The Principles of Supporting Childen’s Learning Working with Children and Families www.LTScotland.org.uk Learning and Teaching Scotland 2 © Learning and Teaching Scotland 2010 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 3 Contents Introduction5 Freya’s Story 8 Diane’s Story 13 Sheena’s Story 17 Jason’s Story 21 Useful Links and Reading 25 WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK 4 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 5 INTRODUCTION Introduction Parents1 ‘Parents must also be encouraged and have the opportunity to be involved fully in discussions and decisions about their child’s learning. Most parents want what is best for their children and have unique knowledge and experience to contribute to understanding and meeting their child’s additional support needs. They, therefore, have a key role to play in their child’s education and account must be taken of their views and the perspective they bring.’ (Code of Practice, Chapter 7, paragraph 3) The following clips outline some of the aspects to consider in relation to working with parents. Clip 1 Partnership with Parents Lorraine Sanda, National Parental Involvement Co-ordinator, outlines some of the issues which schools and their partners might consider when engaging with parents, to help ensure effective partnership in supporting children and young people with additional support needs. Reflective question Working in partnership with parents is essential when supporting children and young people with additional support needs. Parents need information to help then make informed choices about supports for their child. • Consider the range of information available for parents. Is information about local and national supports readily available to parents and how is this collated and disseminated? Please note that in this document ‘parent’ includes guardian and any person who is liable to maintain or has parental responsibilities in relation to, or has care of, a child or young person and should be seen as key partners in supporting their children. The Code of Practice outlines aspects of good practice in working collaboratively with parents and ensuring that their views and those of their children are taken into account when planning supports. 1 WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK INTRODUCTION 6 Clip 2 Working with Families Stuart Aitken, Senior Consultant – Sense Scotland, discusses the broad principles which form the basis of the approach taken in the Code of Practice in terms of working with families and children. Reflective questions • The Code of Practice outlines a number of points in communicating with parents (Chapter 7, paragraph 40). With reference to these seven areas select one which you feel exemplifies good practice within your setting. What are the key features which highlight its success? • Select one area from these seven which could be improved. What three key actions would be needed to bring about improvement in this area? Clip 3 Listening to the Voices of Young People Tam Baillie, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, highlights the duty on all practitioners to listen to and take account of the views of children and young people. He indicates that we must take account of the views of vulnerable young people in terms of both the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). ‘All children and young people should have the opportunity to make their views known about decisions which affect them. They should have the opportunity to express their opinions and have these opinions taken seriously.’ (Code of Practice, Chapter 7, paragraph 2) THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 7 INTRODUCTION Reflective questions • Consider the articles of the UNCRC mentioned in the clip. Which of these would you consider most difficult to address in your setting and why? • A whole range of issues has to be taken into account to ensure that the views of children and young people are appropriately represented. What might these factors be in your setting? • Statistically, looked after children do less well than other groups of children. Consider why this might be. What changes to your practice could you make which would better support these children and young people? • Apart from young carers and looked after children, what other groups of children might face discrimination which would present barriers to their learning? Select one of the groups you have identified and consider how they may be better supported within your setting. • Consider the ‘Good practice in communicating with children and young people’ statements outlined on page 128 of the Code of Practice: www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/321392/0103307.pdf Which of these aspects are addressed in your approach to listening to and taking account of the views of children and young people? The following activities are designed to allow practitioners to reflect on how they work with parents and young people to develop true partnership. They may be used on an individual basis or within a group activity to promote discussion. Key aspects of good practice as set out in Chapter 7 (pages 133–134) of the Code have been referenced throughout the stories. As practitioners proceed through the activities and reflective questions they should consider the good practice points highlighted and decide whether the story is modelling that aspect of practice. WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK FREYA’S STORY 8 Freya’s Story Background Freya was 5 years old when she was referred to the Inclusion team. She had shown signs of severe emotional distress and had been refusing to attend school. Freya had moved from nursery to primary within the same school and made the transition reasonably well. After a few months Freya and her younger sister moved with their mother, Annika, to a new area due to the breakdown of the parents’ relationship. The move to be nearer to Annika’s sister meant a change of school