supporting all young people into positive and sustained destinations
A Shared Needs Led Assessment Framework
Who is this Framework for?
This Framework is for all partners – across a broad range of pre and post-16 settings
– who are involved in planning and delivering learning, including those involved in
young people’s transitions to learning, training and employment and adult
employability.
What is this Framework for?
This Framework proposes a partnership model encompassing the different stages of
the assessment and intervention process; the aim being to support improvements in
joined up working. It is particularly relevant for all partners involved in the critical
aspect of preparing young people for adulthood and supporting post-16 transitions.
Although the focus is on post-16 transition, the underpinning model is applicable to
any stage of learning.
Strategic Context
‘…we all need to think differently about secondary school to post school
transitions. The term ‘leaver’ as in ‘early leaver’ or ‘S4 leaver’ detracts from
what is a very important point of transition in the lives of all young people.’
and
‘.. a considerable gap in the service we provide for pupils is at the transition
stage between secondary school and post school.’ 1
‘Every child and young person is entitled to support in moving into a positive
and sustained destination’’2
Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy3 gives a clear commitment to all young
people about the routes on offer to education, employment and training – and the
support they can expect – and recognises the need to focus on all young people
who are at risk of moving into a negative destination. This partnership model should
be seen in the context of Curriculum for Excellence4, 16+ Learning Choices5, More
Choices More Chances6 and Getting it Right for every Child7.
1
http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/cuiwsh.pdf
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/building_the_curriculum_3_jms3_tcm4-489454.pdf
3
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/09/06091114/0
4
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/index.asp
5
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/03/30180354/0
6
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/06/13100205/0
7
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/09/22091734/0
2
1
The importance of early identification, support, planning and preparation throughout
learning is evident. HMIE has repeatedly emphasised these factors for, eg the lowest
attaining 20%8; school leavers9 and preparation for adulthood for those with
additional support needs.10
In addition the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 200911,
which amended the 2004 Act, asserts that all looked after children should be seen as
having additional needs unless there is contrary evidence; this encourages wider
application of the Act and underscores the need to improve shared working around
planning and delivery of support, for post-school transitions.
The More Choices More Chances strategy recognises the importance of educational
psychological services delivering for young people beyond age 16. Post School
Psychological Services, which are not delivered elsewhere in the UK, are now
delivered by all 32 local authority Educational Psychological Services in Scotland.
This Shared Needs Led Assessment Model has been developed over the 5 year
implementation period of these services.
What will this mean for partnership working?
Increasingly the capacity to work effectively in partnership at all stages, particularly
at points of transition, represents a key indicator as to the success of a school,
learning provider or their key partners.
In preparing for post-16 transition the joint planning process must start early. The
foundations for successful transition should be laid throughout a young person’s
learning. Taken as a whole, an individual’s learning activities should combine to
form a coherent experience. Supporting transition to start secondary schooling or to
move beyond school is important, as at any other stage within school.
Potentially the complexity of the transition process is increased, the greater the
number of stakeholders that are involved. No one agency can deliver in isolation.
Partnership collaboration needs to be seen in a positive light, presenting shared
responsibilities, delivery of support and maximisation of resources. This is central to
the teamwork principle of Getting it Right for Every Child.
Up-to-date and accurate knowledge of relevant local and national partners, eg
schools, colleges, health services, training providers, SDS and employers, their
roles, responsibilities and working practices is essential. Collaborative partnership
working requires a common understanding, with agreed practices and protocols, to
facilitate data and information exchanges. Building the Curriculum 5 cites the needs
led approach central to this Framework as relevant to a range of key partners.
8
http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/hmiemoeo.html
http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/cuiwsh.html
10
http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/aslr-05.html#42
11
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2009/pdf/asp_20090007_en.pdf
9
2.
What will this mean for young people?
Recent research on the views and experiences of young people, who have
experienced post-16 transitions, provides powerful evidence of what can help and
what remains to be done. This includes the need to:

accurately identify and intervene early for those at risk of negative outcomes;
specific groups are automatically placed at higher risk e.g. those looked after /
accommodated;

recognise the crucial aspect of relationship building with each young person
- a key protective factor;

ensure that critical years in school are not wasted and that every young
person is helped toward a sustainable future through informed and
supported choices;

appreciate that like their more successful counterparts, the vast majority of
unsuccessful young people, lacking qualifications whilst at school, still persist
with positive aspirations having left school;

recognise the importance of planned and supported transitions across
stages and into next steps

see transition as including the process of planning and support before, during
and after key stages in development and learning; Services need to anticipate
multiple transitions, to maximise partnership working across agencies using
co-ordination and targeting of support.
Growing evidence suggests that many young people who face barriers to, or
disengage from, learning can be quickly re-engaged and put on positive paths as a
result of greater co-ordination between schools and partners working together and
building on past relationships and successes. School leavers report favourably on
the value of specific supports whilst at school, eg mentoring.
Partnership assessment and intervention
This Framework is for all parties involved in supporting young people, in the context
of delivering relevant, needs led, co-ordinated and effective services; it aims to
support partnership working through:

promoting a shared understanding of the process of identifying individual
support needs;

ensuring that the sharing of planning for intervention is maximised in this
process;

supporting local developments to maintain and raise quality standards in
assessment / intervention;
3.

applying a staged model that signals where involvement of other partners may
be relevant;

encouraging staff to further develop young person engagement and
empowerment.
A focus on assessment
Any activity aiming to develop more effective assessment and intervention strategies
must include an agreed definition of what assessment is; there should be clarity
about what is involved, based on a shared understanding of terms and practices.
Assessment is a process for gathering information and evidence to identify
strengths, development needs and support for an individual; the process may
continue over time and through changing circumstances. It should build a
developing professional relationship with the young person, allowing greater trust
and involvement.
Definition can further be seen in an interactive way:
(a)
From the point of view of the young person experiencing assessment:
Assessment aims to develop a positive relationship, helping the individual build
a realistic picture of their strengths, needs and experience. It should result in
personal planning that includes opportunities that support progression towards
specific goals. The process should be a negotiated one that promotes individual
ownership, empowering them to attain agreed outcomes. It should help the
individual to set a current starting point and ultimately allow a retrospective
measure of distance travelled. Experience of working with agencies/
organisations should include transparency, clarity and co-ordination
(b)
From the point of view of the partners involved:
Assessment requires a shared process for gathering information and evidence
to identify strengths and development needs of an individual; this to enable them
to achieve realistic goals and successful/sustainable outcomes. It should involve
agreed language and procedures that are clear to both young person and
organisations. Building rapport and establishing a relationship between the
young person and supporter are key to personal engagement and empowerment.
4.
The key principles of needs led assessment
Effective needs led assessment:

is undertaken to identify a young person’s support needs to maximise their
knowledge /skills and to promote improved outcomes;

is a staged process that promotes proportionate and focused involvement of
relevant partners;

depends on co-ordinated and collaborative working;

requires proactive sharing through good quality information transfer and
agreed protocols;

recognises the centrality of the young person and requires confidentiality
issues to be addressed at the outset;

involves specialist roles, only in a context where roles / procedures are explicit
and agreed; and

benefits from shared development of a shared model that ensures each
partner/agency understands interdependence of roles.
The definition of assessment and the principles above, combine to allow the
consideration of a model for needs led assessment. They focus on the shared
process of assessment, with an explicit assumption at the outset that all partners act
as interdependent partners who share a collective responsibility. Ultimately the
young person benefits from an experience of co-ordinated services that seek to
maximise continuity and progression. A staged model of assessment has the
advantage of illustrating a process and the potential connections between activities
of relevant partners.
The Model Underpinning Shared Needs Led Assessment
The model in Figure 1, is designed to illustrate the gathering of information on an
individual, making use of available evidence in a structured and progressive manner.
The aim being to gather information to identify strengths and development/support
needs to enable an individual to plan and achieve their personal goals.
The process is best seen as a staged one, whereby a developing picture of a young
person’s needs is progressively established, whilst in the context of providing
relevant support. Such activity should increase the chances of correctly
understanding a young person’s needs to learn and develop employability and life
skills. It should seek to identify and overcome barriers present in learning and
working settings, with the aim of working towards a positive and sustained outcome
for the young person.
The staged aspect is critical to ensuring minimum effective involvement of any one
agency. The process of engaging of and planning with the young person is possible
5.
at any stage of the model. Co-ordination of assessment and intervention across
partners is usually facilitated by the presence of an agreed key worker/cocoordinator, which has the explicit role of supporting the young person whilst
maintaining an overview of all partnership activity. However, each agency is
responsible for ensuring that its actions take account of all other partnership work
which supports a young person.
Figure 1: A Model of Shared Needs Led Assessment
Identified young people
Attendance
Involvement of partner(s)
Presentation- pre admission, includes historical information from
previous/current provision, agencies, distance travelled, self
assessment, aspirations, reports, interviews, family perspectives…
Reports – includes records of achievement/attainment, core skills,
assessment and intervention, evidence of curricular progress, work
experience etc
E
V
I
D
E
N
C
E
B
U
I
L
D
I
N
G
Observation in direct contact (prior to entry), in groups/
classes, ongoing meetings/self-report on needs/
perceived barriers from review, external agencies etc
Ongoing assessment (track/monitor) of
learner skills, performance in teaching and
learning context, work experience estimate of literacy, numeracy, work with
others, independence skills, motivation etc
Specialist
assessment /
partnership
interview / skills
check
Process:
Pupil / young
person
engagement
Key/lead person
Initial
identification
of need
Continuing
engagement
and progression
Review of
learning and
Planning (eg
IEPs, CSPs,
Activity
Agreements
Care Plans)
Positive and
Sustained
Outcome
6.
The Shared Needs Led Assessment Model

Initial stage of identification and assessment of a young person’s need – this
may require minimal input in the beginning.

It is perfectly feasible to engage with, and create, an individual plan (eg
Individual Educational Plan, Co-ordinated Support Plan, Activity Agreement)
for a young person, at the Presentation Stage. If this is the case it is
important that sufficient and accurate information on the young person is
known and shared. Engagement with a young person at this stage would
often be considered ideal, as it assumes effective prior assessment and
information sharing across partners in the form of an agreed summary of
achievement and need. In this case, ongoing review will ensure that a
dynamic process is maintained.

If further information is required, the Observation Stage allows a fuller picture
to be built from direct contact (further evidence) with the provider and other
related partners.

The Ongoing Assessment Stage focuses on ongoing experience of the
young person in practical and working settings with e.g. basic skills, social
competence, motivation etc. Outcomes from any interventions add to direct
assessments and become the critical evidence in this continuing process, with
the ultimate aim of moving a young person into a positive and sustained
destination.

Specialist assessment would only occur when specific assessment by
others is involved and when all other information sources have been drawn
upon. This assessment could be related to specific learning difficulties, workrelated skills or mental health. It would most likely happen when more
information is still required to clarify a barrier, specific to an individual’s
situation and as such may need further internal detailed, or external, specialist
assessment.
Self-evaluation - applying a shared model to partnership working
Self-evaluation provides an opportunity to consider ways to improve partnership
working, tracking and information flow in the process of preparation for transitions,
particularly post-16. For example, the need for direct assessment by one partner
can be reduced by the sharing of high quality information at point of involvement/
transfer. Further, activity that promotes ongoing sharing of information through
review will assist subsequent transitions through next steps and into sustainable
destinations.
Answers to questions can serve to highlight and reinforce good practice. Changes
and developments in local partnership working can be supported by reference to
ongoing systemic reflection and review.
7.
The following questions are designed to help all those involved in transitions to
reflect on current practices, in the light of the shared model. Complementary selfevaluation questions and/or good practice exemplars can be found in We Can and
Must Do Better12 and the various documents referenced throughout this Framework.
Background and Presentation questions (prior information and information
sharing):
 Are key partners in the post school arena clearly identified and
mechanisms in place for collaborative and integrated working?
 Are there shared policies and procedures to support young people’s
transitions, school to school, between phases of learning and from school
to post- school?
 Are there adequate planning, profiling and record keeping strategies that
allow early identification and tracking, so that information can accompany
the young people at transition points?
 Are there agreed processes and protocols regarding information
exchange with key partners post school? Can you access reports from
partner agencies that help provide background?
 Are clearly identified (additional) support needs / interventions
communicated to partners?
 Do partner agencies have opportunity to undertake prior assessment/
induction to be aware of young person need, before receiving them?
 Are there good transition links with relevant key partners for entry and exit /
next steps?
 Is the offer based on clear knowledge of the continuum of choices post
school and are these clearly communicated to young people, parents and
carers?
Observation (and third party feedback):
 Are there good links with parents and between specific agencies to share
information / planning for Review?
 What ongoing opportunities are there for structuring, observing and recording
outcomes for a young person in a learning, work experience or training
setting?
 How are skills for employability supported? Are work-based and/or communitybased activities incorporated within a young people’s programme?
 How do partners plan for extended transition for vulnerable young people,
including looked after children, as part of a staged intervention process,
starting, for example, by S3?
12
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/01/15084446/0
8.
Ongoing assessment: (building the understanding)
 What assessment strategies are available to make judgements about the
developing needs and changing choices of a young person?
 How is this information about specific skills and needs gained and managed?
 Is information on personal qualities/attributes such as motivation, interpersonal
skills, reliability, employability etc gathered, and is this profile recorded/shared
with the young people and relevant (post-16) partners?
 Where young people are having needs met across settings, what is the
process of information sharing with partners e.g. in colleges, training providers,
work placements?
 How is progress through, and after, school monitored and tracked eg take up
of post-16 learning choices offer and subsequent outcome?
Specialist assessment: (when questions about individual need still remain)
 Which specialist services are accessible, in order to confirm suspicions/support
for particular needs / barriers to learning?
 Which services can be consulted in order to discuss ongoing concerns
regarding a young person’s needs?
Post School Psychological Services
More Choices More Chances Team
June 2010
9.