for the pupil’s school
education
The pupil must have additional support needs which arise from one or
more complex factors, or from multiple factors
The pupil’s needs are likely to continue for more than a year
The pupil requires significant additional support from the education
authority, and
The pupil requires significant additional support from another agency
(such as Health or social work.)
If a pupil meets these criteria, they must have a CSP. If they do not meet all
five criteria, a CSP is not appropriate and another planning framework will be
used instead.
Who can request a CSP?
Parents or young people themselves can request a CSP and there are some
useful publications 1 2 3and parent-led organisations 4 that can help them do
this.
Most requests are likely to come from schools but any professional, including
social work staff, can ask the education authority to consider opening a CSP
for a pupil. It would be good practice before doing so to discuss the issues
with the ASL Team Leader in the school the pupil attends, or with the
educational psychologist who links with the establishment.
The procedures to follow are set out in the City of Edinburgh’s guidance, In on
the Act: Guidance for Staff on the Education (Additional Support for Learning)
(Scotland) Act 2004. This can be found on the Edinburgh Grid for Learning at
http://egfl.net .
Parents’ Guide to Additional Support for Learning, Enquire 2006, and available at
www.enquire.org.uk
1
2
In on the Act: Information for the General Public, City of Edinburgh Council, and available at
http://egfl.net
3
In on the Act: Supporting children and young people with additional support needs: a series of leaflets
available from schools and other educational establishments
4
SNIP on www.snipinfo.org.uk and 0131 536 0538
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Contributing to an Assessment
Social work staff will be asked, more commonly, to contribute to the process
of assessment which may lead to the issue of a CSP. In most cases schools
will take the lead in this (although there are some exceptions which are
covered in a later section.)
In the normal course of events the school’s ASL Team Leader will have
discussed the pupil with the educational psychologist. They will have looked
at the five criteria listed earlier and will have come to conclusions on four of
these, as follows.
The City of Edinburgh must be responsible for the pupil’s school education
Coordinated Support Plans may be prepared for children from the age of
three. In most cases the pupil will be attending a partnership nursery, a Child
and Family Centre or City of Edinburgh school, and our responsibility will be
clear cut.
The City of Edinburgh is also responsible for the school education of pupils
who are Looked After and Accommodated and placed outside of Edinburgh.
The arrangements for these pupils are slightly different and are discussed in
detail in a following section.
The education authority is not responsible for pupils who are placed by their
parents in grant aided schools, or in independent schools or nurseries. Nor is
the education authority responsible for children and young people who are
being home educated. These children and young people are not eligible for a
CSP.
The pupil must have additional support needs which arise from one or more
complex factors, or from multiple factors
The terms ‘complex’ and ‘multiple’ factors are not well defined in the Act. It
would be safe to assume, however, if you are approached for advice about a
CSP, that the school or other establishment will have come to the conclusion
that this criterion has been met, after discussion with their educational
psychologist.
In most cases the pupil’s needs will have been set out in a pre-existing IEP.
The pupil’s needs are likely to continue for more than a year
The school’s ASL Team Leader will have made this judgement after
discussion with the educational psychologist and perhaps with other
professionals who are working with the pupil.
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The pupil requires significant additional support from the education authority
‘Significant’ is a difficult concept and it is not defined in the Act. The City of
Edinburgh has defined this for working purposes as placement in a special
school or class, either full or part-time; or adult support within a mainstream
setting which is provided on a full-time (or close to full-time) basis.
The pupil requires significant additional support from another agency (such as
Health or social work.)
The education authority has not presumed to define what ‘significant’
additional support will be when it is provided by Health or social work. Instead
the partnership agencies are asked to make their own judgement, for every
pupil under assessment, on whether the support they require is ‘significant.’
Health colleagues within Lothian have developed their own detailed definition
of ‘significant’ additional support. Their approach does not, however, fit with
how social work services are delivered.
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Judging the Significance of Social Work Support
If the school’s ASL Team Leader has initiated an assessment for a CSP, and
if social work services are being provided for the pupil, the ASL Team Leader
will send Form CSP1 to the social worker or practice team manager. A
specimen copy of Form CSP1 is attached as an appendix.
The social worker is asked to reply using Form CSP1A (also attached.). This
asks what services are required and whether, in the social worker’s opinion,
this support is ‘significant’. The decision tree which follows will guide social
work staff in deciding whether the support is likely to be significant or not.
Yes
Is the child or young person:
Looked After or Accommodated, or
Non the Child Protection Register, or
receiving or in need of services provided
under Section 23 of the Children
(Scotland) Act?
No
The additional
support required is
unlikely to be
significant
No
The additional
support required is
unlikely to be
significant
Yes
The
additional
Does
the childsupport
have a Care Plan or a Child
NProtection Plan?
Yes
Does the required support address one or
more of the educational objectives which
the school has listed in Form CSP1?
No
The additional
support is not
significant within the
terms of the Act
Yes
Will this support be required for more than
a year?
Yes
The support is likely to be significant.
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No
The additional support
required is unlikely to
be significant
Pupils who attend Independent Special Schools
The City of Edinburgh places a small number of pupils in independent special
schools, either on a day or residential basis. In these cases it will be the
educational psychologist and not the school who takes the lead in considering
the need for a CSP. Form CSP1 will be sent to the social worker by the
educational psychologist and Form CSP1A should be returned to them.
Pupils who are Looked After and Accommodated outwith Edinburgh
The City of Edinburgh is responsible for the school education of children and
young people who are looked after and accommodated by the local authority,
and who go to school in another area. The City of Edinburgh is the ‘home
authority’, and it is for the home authority to decide whether a pupil requires a
CSP, and to draw this up where necessary.
In some cases the City will do this directly, using the procedures described
earlier in this guidance note. The responsibility for leading this is likely to lie
with the educational psychologist.
In other cases the school the pupil attends will do much of the work on our
behalf, using procedures which have been worked out by the ‘host authority.’
The reciprocal agreements we have on this with neighbouring authorities are
informal at this stage.
Where such an agreement exists, the school (or an officer acting for the
school) will contact the social worker to ask for information, and if a proforma
is used, this will be the host authority’s own proforma with its own instructions
for completion and return. The school will then prepare the information
needed for a CSP and send this to the Contact Officer in our Children and
Families Department for consideration.
Further Information
This guidance is not intended to give a definitive interpretation of the Act. It is
limited to setting out the main implications for, and the procedures to be
followed by, the social work service. It should therefore be read in conjunction
with
The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004
The code of practice from the Scottish Executive, Supporting Children’s
Learning, which accompanies the Act.
The Council’s own guidance for staff, In on the Act.
August 2007
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Form CSP1
From : (ASL Team Leader)
(Name of school)
To : (Practitioners from other agency/ies or Social Worker)
(First name, Last name, Date of birth)
Consideration for a Coordinated Support Plan – Invitation to a Review
Meeting to take place on (Date)
The above child has been identified as having needs that may require a
coordinated support plan. It is my understanding that you are currently
providing support for this child. If however the child is unknown to you or not
currently receiving support from you, I would be grateful if you could advise
me of this as soon as possible.
The following are the provisional long term learning outcomes from (his/her)
individualised educational programme which I believe may require continuing
additional support from you for their achievement:
(Specify learning outcomes in one or more of the following areas :
 Communication and language/English.
 Numeracy/mathematics or understanding and relating to the environment.
 Personal and social development.
 Functional movement.)
I should be grateful if you could :
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Complete your agency’s Form CSP1A and return it to me by (date 10
working days before date of meeting) so that I may circulate it in advance
of the review meeting.
Inform me whether or not you will be able to attend the review meeting.
I attach below a permission slip signed by (a parent of the child / the young
person) which gives permission for your agency to provide this information.
Signed (ASL Team Leader)
Date
…………………………………………………………………………………………
PERMISSION SLIP for RELEASE of INFORMATION
I am a parent/carer of: Name of Child _____________________ DOB ___________
OR
I am a young person: Name ___________________________ DOB _________|__
I grant permission for the agency to whom this letter is sent to provide the information
requested.
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Name of parent/carer or young person (Print) ________________(Sign) __________
City of Edinburgh Council
Children and Families Department
Form CSP1A for Social Work
Pupil’s details
Name of pupil:
Date of birth: ......../........./.............
Address pupil resides at:
School:
Is the case allocated?
Y/N
Social worker completing form:
Surname:
First name:
Contact address:
Contact telephone number:
Is the pupil:
 Looked After
 Looked After and Accommodated?
 On the Child Protection Register?
 Receiving or in need of services provided under Section 23 of the
Children (Scotland) Act?
Does the pupil have:
 a Care Plan?
 a Child Protection Plan?
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
What factors in the pupil’s personal or family circumstances give rise to their additional
support needs?
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What support is required from your agency to address the pupil’s long term learning
outcomes? How will this support be delivered?
Which long term learning outcomes from those identified by the school will your agency’s
support address?
Are the pupil's needs likely to continue for longer than a year?
Yes / No
____________________
Signature of social worker
___________________
Date
____________________
Signature of practice team manager
___________________
Date
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