for Freya before the end of Primary 1. When Annika attempted to bring Freya into the new school she refused to dress or leave the house. If she made it to school she would be extremely emotionally distressed. She became physically aggressive towards her mother, clinging to her legs or punching and trying to bite her. This behaviour usually led to her being returned home. On the few occasions Freya came to school she would start weeping in class. She was unsettled and refused to engage with staff, pupils or activities. School staff also noticed that she was not eating or drinking whilst in school, despite encouragement. Professionals should: Recognise the personal and emotional investment of parents and be aware of their feelings. Intervention The headteacher mentioned her concerns about Freya to Annika but there was no change and Freya continued to refuse to eat or drink. The school contacted the Child Protection (CP) team for advice. As a consequence, the CP team made contact with the family, who were encouraged to take Freya to her GP surgery. She was consequently hospitalised for a number of weeks. While Freya was in hospital the Child and Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team worked with the family to address control issues and behaviour management techniques. An outreach teacher from the Additional Support Needs (ASN) service provided some educational sessions to Freya in hospital. Involvement from ASN and the CAMHS team came to an end once Freya left hospital. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 9 FREYA’S STORY Accountability and involvement: Parents have a clear point of contact who can answer questions, make decisions and ensure that agreed actions are taken. Reflective question 1 What might the emotions be that the family were experiencing at this time? By this time, relationships between the parents, the extended family and the school were extremely strained as the school had triggered the intervention by the Child Protection team. When Freya came home from hospital the family no longer made any attempt to get their daughter into school and there was no communication between the two parties. Professionals should: Ensure that parents understand procedures, are aware of how to access support and are given documents to be discussed well in advance of meetings. A referral for an inclusion support worker (ISW) was made to support attendance at school. The school then set up a meeting inviting all services involved, Freya’s parents, an educational psychologist, and the ISW. Reflective question 2 How would you communicate with the family about the meeting? How would you involve them in planning? How would this approach help engagement with Freya’s parents? During the meeting the ISW asked the family what support they felt they needed. They stated they needed support and advice about how to get Freya into school. It was agreed that the ISW would make a home visit to discuss intervention options with the family and to provide support as needed. Effective working relationships develop when: Parents feel included and are encouraged to contribute to discussions. WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK FREYA’S STORY 10 The ISW recognised the breakdown in the relationships and took a solution-focused approach to her assessment, through: • discussion with the family, including strategies that had already been tried, successfully or otherwise • consultation with other professionals who had worked with the family • observations of child and parent in the home. The Support Plan targets were: • short-term: build trusting working relationship with child and parent introduce positive feelings about school support Freya’s attendance in school. • long-term: full-time attendance at school. The ISW provided family support including individual play sessions with Freya, modelling play and positive behaviour management. She adopted a solution-focused approach to help Annika regain confidence in her abilities as a parent. Professionals should: Acknowledge and draw on parental knowledge and expertise in relation to their child; consider the child’s strengths as well as areas of additional need. Reflective question 3 Through this process, how might the power relationships between the school and the family be shifting? How might this benefit Freya? Review meetings were held fortnightly. During review meetings, staff continued to communicate their anxiety about Freya being in the class through comments such as: ‘We are out of our depth here.’ The parents said they felt that despite many positive steps made by Freya, the school staff continued to focus on negatives. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 11 FREYA’S STORY Effective working relationships develop when: Contact with parents is sensitive, positive, helpful and regular; parents are involved and processes and roles are explained from the beginning. Reflective question 4 How might the language used by professionals affect how the parents view the school? Consider the strategies you might use to communicate with parents to increase their confidence. Outcomes Once a relationship of trust between the ISW, Freya and her mother had developed, they made plans together to support the transition from home to school. They created opportunities for positive experiences for Freya in school, which in turn enabled a more positive view of Freya and her mother by school staff. In addition, small groups of class peers spent time in individual sessions with Freya to help her build friendships. Freya’s time at school gradually increased and a process for withdrawal of the ISW worker was planned. A communication diary (home/school link) was introduced with an emphasis on recording achievements. A Positive Behaviour Support plan was developed with the involvement of the parent and shared between all involved. Information should be: Readily available and provided automatically. WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK FREYA’S STORY 12 Activity 1 People can make assumptions about others and these can be heightened and unrealistic, especially when the situation is one of conflict or potential conflict. Practitioners can find it useful to objectively analyse their views and assumptions in relation to parents and to consider how these may impact on the quality of their interactions. Use the Assumptions Chart below to consider how your assumptions about Annika may affect the way you communicate. The Assumptions Chart What are the assumptions we might make depending on how we perceive a parent? Parent as opponent Parent as recipient Parent as partner The assumption is that the parent is the problem The assumption is that the parent has a problem The assumption is that the parent can find ways forward Our view of the parent could be that they are: Our approach to the parent might be: Teacher feelings may be: Typical interaction might be: THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 13 DIANE’S STORY Diane’s Story Background Diane was 6 years old and living in a rural village. Attending the local primary school, she was sociable and seemed to be achieving well although there were some concerns about her reading and writing. The school recognised that she needed additional support and, having informed the parent, an additional support for learning teacher was allocated. She was nearing the end of Primary 2. Diane’s mother, Jane, was very concerned that she was not reading and so was trying to teach her at home and asked the school to test Diane for dyslexia. Professionals should: Recognise the personal and emotional investment of parents and be aware of their feelings. The school had a policy of working with the child and their specific needs rather than applying a label. The Additional Support Team fundamentally believed that each child’s needs are unique to them and therefore, even if the child has a diagnosis of dyslexia, the planned intervention would depend on the whole child and their particular experience of dyslexia. Therefore they did not test routinely. This was because of their concern that the use of labels might encourage a deficit model of support rather than a needs-led model. Professionals should: Respect the validity of differing perspectives and seek constructive ways of reconciling different viewpoints. Reflective question 1 How might the values that inform this view be shared with parents and carers whilst taking into account their need for answers? WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK DIANE’S STORY 14 Intervention At this point the teachers were very concerned that Jane’s focus on Diane’s reading and writing was having a negative impact on her confidence. She was becoming more anxious in school. It was decided to ask Jane to come to a meeting with the additional support for learning (ASL) teacher to explain the reasons for the policy. At this meeting the process was explained to Jane, who seemed satisfied. However, some days later she asked again that an assessment for dyslexia be undertaken and it was decided that Diane should be given the assessment. The test confirmed that Diane had dyslexia. By this point the teachers had a view of Jane as being too focused on labelling Diane and on interventions which were deficit biased, and which they felt did not view the whole child. For these reasons it was decided to hold a Partnership Planning Meeting. Effective working relationships develop when: Parents are involved and processes and roles are explained from the beginning. Activity 1 Use the Parent Compass on page 10 of ‘Practice for Positive Relationships: 2: Reaching out to Families’ to help you describe the teacher’s view of Jane. www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/07/23154948/0 • How could you enable all parties to reframe views without feeling disempowered? • How can you work towards partnership in the longer term? The ASL teacher approached Jane at pick-up time and explained that they were hoping to hold the meeting, the purpose for it and that it would be an opportunity to plan how they could support Diane as she move into Primary 3. Jane was asked to suggest a time that was convenient for her. Meetings work best when: Parents are asked what times and places suit them best, taking account of any access need or family responsibilities. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 15 DIANE’S STORY Reflective question 2 What information would Jane need at this point and how would it be best communicated? At the Partnership Planning Meeting everyone sat around a table with a piece of A3 paper in the middle. The teacher then explained the purpose of meeting: that it was an opportunity for everyone to plan together, to help Diane to say what she thinks she is good at and what she thinks she needs help with. Diane was asked to speak first and was asked a series of questions: • What do you like doing? • What are you good at? • What helps you to learn? • What does mummy do to help you? • What can your teacher do to help you? Jane was invited to help Diane to find answers and was also given the chance to answer the same questions following Diane’s turn. During the discussion, the teacher recorded the answers as a Mind Map on the A3 paper. Everyone else was asked to add their comments. At the end of the meeting, an action plan was written. Professionals should: Consider the child’s strengths as well as areas of additional need. Identifying the way forward works well when: All views are taken on board – including those of the child or young person. Reflective question 3 What are the risks and opportunities of this approach? WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK DIANE’S STORY 16 About half an hour into the meeting Diane decided to opt out and play with toys but remained in the room. Jane was given the chance to speak about any issues she wished to discuss that hadn’t been addressed so far. She asked about dyslexia and the impact this would have on Diane. Jane appeared to be visibly distressed. The teacher used this as an opportunity to explain the implications for Diane to Jane while also addressing Diane, who was still playing in the room. Meetings work best when: Ample time is given to allow people to raise concerns, so that decisions are not rushed. Reflective question 4 How would you maximise an ethos of openness and collaboration? The teacher found that her view of Jane began to change as she listened to her concerns. Her view of Jane changed. She now recognised that Mum was simply very anxious that her daughter would not progress as she should. The way Jane had approached the issues for Diane and spoken to the teachers was out of a desire to do her best for Diane. From listening to Jane’s concerns she saw that she was seeking a ‘handle’ with which to be able to understand Diane’s difficulties. A more empathetic approach was now possible and the teacher was able to reassure Jane. She emphasised that Diane had many abilities to help her develop so that dyslexia would not become an all-encompassing label but that the school would still teach her strategies to help minimise the impact. The meeting concluded with an action plan that gave Jane the strategies to help Diane at home (eg paired reading) as well as agreeing on what the school staff would do in class. Meetings work best when: Decisions are made when parents are at the meeting, or agreed with them before the meeting takes place, not after the meeting has closed, unless further consultation takes place with them. Outcome Subsequently, Diane seemed to be more confident and relaxed in class and reported that she was doing the paired reading with mum. The support strategies agreed at the meeting were in place in school. Mum is more relaxed and comfortable with communications with school. Ongoing meetings with Jane were introduced to further develop confidence and trust. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 17 SHEENA’S STORY Sheena’s Story Background Sheena was a 13-year-old girl with learning disabilities who lived in a large housing estate close to the special school she attended. Sheena’s mother, Karen, also had a mild learning disability. Sheena and Karen were supported by Karen’s parents and a voluntary organisation (Assist), providing short breaks and help to get Sheena ready for school in the morning. Social Work and Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) were also involved. The school was concerned about a pattern of late attendance. Despite discussion and agreement of action to address the problem at a review meeting, Sheena continued to be late for school most mornings. They were also concerned that Sheena’s behaviour was becoming more challenging. She was becoming less able to sit for more than a few minutes at a time, she seemed to be agitated and she would occasionally pull the hair of other children. Intervention This teacher was particularly concerned as the challenging behaviour was unusual for Sheena. She asked to meet with Karen next time she came into the school. At the meeting the teacher explained her concerns to Karen and asked how things were at home. Initially, Karen said things were fine at home. However, as the teacher described Sheena’s behaviour in school, Karen said that Sheena had started to do the same to her and to her friends. On discussing this further with the headteacher, they agreed that they should ask for another review meeting to plan how to help Sheena. Effective working relationships develop when: Parents feel included and are encouraged to contribute to discussions. Professionals should: Acknowledge and draw on parental knowledge and expertise in relation to their child. WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK SHEENA’S STORY 18 Reflective question 1 What might be the practitioners’ view of Karen? How could you enable all parties to reframe views without being disempowered or feeling threatened? The meeting was planned with Karen and involved teaching staff and the speech and language therapist. It was agreed that a positive behavioural support plan would be put in place and all parties agreed to follow the interventions. The importance of Sheena arriving in school on time was reiterated. Karen said she had found this difficult but said she would ask the Assist staff to help her. A copy of the meeting record was sent to the manager of Assist. Professionals should: Recognise the personal and emotional investment of parents and be aware of their feelings. Reflective question 2 What do you think Karen’s feelings might be with regards to the current situation? For the first week Sheena arrived at school on time but her behaviour did not seem to be changing. The manager of Assist telephoned the headteacher to say that they had found Sheena to be more agitated at home and that they had been in touch with the social worker as they were concerned about Karen’s new partner, Paul. He was spending a lot of time in the family home and they felt his behaviour towards Sheena was ‘inappropriate’, for example, playing ‘rough and tumble’. Following a further conversation with the social worker it was decided to call another meeting. Professionals should: Cater for the differing needs parents may have, such as those arising from a disability, or communication and linguistic barriers. Activity 1 What provision would you make for communication with Karen? Use the Communication Chart on page 15 of ‘Practice for Positive Relationships: 2: Reaching out to Families’ to consider the various aspects of communication. www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/07/23154948/0 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 19 SHEENA’S STORY By now, Karen was becoming more distressed, believing her parenting ability was being questioned and that the social worker would take Sheena into care. Sheena began to come into school late again. Karen had previously had a good relationship with the teacher so the next time Karen brought Sheena to school she invited her to go for a coffee and a chat in the Parents’ Room. During this conversation Karen became quite angry, accusing the teacher of trying to split up her relationship with her partner and take Sheena away from her. The teacher listened and then asked Karen why she thought Sheena’s behaviour had changed. Karen thought about this and then said maybe it was because she was very tired because she had not been falling asleep until very late every night, would wake two to three times during the night and then struggle to get up in the morning. They agreed a date and time for the meeting and that Karen would invite Paul and her mother to provide support. Communication works well when: Any information provided by parents is acknowledged. Effective working relationships develop when: Parents feel included and are encouraged to contribute to discussions. Activity 2: Critical Incident Analysis Think of a situation when a parent behaved towards you as if they thought you were ‘against’ them. • Why did you view the situation like that? • What assumptions did you make about the parent or situation? • How else could you have interpreted the situation? • What other action(s) could you have taken? • How might these actions have been more or less helpful? • What do you think you might do differently in the future if a similar situation arose? The meeting went ahead as planned. Karen still felt distressed and overwhelmed by the threat she perceived and so asked that her mother speak on her behalf. During the meeting it became clear that since Paul had begun to spend more time at the family home, Sheena’s sleep routines had been severely disrupted. They would stay up to watch TV together and then Sheena clearly wanted time alone with her mother. By the end WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK SHEENA’S STORY 20 of the meeting Karen and Paul began to contribute their ideas and asked for help in getting Sheena to sleep at night. It was agreed to make a referral to the Sleep Clinic and to liaise with the Assist staff to see what worked to help Sheena sleep at night. Identifying the way forward works well when: People show an interest in general family priorities and take them on board; services are identified in agreement with the family and are responsive to individual needs. The teacher continued to have informal meetings with Karen in the Parents’ Room and was eventually able to introduce her to other parents from the school. Effective working relationships develop when: Contact with parents is sensitive, positive, helpful and regular. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 21 JASON’S STORY Jason’s Story Background Jason was a 12-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). He attended a mainstream primary school, supported by an additional support for learning outreach teacher, this placement that had been sought for by his parents (Sandra and Michael). The issue for Jason and his parents was consideration of an appropriate placement for secondary school. Professionals should: Respect the validity of differing perspectives and seek constructive ways of reconciling different viewpoints. Sandra and Michael’s choice to place Jason in a mainstream primary school had not been supported by the school staff, who believed strongly that his needs would be met more appropriately in a more specialised provision. This gradually led to a breakdown in relationships between the family and the school staff. According to the staff, this disagreement meant that many strategies and support methods were met with opposition from Jason’s parents. Effective working relationships develop when: Parents feel included and are encouraged to contribute to discussions. Activity 1: The Parent Compass How do we view families? Use the chart illustrated on page 10 of ‘Practice for Positive Relationships 2: Reaching Out to Families’ to consider the following questions. www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/07/23154948/1 How might the practitioners’ view of Sandra and Michael affect how they view the parents’ responses? What do you think Sandra and Michael might be feeling? How could a relationship of trust and collaboration be developed? WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK JASON’S STORY 22 Jason’s experiences in the mainstream school were very varied and he was often distressed for part of the day and spent a significant percentage of his time out of the classroom in a small support for learning room. Intervention The outreach teacher became involved at this stage. She had not been involved in the earlier disagreements and was able to listen to the parents’ concerns and build a relationship of trust. The school began to provide support for Jason in a variety of ways, with a varied curriculum and making use of a variety of spaces around the school, with his parents’ support. There continued to be disagreement about the appropriate school placement for Jason but the relationship allowed for honest discussion and for his needs to be met much more successfully. Professionals should: Acknowledge and draw on parental knowledge and expertise in relation to their child. Reflective question 1 When the views of staff and those of the parents/carers differ, how might you work to reach decisions in the best interests of the child? From this point the decision about Jason’s move to secondary school could now be made collaboratively. The outreach teacher supported the parents on visits to the two schools that might be appropriate – the local secondary school and the nearby specialist provision. They met with other parents whose children were supported in the provision or with outreach support and had discussions with staff in both schools. A meeting was held to discuss the options and Jason’s parents felt able to fully explain their views and preferences for their child’s education. Eventually the decision was taken to request a place in the specialist provision. Michael also asked for a day or half-day each week in the local secondary school to be part of Jason’s timetable. Identifying the way forward works well when: All views are taken on board – including those of the child or young person; people show an interest in general family priorities and take them on board. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 23 JASON’S STORY Reflective question 2 What information would parents/carers need in order to be able to make a decision at time of transition from primary to secondary school? How would you communicate this information? Visits and transition planning continued, to share information and enable Jason and all the staff involved to get to know each other. In the final term, Jason had an excellent time during a class visit to the local secondary school and expressed a preference to go to secondary school with his classmates. His father became anxious that over time the link with the secondary school might be lost. He contacted the ASN service manager and expressed his concerns that the link to the secondary school might not be supported and that his desire for his child to lead ‘an ordinary’ life might be lost in the specialist provision. The service manager reassured him that Jason’s inclusion was also the priority for the authority. Reflective question 3 How would you ensure channels of communication remained open during the process of transition? Following this, a meeting at the specialist provision was held to plan the detail for Jason’s regular days at the local secondary school. This was also an opportunity for his parents to share their beliefs about inclusion, which were leading to the current anxiety regarding the decision that Jason should attend a specialist provision. The outreach teacher attended the meeting and supported the parents in giving their views, which then formed part of the planning for Jason’s support when he started school the following August. Meetings work best when: Ample time is given to allow people to raise concerns, so that decisions are not rushed. Outcome Sandra, Michael and the school continued to hold slightly different views but as a result of these meetings, the positive, open relationship between the parents and the outreach teacher continued, enabling the teachers in the specialist provision to begin working co-operatively with the family and the outreach teacher in the best interests of Jason. WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK JASON’S STORY 24 Effective working relationships develop when: Parents feel included and are encouraged to contribute to discussions; parents are involved and processes and roles are explained from the beginning. Activity 2 Use the points of good practice highlighted on pages 133–134 of the Code of Practice to consider how you would plan these meetings. www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/321392/0103307.pdf Summary points for consideration Working in partnership with parents and carers is crucial when supporting children and young people with additional support needs. Seeking out and taking account of parents’ views at the earliest opportunity can make a positive difference in helping parents feel partners in decision making about support for their child. • Consider what ‘partnership with parents’ means. How do you develop a shared understanding amongst staff and parents of what ‘partnership’ should look like? • Which procedures are in place to seek parents’ views? • Are parents made aware of their rights to have their views taken into consideration? • Are parents made aware of their rights in terms of resolving disagreements which may occur? • How do you actively encourage parents to contribute to decisions? • How do you show that you value the contributions made by parents? • How do you approach disagreements which emerge when working with parents? Are parents made aware of how they can be supported in such circumstances? THE PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LEARNING: WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 25 USEFUL LINKS AND READING Useful Links and Reading Scottish Government (2010) Supporting Children’s Learning, Code of Practice (Revised edition), Crown Copyright www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/321392/0103307.pdf Scottish Government (2007) Practice for Positive Relationships: 1: Positive about Pupil Participation, Crown Copyright www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/12103614/0 Scottish Government (2007) Practice for Positive Relationships 2: Reaching Out to Families, Scottish Government, Crown Copyright www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/07/23154948/1 Scottish Government (2006) Guidance on the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 – Section B: Parental Involvement www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/09/08094112/3 Aitken et al (2000) Teaching Children who are Deafblind, David Fulton Publishers (1st edition) Scottish Government (2006) Further Education and Complex Needs: Views of Children and Young People www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/03/03103843/0 HMIE (2009) Good Listeners – 1 Hearing the Voices of Children in Primary and Special Schools www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/glpss.html HMIE (2009) Good Listeners – 2 Hearing the Voices of Children and Young People in Children’s Services www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/glcypcs.html Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland (2009) Seen and not Heard? www.ltcas.org.uk/documents/ltcas_finalbrochurelores.pdf Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland ‘Personal Stories’ www.ltcas.org.uk/personal_stories.html WWW.LTSCOTLAND.ORG.UK FREYA’S STORY Learning and Teaching Scotland The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow G2 8DU Customer Services: 0141 282 5000 enquiries@LTScotland.org.uk www.LTScotland.org.uk WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES