Agenda Document Pack - Education, Children and Families Committee - 18/11/2025
North Lanarkshire Council · 18 November 2025
Back to Education, Children and Families Committee — 18 November 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Clerk Name: Karen Swan Clerk Telephone: 07919 730272 Clerk Email: committee@northlan.gov.uk 7 November 2025 Members of the Education, Children and Families Committee Chief Executive’s Office Rachel Blair Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell ML1 1AB www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk Notice is given that a Meeting of the Education, Children and Families Committee is to be held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, ML1 1AB on Tuesday, 18 November 2025 at 14:00 PM which you are requested to attend. The agenda of business is attached. Rachel Blair Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Members : M McBride, A McCrory, A Ballinger, C Barclay, A Beveridge, M Boyd, H Brannan-McVey, A Bustard, T Carragher, C Costello, M Coyle, S Coyle, G Currie, P Di Mascio, A Duffy- Lawson, H Dunbar, F Fotheringham, H Gray, M Hughes, T Johnston, J Jones, P Kelly, J Keltie, K Larson, G Lennon, J Logue, H Loughran, A Masterton, B McCluskey, P McDade, F McKay, R McKendrick, C McManus, M McPake, J McPhilemy, J Reddin, A Smith, A Stubbs, J Toner, N Wilson.M Clarkson, G McCormick, M McCrossan. Page 1 of 374
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Agenda 1 Declarations of Interest In Terms of the Ethical Standards In Public Life Etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 Operational 2 Appointment of Teacher Representatives to the Education, Children and Families Committee Submit report by the Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic) providing an update on the appointment of Teacher Representatives to the Education, Children and Families Committee. 5 - 10 3 Educational Psychology Standards and Quality Highlights 2024-25 Submit report by the Chief Officer (Education - South) summarising the work of the Educational Psychology Service in Session 2024-25. 11 - 38 4 Active Schools Submit report by the Chief Officer (Community Operations) outlining the work of the Active Schools team to support equality and inclusion. 39 - 46 5 Additional Support Needs - School Consultations Submit report by the Chief Officer (Education - South) seeking approval to (1) proceed with the statutory consultation process (a) of the five-pilot primary learning provision across North Lanarkshire; and (b) to merge Portland and Fallside Schools, to relocate to the existing Mavisbank site; and (2) operational changes to the assessment centre at St Aidan's LCSC. 47 - 80 6 Resilient People - Improving Health and Wellbeing, Family Support and School Attendance Submit report by the Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) setting out progress in delivering whole family support. 81 - 116 7 Resilient People and Brighter Futures: Annual Report on Community Learning and Development and Activity 2024/25 Submit report by the Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) setting out further progress in delivering whole family support locally. 117 - 176 Page 3 of 374
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8 Annual Report of the Chief Social Work Officer 2024/25 Submit report by the Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) seeking approval of the Annual Report of the Chief Social Work Officer 2024/25. 177 - 252 9 Quality Assurance Annual Report Submit report by the Chief Officer (Planning, Performance and Quality Assurance) providing an update on the Quality Assurance activity over the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. 253 - 346 Financial 10 Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Submit report by the Chief Officer (Education - North) providing a summary of the financial performance of the Education and Families Service for the period 1 April to 12 September 2025 (Period 6). 347 - 358 Contracts 11 Contract Award for Independent Advocacy (Children) Submit report by the Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) seeking approval for the award of a contract for Independent Advocacy (Children) to Who Cares? Scotland. 359 - 370 12 Contracts Awarded Below Committee Approval Threshold Submit report by the Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) advising of contracts awarded since the last meeting of the Committee. 371 - 374 Page 4 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref REB/JDS Date 18/11/25 Appointment of Teacher Representatives to the Education, Children and Families Committee From Rachel Blair, Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic) E-mail BlaiRr@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Executive Summary It was agreed by Council at its meeting on 2 October 2025 to continue the appointment of Teacher Representatives to the Education, Children and Families Committee in line with long-standing Council practice and in recognition of the important role of teachers in the discharge of the Council’s statutory education functions. Although the statutory requirement to appoint teacher representatives was removed following the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, North Lanarkshire Council has consistently recognised the value of teacher representation on its Education, Children and Families Committee. This report confirms that the appointment of teacher representatives will continue to be undertaken through a nominations and ballot process among teaching staff. The report also notes that a review of the voting rights of all non-councillor members of the Education, Children and Families Committee will be undertaken and reported back to Council in due course. Recommendations It is recommended that the Education, Children and Families Committee: (1) Acknowledges the continued appointment of teacher representatives to the Education, Children and Families Committee; (2) Acknowledges that the appointment will be made by way of nominations and ballot of teaching staff within establishments managed by the Council; (3) Notes that the arrangements for non-councillor members, including voting rights, will form part of a wider review of non-councillor participation on the Education, Children and Families Committee, to be reported to a future meeting of full Council; (4) Invites a nomination for the appointment of a teacher representative; and (5) Acknowledges that the outcome of the nomination process and any ballot will be reported back to the Education, Children and Families Committee before being endorsed by full Council. Item 2 Page 5 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 Section 124 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, as amended by Section 31 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, provides that where a local authority establishes an Education Committee, its membership shall include: 1.1.1 One representative of the Church of Scotland; 1.1.2 One representative of the Roman Catholic Church; and 1.1.3 One person having regard to the comparative strength of other denominational bodies within the area. 1.2 Prior to 1996, councils were also required to appoint at least two teacher representatives employed in establishments managed by the authority. This requirement was removed by the 1994 Act, and there is no longer a statutory obligation for councils to appoint teacher representatives. 1.3 Nonetheless, North Lanarkshire Council has historically co-opted teacher representatives to the Education, Children and Families Committee, recognising that their professional expertise contributes to effective decision-making and supports the Council in its role as Education Authority. 2. Report 2.1 The Education, Children and Families Committee has a wide-ranging remit, including the planning, oversight and monitoring of all education and families’ services, the discharge of the Council’s statutory education authority functions, capital planning, and service improvement. 2.2 Given this breadth of responsibility, it is considered essential that the professional voice of teachers continues to be heard at Committee level. 2.3 It was therefore agreed by full Council on 2 October 2025 that: 2.3.1 The practice of appointing teacher representatives be formally endorsed by Council. 2.3.2 Teacher representatives continue to be selected by way of a nominations process and ballot of teachers employed by the Council. This approach has been applied in previous appointments and is considered fair and transparent. 2.3.3 The voting rights and participation of teacher representatives (alongside other non-councillor members) be included in the forthcoming review of the Scheme of Administration for Committees. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition statement (10) Engage with children, young people, parents, carers, and families to help all children and young people reach their full potential Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Page 6 of 374
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2.4 This review will take a comprehensive look at the role of co-opted members, including not only teacher representatives but also the potential of parent and carer representatives, youth representatives and other stakeholders who may be invited to contribute to Committee work. The review will consider the basis on which such representatives are appointed, their terms of reference, and whether they should hold voting rights, with a view to ensuring consistency and clarity for all participants. 2.5 This approach recognises that meaningful participation from teachers, parents, carers and other stakeholders strengthens policy and decision-making, particularly in relation to children’s services. By the formal endorsement of the process and embedding it within a wider governance review, the Council can balance professional and community input with the principles of openness, transparency and democratic accountability. The outcome of the review will provide an opportunity for Council to consider whether changes to the status or voting rights of any category of non-councillor member would further enhance the effectiveness, legitimacy and inclusivity of its decision-making structures. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Continued engagement of teacher representatives in the work of the Education, Children and Families Committee. 3.2 Transparency and fairness in the selection process, giving all eligible teaching staff an opportunity to participate. 3.3 Strengthened decision-making, with teacher input informing Council policy on education and children’s services. 3.4 Completion of the review of non-councillor member arrangements and implementation of any agreed changes to voting rights. 4. Supporting documentation N/A Rachel Blair Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic) Page 7 of 374
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 8 of 374
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Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The report relates to teacher representation on the Education, Children and Families Committee, which has an indirect impact on decision-making affecting children and young people’s education and wellbeing. A CRWIA is not required as the measure has an indirect, positive effect on children’s rights and wellbeing through improved decision-making, but it does not create or remove entitlements, rights, or services. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 9 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref JMcP/BS/NF Date 18/11/25 Educational Psychology Standards and Quality Highlights 2024- 25 From James McParland, Chief Officer (Education South) E-mail fergusonn@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01236 812269 Executive Summary This report summarises the work of the Educational Psychology Service in session 2024- 25. It details how North Lanarkshire Educational Psychologists deliver their statutory core functions (i.e. consultation, assessment, intervention, training and research) to improve outcomes for children and their families. This work is underpinned by National drivers and contributes to the delivery of the five priorities contained within the Plan for North Lanarkshire. In session 2024-25 Educational Psychologists have made adaptations to their psychological offers in response to rising levels of additional support needs (ASN). This paper details the range of work delivered during 2024-25 and provides a focus for work going forward. North Lanarkshire Council Educational Psychology Service (NLCEPS) provides support at the universal, additional and intensive level within all establishments and clusters to meet the needs of all children and young people, including those with specific additional support needs. In session 2024-25, intensive work, i.e. direct work with children and young people as part of the team around the child, continued to account for the largest proportion of service delivery. As in previous years, there was also a significant demand for universal work (e.g. consultation, coaching and training) to enhance professionals and families’ ability to support children. Well-established self-evaluation mechanisms were utilised to measure the impact of the multi-faceted work of the Service. These enabled Psychologists to make responsive adjustments to their service delivery to improve outcomes for children and young people. This paper reports on the positive impact of a wide number of Educational Psychology interventions for children, families and practitioners. Recommendations It is recommended that Committee: (1) Acknowledge the content of this report. Item 3 Page 11 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 The work of the Educational Psychology Service is directly focussed on improving outcomes for children, young people and their families in North Lanarkshire. This report provides a summary of the wide range of work delivered in session 2024-2025 and charts the outcome and impact data. Statutory function of Educational Psychology and Strategic Context 1.2 Every education authority must maintain a Psychological Service, Education (Scotland) Act 1980 s.4. Educational Psychologists in North Lanarkshire are registered professionals regulated by the Health and Care Professionals Council, and their role in Scottish local authorities is determined by law in Scotland (Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act, 2009). The core functions of educational psychologists are consultation, assessment, intervention, training and research. 1.3 Educational Psychologists use psychology as a vehicle to deliver a Service. In North Lanarkshire the team, who are all Chartered Psychologists, work directly (and with Partners e.g. NHS) to improve outcomes for all children and young people. 1.4 The work of the Educational Psychology Service is aligned to key local and National drivers e.g. the National Improvement Framework, the Health Check Indicators, the Plan for North Lanarkshire and Education and Families Improvement Plan (see appendix 1). 2. Report Range of work covered by the Educational Psychology Service in 2024-25 2.1 NLCEPS provided a link Psychologist and a regular visiting pattern to NLC establishments (n=181). Educational Psychologists worked collaboratively with Partners at the Cluster level and undertook key functions at an Authority level e.g. Fostering and Adoption, Out of Authority casework. 2.2 In session 2024-25, Educational Psychologists delivered all statutory functions i.e. delivered training, conducted research, undertook casework, and provided consultation and advice at all levels of the system (see figure 1 and 2). 2.3 Supporting our most vulnerable young people through Partnership working or through direct work continues to account for the largest proportion of service delivery (intensive work). See figure 1 and 2. This is a trend over time. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition statement (10) Engage with children, young people, parents, carers, and families to help all children and young people reach their full potential Programme of Work Resilient People Page 12 of 374
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Figure 1: Percentage of offers delivered Figure 2: Number of Offers delivered at each level 2.4 Training and professional learning remains a key offer from Psychologists. The Service delivered over 150 different sessions during 24-25, with over 3, 200 participants. See figure 3. Figure 3: Training delivery impact and figures 2.5 Approximately 1700 children’s cases are currently open to the Educational Psychology Service with the majority located in our most deprived areas i.e. SIMDs 1- 4 (~68%). Staffing figures 2024-25 2.6 In session 2024-25, NLCEPS had a staffing establishment of 26.2 FTE Educational Psychologists. 2.7 There is approximately 1 psychologist for every 2,200 children and young people (age 3-18). This is based on May 2025 staffing figures. Delivered to Professionals, Parents and Pupils Over 3,200 attendees Approx. 1,900 evaluations Over 150 Different Sessions Delivered Tailored to Needs 52% bespoke offers 48% service offers Effective Delivery Increase in confidence from those attending Evaluations rate CLPL as 9/10 for effectiveness 96% of staff indicated changes to their practice (Sample of long term evals.) 24% 17%59% Proportion of EPS Offers as recorded in Annual Planning Reviews Universal Additional Intensive Page 13 of 374
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Educational Psychology Support at the Universal Level 2.8 In 2024-25 over 660 staff across 112 establishments attended a range of health and wellbeing staff development sessions. 2.9 These included Nurturing Approaches, Resilience Planning Toolkit, Relationships and Brain Development, Wellbeing: Stress and Anxiety, Restorative Approaches, Solution Oriented Meetings, Critical Incidents and Lifelines, Seasons for Growth and Healthy Sleep. Training covered establishments from early years, primary and secondary, and ASN sectors. These training offers are open to all establishments. Nurturing Whole Establishment Approaches Longitudinal Nurture Data 2.10 Since 2015 over two thirds (119) of establishments have now completed nurture focussed development work. In 2024-25 a further 500 staff across 30 establishments engaged in training on Nurturing Approaches (whole establishment training to improve relationships and engagement with learning). A 29% increase in knowledge and confidence was achieved. 2.11 A comparison of pre and post data (2020-2025) from 1246 staff across 61 establishments shows increases in staff confidence, understanding, and ability to implement and embed all 6 nurture principles (see figure 4). Data on how nurturing the establishments are also shows significant increases for all establishments. Figure 4: Comparison pre-post data (2020-2025) embedding 6 principles of nurture Page 14 of 374
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Case Study Nurture Data – Primary School 2.12 Analysis at individual school level illustrates the impact this approach can have in more detail. For example, case study data from a primary school, including pupil and parent focus groups indicates embedded changes to practice and a positive impact on staff, pupils, and parents (see figure 5). Figure 5: Pupil focus group data – impact of nurture within an establishment 2.13 The SHANARRI indicators were also used to measure the impact of this Nurture work (figure 6) Figure 6: Use of SHANARRI indicators to measure impact of nurture Page 15 of 374
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2.14 Examples of comments from children and parents: “They don’t just leave you to try and think on your own what’s going to happen” (P1-3) “They’ll try to like help you learn in a different way or method” (P4-7) “Staff welcome parents’ views and act on them” (Parent) “Staff meet pupils where they are and support learning, they are understanding of difference” (Parent) 2.15 Figure 7 combines all the data collected in this case study and outlines the range of positive impact noted following the use of the Nurture Self-Evaluation Framework and training. Figure 7: Overall summary of impact following implementation of Nurture Self-Evaluation Framework Relationship Based Approaches Restorative Approaches 2.16 The Educational Psychology Service has supported establishments to embed Solution Oriented and Restorative practice. This links to the delivery of the Relationship Based Approaches recommended in Education and Families Health and Wellbeing Roadmap to Recovery (2022-25). 2.17 To date 345 staff across 20 establishments, and 55 pupils from 3 establishments, have received training in Restorative Approaches. During the 2024–2025 session, 15 establishments engaged with Restorative Approaches and increased their confidence Page 16 of 374
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in using the techniques by 41% (see figure 8). A measurable shift was also seen in staff thinking toward a more restorative perspective within 6 out of 8 aspects of restorative approaches (see figure 9). Figure 8: Increased staff confidence following Restorative Approaches training Figure 9: Changes in staff attitudes following training in Restorative Approaches. Page 17 of 374
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2.18 Examples of comments from staff: “Will be implementing this in my practice, discussion with staff on how this can be used consistently across the school” (Head Teacher) “Very informative session and useful approach that will benefit practice” (Teacher) The changes in practice led to positive outcomes for pupils with one school noting a reduction of total scores of the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire from very high to zero for 4 pupils. Pupil focus groups across 3 establishments identified a number of benefits following embedding different aspects of restorative practice (figure 10 and 11). Figure 10: Pupil focus groups – benefits of using restorative approaches within their schools Figure 11: Pupil feedback in peer mediation training Page 18 of 374
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Solution Orientated Meeting Training 2.19 55 practitioners from across 26 establishments and 23 EPs attended Solution Oriented Meetings training sessions (delivered by Educational Psychology). Practitioners showed a 69% increase in their confidence levels. Practitioners who used the training to subsequently run meetings reported that the meetings were more positive, focussed and allowed targets to be set. There has also been positive impact for individual pupils who were part of the meetings. Solution Oriented Coaching training was delivered to mentor Head Teachers who increased their confidence in using this with their mentees by 45%. Figure 12: Increased staff confidence following Solution Oriented approaches training Critical Incidents and Suicide Prevention 2.20 Since 2022, 628 staff from Education, Health, Community Learning and Development and Social Work have now attended Critical Incidents and Lifelines Lanarkshire workshops. In 2024 - 2025, 87 staff attended 4 Critical Incidents and Lifelines Lanarkshire workshops. 2.21 Confidence in responding to Critical Incidents increased by 72% and workshop effectiveness was rated 9 out of 10. 2.22 Confidence increased by 55% following sessions on Lifelines Lanarkshire equipping staff to respond to children and young people at risk of self-harm and suicide. The effectiveness of the workshop was rated 8.8 out of 10. Page 19 of 374
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Practitioner Enquiry Impact data 2.23 In 2024-25, Practitioner Enquiry was utilised to support the implementation and evaluation of Pedagogy of Play (POP) and Restorative Approaches. Workshops were delivered to over 70 practitioners and 24 pupils across 10 separate establishments, covering both content of service offers as well as practitioner enquiry through utilising the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ framework. Impact on staff and children were noted and summarised in Figure 13. Figure 13: Impact of Practitioner Enquiry on Play-Based Pedagogy and Restorative Approaches 2.24 Since 2022, 32 establishments have participated in the POP practitioner-enquiry jointly delivered by NLCEPS and a cluster support teacher. This session 19 teachers from 6 schools (including an ASN establishment) engaged with 6 workshops exploring implementing play pedagogy in primary classrooms. 2.25 A 69% increase in teacher confidence in integrating playful approaches was identified from pre-post evaluation. Target monitoring and evaluation (TME) methodology and qualitative summary captures impact for learners including increased engagement in learning activities, attendance, motivation and perseverance. In addition, ASN staff reported improved pupil social relationships, spontaneous communication and emotional regulation. Cluster Improvement Pilot (Literacy) 2.26 In response to local need a literacy cluster improvement pilot has been undertaken with Establishments, the Innovation and Improvement Hub and NLCEPS. 2.27 Following a needs analysis process involving: Head Teacher (HT) interviews, baseline literacy data, and pupil voice focus groups, a range of CLPL opportunities were developed. NLCEPS supported the research design, data collection and analysis. Attendance Over 70 Practitioners 24 pupils Across 10 Establishments Impact on Staff Increased understanding & confidence Change of practice following CLPL sessions Impact on Children Increased Engagement IncreasedAttendance Pupils reported increased sense of safety and ability to resolve peer conflict Page 20 of 374
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Themes from focus groups – pupil views on literacy 2.28 A total of 66 pupils (32 P1-P3 and 34 P4-P7) from 5 primary schools across the cluster took part in focus groups (5-8 pupils per focus group), to gather their thoughts / opinions and experiences related to literacy in their school. See a summary of the main themes in figure 14 and 15. Post intervention data will be collected in June 2026 Figure 14 Feedback from pupils about literacy lessons Figure 15: Implications for literacy practice as a result of pupil focus groups Page 21 of 374
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Executive Function Consultancy offer 2.29 During this session, the Executive Functions resources have undergone further refinement and were disseminated among Educational Psychologists. These materials are increasingly being integrated into school practices through a range of targeted approaches, including coaching and mentoring, CLPL and signposting. Notably, 94 participants engaged in CLPL sessions focused on enhancing classroom support for Executive Functioning. Evaluation data indicates a reported increase in participants’ confidence levels between 54% - 73% across various sessions, suggesting a positive shift in both knowledge and perceived competence in applying Executive Function strategies. Working on What Works (WOWW) 2.30 The Solution Oriented Approach Working on What Works (WOWW) has now been facilitated with 128 pupils in 5 establishments. In 2024-265, 115 pupils across 4 primary settings took part to support class cohesion and positive relationships. Both teacher and pupil set targets were exceeded (see figure 16), and class cohesion and satisfaction improved whilst class friction reduced. Figure 16: Increase in target ratings following WOWW group intervention 2.31 Examples of feedback included: “I think WOWW has made a difference” (P6 pupil) “WOWW changed my view of the class” (Teacher) Study skills and exam stress 2.32 In 2024-25, study skills and exam stress materials were piloted with approximately 200 S5 and S6 pupils. Pupils were asked to rate their confidence in using the techniques. Around half of the pupils said that the training had made them more confident in understanding study techniques and how to use them (see figure 17). In addition, a focus group of 10 pupils allowed the materials to be reviewed using pupil voice. Page 22 of 374
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Figure 17: Pupil confidence using study techniques following training Figure 18: Using pupil voice to develop training – feedback provided by pupils Cognitive Abilities Profile 2.33 To continue to build capacity in the core function of assessment, additional tools have been explored such as Cognitive Abilities Profile (CAP). Following external training, knowledge and skills were cascaded through practice-based workshop sessions. 2.34 16 EPs attended one or more CAP reflective sessions.100% of evaluation respondents reported using the CAP in their practice. Qualitative evidence demonstrates that the CAP helped: increase understanding of pupil needs, identifying appropriate targets and effective support. Page 23 of 374
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The Importance of Relationships in Nurturing Brain Development 2.35 This session 2024-25, 200 colleagues from 34 early years establishments undertook training at cluster or establishment level in nurturing brain development. In total 602 staff have now accessed this staff development opportunity. 2.36 Evaluation evidence captures participants increased understanding in the importance of positive relationships and high-quality interactions serve and return and infant brain development. Figure 19: Importance of relationships in nurturing brain development – most valued aspects of training Healthy Sleep Workshops 2.37 To date, 146 parents/carers and 110 practitioners have attended training with representation from all sectors. In addition, 91 young people have had direct training with a further 42 children and young people having access to information shared directly by Educational Psychologists or parents in 2024/25. 2.38 In 2024-25, participants (practitioners n=22; parents/carer n=48) increased their knowledge and understanding by 21% (see figure 20) and 31.25% of participants would utilise their knowledge in practice. Figure 20: Increase in knowledge following health sleep workshop Page 24 of 374
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Educational Psychology Support at the Additional Level Wellbeing, Stress and Anxiety Interventions for staff and pupils 2.39 In 2024-25 training materials were evaluated by 255 pupils across 3 primary establishments. Pupil voice, gathered through focus groups, rated the materials as ‘highly useful’ and suggestions for changes were acted on (see figure 21). Figure 21: Pupil focus groups – impact of wellbeing, stress and anxiety input Supporting Children and Young People with grief, loss and change 2.40 Since 2010, more than 580 Companions have been trained to deliver the Seasons for Growth programme, supporting those navigating significant change or loss. Children and young people have demonstrated improvements in building positive relationships, managing emotions, and boosting self-confidence. 2.41 In 2024-25, 32 practitioners completed the Seasons for Growth Children and Young People Companion Training, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to begin facilitating groups. Reconnector sessions provided opportunities for 35 participants to reflect on their practice, share experiences, and deepen their knowledge and understanding of the programme. Examples of feedback from children and parents are outlined below: “[understanding that] we can feel how we want” (P3 child) “if you are sad, you have lots of people that feel the same” (P7 child) “it has given [my child] confidence in facing change” (Parent) Page 25 of 374
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Non-attendance research 2.42 Small scale research was undertaken to explore the views of three pupils focusing on what supported them to successfully re-engage with education following significant absence. A bespoke Talking Mats pack was developed to support the process, and the following key themes were identified: Figure 22: Key themes from pupil on what helped them to reengage with school following absence 2.43 Learning from the research supports the need to expand use of the bespoke talking mats across the EPS and identified schools, alongside recruitment of a larger pupil group to continue the research for the 2025-26 session. Literacy intervention (Wave-3) 2.44 During session 2024-25, Wave 3 training sessions were jointly delivered with the Learning Hub to over 29 teachers (including 2 cluster teachers) from 26 establishments. This yields a total of 49 teachers trained to implement Wave 3 since 2023 to over 34 schools. “If the teachers and my parents listened to me things weren’t so tricky” “Once they understood I needed time out and easier tasks I didn’t feel so worried…” Page 26 of 374
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2.45 Immediate training evaluations for 24-25 confirm pre (3.7) to post (8.3) increases in practitioner confidence levels in approaches to assessment as well as intervention (Reading 3.9/8.3 and Writing 3.7/ 8.4) for children. 2.46 Medium-term feedback indicated that at least 55 children have accessed Wave 3 to date. Progress included improved reading levels, phonemic awareness, recognition of high frequency words, application of reading strategies and reading confidence. 2.47 Medium-term feedback indicated that at least 55 children have accessed Wave 3 to date. Progress included improved reading levels, phonemic awareness, recognition of high frequency words, application of reading strategies and reading confidence. 2.48 Wider social-emotional benefits were reported with gains in learner engagement, motivation, self-belief, classroom inclusion, peer relationships and emotional regulation. 2.49 Analysis of school tracker submissions for 19 pupils, show that pre and post standardised scores triangulates with these medium-term findings (see figure 23). Figure 23: Showing pre and post gains in early literacy skills following Wave 3 intervention 2.50 Learner voice data shows 100% of children found the intervention enjoyable as well as impactful. Pupils expressed a growth in their feelings about literacy from 6.75 (pre) to 9 (post). Assessing Children’s Development (using Teaching Talking resource) 2.51 In session 2024-2025, 94 practitioners from 20 establishments have received support to use this developmental assessment, with a total of 246 practitioners from 55 establishments trained in this approach. 2.52 This year participants confidence increased from 3.3 to 7.9 post training. Longer-term follow up triangulated with Educational Psychologists feedback demonstrating a sustained impact on practice, including a greater understanding of children’s needs. Expressive language development 2.53 A collaborative project was undertaken to develop the expressive language of early years children in 2024-25. Collaborators included the Learning Hub, Educational Psychology, the Robert Owen Centre, Education Scotland, the Early Years Central Team, and Early Years Practitioners. The project aimed to support the development of expressive and receptive language with a target group through the provision of evidence-based interventions (i.e. Video Enhanced Reflective Practice, 2015 and the Page 27 of 374
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Three Read Approach). Four Early Years Establishments were involved in the project. 2.54 The EPS interviewed the establishments to audit existing approaches. Establishments highlighted a range of current practice which support expressive language development e.g. creating a literacy rich learning environment (physical/ social), quality interactions and modelling communication. In addition, establishments mentioned a need for staff development, monitoring and tracking methods and increased parental engagement. 2.55 In response to the request for staff development 16 early years staff participated in a VERP CLPL opportunity with Educational Psychologists. Staff were provided with five half day sessions of group supervision. 100% rated the experience as worthwhile and went on to make changes to their practice. This enhanced their communication with children and their delivery of the Three Read Approach. 2.56 The children were assessed using the Renfrew Action Picture Test, before the beginning of the intervention and six months later. Data revealed gains in total mean score and in mean percentile rank (see figure 24). Figure 24: Comparison of pre and post test scores for children involved in expressive language pilot CIRCLE Framework (supporting inclusive educational practice) 2.57 As a result of Educational Psychologists responding to the individual needs of schools, a total of 12 establishments (9 primary schools, 1 family learning centre and 2 ASN establishments) engaged in CLPL focused on the CIRCLE framework during the 2024-2025 session. 2.58 Approximately 338 practitioners participated in this training. Evaluation data from 151 respondents revealed a significant impact: participants reported a 74% increase in confidence following the training. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Mean Total Score Mean Percentile 18 20 27 27 All Establishments Renfrew Action Picture Test Scores Mean Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment Page 28 of 374
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Educational Psychology Support at the Intensive Level Resilience Planning Toolkit – improving outcome planning for children 2.59 In 2024-2025, 72 practitioners from across cluster-level teams, primary, secondary, and early years settings participated in Resilience Planning Toolkit training sessions to support professional development around GIRFEC assessment and planning. A further 9 practitioners attended a refresher session. There was a 65% increase in staff confidence after training sessions and an increase of 61% for the refresher sessions. Figure 25: Increased confidence following Figure 26: Increased confidence following Resilience Resilience Planning Toolkit training Planning Toolkit training 2.60 Case studies from We Aspire Outreach, Primary and Secondary sectors noted how useful the Resilience Planning Toolkit was for understanding need, agreeing targets and focussing supports leading to improvements in pupil health and wellbeing and attendance. Impact of Educational Psychologist’s Individual Casework 2.61 The EPS currently has approximately 1700 open cases, representing the intensive level work that Psychologists undertake within educational establishments. 2.62 The majority of open cases were located within SIMD deciles 1-4 (68%) see figure 27. 52% of open cases were primary aged children (5-11years), 23% were secondary school aged (12 years and over), 22% with children attending early years establishments and 3% in all through schools. Page 29 of 374
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40% 28% 11% 14% 7% EPS Open Cases by SIMD Quintile Quintile 1 Quintile 2 Quintile 3 Quintile 4 Quintile 5 Figure 27: EPS open case by SIMD Quintile 2.63 For the 24-’25 session, the categorisation of cases by presenting issues was updated to provide clearer focus on the nature of intensive level work undertaken by the service. Casework related to Neurodivergence represented the greatest proportion (36% of sample), followed by Health & Wellbeing related issues (34% of sample) then Learning & Attainment based issues (26%) see figure 28. Figure 28: Percentage of presenting issues in EP cases 2.64 The service has continued to make progress in obtaining feedback from parents and carers. There has been a 200% increase in responses since the service rolled out its digital feedback mechanism. Families provided feedback on the consultation meetings with the EP (figure 29) and the impact of the service on their child and educational context (figure 30). 32% 30% 20% 6% 4% 4% 4% % of Presenting Issues (55% sample of EP cases) NEURODIVERGENCE H&W - SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL/TRAUMA LEARNING/ATTAINMENT - GENERAL LEARNING & LANG. DEV LEARNING/ATTAINMENT - LITERACY CONSULTATION NEURODIVERGENCE - ATTENDANCE FOCUS H&WE - ATTENDANCE FOCUS MEDICAL (INCLUDING VI / HI) Page 30 of 374
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Figure 29: Parental Feedback following EP Consultation meetings Figure 30: Parent carer feedback – impact of EPS 2.65 In addition to seeking parental views directly, EPs submit evaluation forms for a sample of casework to gauge the impact across the service. Between May 2024 and June 2025, a total of 71 casework evaluation forms were completed by psychologists, reflecting an 87% increase in responses from the previous session as a result of changes in reporting method and service communications. 2.66 The most significant areas of impact for children and young people were reduced stress and anxiety (n = 32), improved emotional regulation (n = 32), support during transition processes (n = 28) and assistance with establishing routines (n = 27). Parent/Carer Feedback: EP Impact Improved Health & Wellbeing of Child Better understanding of Child's Needs Successfull Transition to New Establishment Improved Communication Increased confidence in child or young person Page 31 of 374
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Figure 31: Outcomes for children and young people following NLCEPS involvement Counselling in Schools 2.67 North Lanarkshire Council receives funding from the Scottish Government to provide a counselling service in schools to all children and young people aged 10 and above. Oversight of this work sits with the Educational Psychology Service. 2.68 A total of 2,776 children and young people were supported between April 2024 and March 2025. This means an average of 321 counselling hours per week across the authority. 2.69 Evaluations completed by children and young people post counselling noted the following common themes in their qualitative comments: • being listened to and understood • having a space to talk freely • learning emotional regulation and coping skills • experiencing personal growth • improvement in mental health • 93% completely agree or agree that counselling has helped them identify issues of concern and set goals to work towards them 2.70 84% of children and young people reported an increase in their wellbeing upon completion of counselling, with an average increase of 29%. Figure 32: Children and young people’s views of school counselling (identifying issues and goal setting) 62% 31% 5% 2% 0 0 20 40 60 80 completely agree agree neutral disagree completely disagree Counselling helped me identify issues & set goals to work towards them Page 32 of 374
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Fostering, Adoption and Kinship care 2.71 Educational Psychologists form part of NLC’s Fostering and Adoption Panel. This multiagency decision-making panel meets fortnightly throughout the year. From July 2024-June 2025, 17 out of 17 Fostering and Adoption panels had Educational Psychologists present. 2.72 NLCEPS also provides representation on NLC’s Kinship Care panel. From July 2024- June 2025, 11 of the 11 Kinship Panels had Educational Psychology representation. 2.73 NLCEPS continues to provide support and development for potential and current foster carers and adopters and to the Children’s Carer and Kinship Care teams. Self-evaluation and Continuous Improvement 2.74 In 2024-25, the service has continued to strengthen the methods used to capture self- evaluation data across universal, additional, intensive and service levels. This will be reviewed moving forward with developments being made in digital systems across both the EPS and Education & Families. Figure 33: NLCEPS Self-evaluation mechanisms Page 33 of 374
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Digital Systems and Information Management 2.75 The service has collaborated with NL colleagues to improve our digital systems required for both individual casework and school level work, with work on this continuing into the next session. 2.76 In addition, the Research and Self-Evaluation team have explored ways to improve and refine our information recording processes with particular focus on defining ASN categories within our case management system. This work will continue next session in conjunction with the digital systems work detailed above. Educational Psychology Priorities for 2025-26 2.77 To improve children’s literacy and play experiences through ‘tests of change’, working collaboratively with colleagues in establishments, the SAC Team, and the Learning Hub. 2.78 To improve children and young people’s health and wellbeing through support for establishments to embed nurture, relationship-based approaches and trauma. 2.79 To improve outcomes for our autistic and neurodivergent learners through assessment of pupil progress, capacity building of staff, and building on good practice through e.g. pupil voice. 2.80 To continue to develop and refine mechanisms to measure the impact of the educational psychology service offers / interventions and adjust offers where required. 2.81 To improve staff knowledge, skill, and application of our Statutory core function of ‘Consultation’. 2.82 To improve the effectiveness of casework through the identification and implementation of psychological frameworks. 2.83 To improve Educational Psychology Service digital systems to support service delivery. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The purpose of the work of the Educational Psychology Service is to improve outcomes for children and young people. As demonstrated in this report a variety of measures are used to capture progress in key areas of health and wellbeing and learning and teaching. Measures of success include: • Improvement in staff and carers confidence, knowledge and skills, enabling them to better support children and young people. • Progress against individual targets for children. • Provision of a link Educational Psychologist to all NLC establishments. • Contribution to improved attainment and attendance figures. Page 34 of 374
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4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1: Educational Psychology Interventions 2024-25 Links with National and Local Drivers James McParland Chief Officer (Education – South) Page 35 of 374
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 36 of 374
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Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The work of the Educational Psychology Service is underpinned by UNCRC and is intended to strengthen NLCs GIRFEC approaches. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 37 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children & Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref LR/HL Date 18/11/25 Active Schools From Lyall Rennie, Chief Officer (Community Operations) E-mail liddleh@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07976 726496 Executive Summary This report outlines the work of the Active Schools team, as part of the overall Active & Creative Communities service, highlighting its key purposes, challenges and providing examples of the work done to support equality and inclusion. Recommendations It is recommended that the Education, Children and Families Committee (1) Note the performance of the Active Schools team in line with the Plan for North Lanarkshire, the Active Scotland Outcomes Framework and our responsibilities to young people under the UNCRC. The report also highlights particular challenges and our planned approach to mitigate. (2) Otherwise, note the contents of the report. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work All Programmes of Work Item 4 Page 39 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 The Active Schools programme, led by sportscotland in partnership with all 32 local authorities, is a cornerstone of Scotland’s strategy to promote physical activity among children and young people. Launched in 2004, it aims to provide inclusive, high-quality opportunities for sport and physical activity before, during, and after school. 2. Report 2.1 In North Lanarkshire, Active Schools Co-ordinators operate from all 23 secondary schools, with support provided to cluster primary schools across the community. The Active Schools Programme aims to provide extra-curricular activity for all pupils in North Lanarkshire Schools. This includes a minimum of 4 extra-curricular activities in Primary Schools every week and 10 in Secondary Schools. This is a minimum and additional targeted work is undertaken to ensure that the programme is fully inclusive. This may involve integrating target groups or delivering separate opportunities for them. Key Impacts – Active Schools delivers on a number of key priority areas: 2.2.1 Health and Wellbeing • Active Schools contributes significantly to physical and mental health, helping reduce risks of obesity, depression, and chronic illness. • Programmes like “Jungle Journey” and “Fizzy” have improved motor skills and emotional regulation in early years pupils. 2.2.2 Educational Outcomes • Improved attendance and engagement in learning, especially among targeted groups. • Enhanced confidence and resilience, particularly among girls and pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. 2.2.3 Social Inclusion and Equity • The programme is free for all children, removing financial barriers to participation. • Focus on inclusive access, with tailored support for children with disabilities, care experience, and socio-economic challenges. 2.2.4 Community Engagement • Strong links between schools and local sports clubs, fostering community cohesion. • Opportunities for volunteering and leadership, including Young Ambassadors and School Sport Awards. 2.2.5 Evaluation and Monitoring • Evaluations show high satisfaction among pupils, teachers, and stakeholders. • In 24/25 279,000 participants made 5 million visits to Active Schools activities. In North Lanarkshire, this figure equates to 19,629 participants and 253,770 visits. • Monitoring systems like Active Schools Monitoring Online (ASMO) help track participation and inform planning. Page 40 of 374
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2.2.6 Strategic Alignment Active Schools aligns with the Active Scotland Outcomes Framework, contributing to national goals in: • Health • Education • Equality • Community resilience. Key Focus Areas in North Lanarkshire 2.3.1 Active Schools in Scotland faces a number of challenges across all areas. Most commonly this can include barriers to participation – an average of just 40% of pupils in schools in Scotland participate in Active Schools activity. In North Lanarkshire, this figure is closer to 41% but we continue to have difficulties engaging young people for a range of reasons. A key reason for this is socio-economic inequality, where it is recognised that children from deprived areas may face more barriers to accessing activities, including transport, cost, and lack of parental support. A further area for improvement is ASN young people. In North Lanarkshire, only 11% of the ASN school roll participate in Active Schools activity. This can be due to the particular challenges for some young people including physical, sensory, cognitive, or emotional barriers. A lack of adapted equipment, inclusive programming, and individualised support plans can also limit engagement. 2.3.2 As a result, the Active Schools team in North Lanarkshire have targeted key areas for inclusion and equality. An example of such projects is outlined below: Woodlands Park High School Active Schools worked with the school to provide a lunchtime football club for their pupils. Participating in this football project has allowed pupils to exercise in a different way but also encouraged them to work on their social skills. One particular pupil who participated would usually prefer to play or spend time on their own, however after being encouraged along to these sessions, they have now become able to participate with other pupils for the full session. Pupils have then been able to participate in joint training sessions with Buchanan High School and take part in joint football games with staff and OLHS pupils during Autism Awareness week. Hilltop LCSC Department Last year Active Schools linked with the P6/7 staff, and we offered all pupils the opportunity to be junior sport leaders. The uptake was very positive with ten young people agreeing to take part. Over a four-week period they followed an amended programme which was station based, encouraging and providing support for the young people to set up, explain the rules, and deliver to younger pupils. The dining hall is attached to the games hall and was very noisy for the younger pupils in the LCSC to transition to, so the stations were either set up in the classroom or in the yard. Each junior sport leader was provided with a rota to deliver their station, were given feedback, and evaluated their session. The young people were more confident and enjoyed the experience. Additionally, the junior sport leaders supported with sports day for the younger pupils at the end of the academic year. Page 41 of 374
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Accessible Netball In another exciting development, the team have piloted a zoned version of netball, specifically designed to be inclusive of wheelchair and powerchair users. The adapted format was met with enthusiasm and demonstrated a real potential to widen access to the sport. Following the success of the pilot, this inclusive model will now be embedded into future Active Schools participation events. Boccia In the North area we have been working with our primary schools, to deliver boccia CPD training to schools during in-service and afterschool slots to showcase the sport and upskill teachers. As a result, we have seen an increase in boccia within our schools, largely curricular at the moment, but some pockets of extra-curricular too. With a growing popularity of the sport, boccia is being used in a creative way, with staff vs pupils games organised to engage pupils more with staff, building relationships as part of the process. Also, in the North we delivered boccia training to our HNC students at New College Lanarkshire who go out in placement with us. 2.3.3 The Active Schools team are committed to developing a broad range of sports leadership opportunities for young people in North Lanarkshire. We are passionate about giving young people meaningful experiences, skills and qualifications that allow them to give back to their schools as young leaders in sport. Our vision is to have a joined-up leadership pathway from P6 to S6 and beyond, with appropriate support and training along the way for every young person involved. This pathway is a flexible model that is adaptable to meet the needs of all schools. The implementation of this pathway contributes to our key aim of Developing Young People as Leaders in Sports as well as contributing to the Developing Young Workforce agenda. 2.3.4 Linked to this pathway is our work with young people in further education. North Lanarkshire's Active Schools has a well-established partnership with local colleges and universities, offering students valuable placement opportunities across our primary and ASN schools. These placements provide hands-on coaching experience, tailored training, and project management support, helping students from NC to degree level, develop real-world skills in a supportive environment. In turn, our schools benefit from enhanced extracurricular provision. We’re proud to support the development of the young workforce and continue to expand our inclusive approach, now offering ASN- specific training and placements. Challenges and Future Priorities 2.4.1 Active Schools programmes face a number of challenges: Funding and resources – we are currently mid-way through a four-year funding agreement with sportscotland to support our programme. While relationships with sportscotland are stronger than ever, it is recognised that sportscotland face their own financial challenges which means continued financial support cannot be guaranteed. We can mitigate against this as much as possible by ensuring that our programmes continue to deliver against sportscotland priorities. Volunteer Support – Active Schools rely heavily on volunteers. We have always been fortunate to attract significant numbers of volunteers drawn from the local community, parents, teachers and now young school leaders. The additional support from Volunteer NL assists with supporting through the programme by providing further Page 42 of 374
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access to potential volunteers – all of whom can now access additional support from Volunteer NL. The recent changes to PVG arrangements has placed a further pressure on recruitment of volunteers, but the team recognises that we could not function without the support of this critical unpaid support and we continue to encourage volunteers wherever possible. School Priorities and Conflicting Interests – we are fortunate that most schools in North Lanarkshire engage with Active Schools as they see the benefit of providing access to the extra-curricular activities on offer for young people. While the Active Schools team know, and prepare for, the priority and time that must be given to academic inputs around exam time, there can be a range of challenges which may make it difficult for some schools to engage with Active Schools as much as they may wish. We are keen to work with senior leaders to reinforce the benefits of Active Schools and ensure equality of access for all pupils. Socio-Economic Barriers – as highlighted above, we know that children from low- income families are less likely to participate due to cost, transport, and limited access to facilities. This is especially pronounced in areas with high deprivation indexes (SIMD 1 & 2). Our work on the strategic framework also highlights that lockdowns disproportionately affected low-income families, reducing physical activity and increasing health inequalities. To mitigate, it is critical that all key stakeholders continue to work together to find ways to provide access to activity for all pupils from all backgrounds. Club and Community Links Within North Lanarkshire, we operate a structured Active Schools Club Accreditation scheme to ensure that community sports clubs partnering with schools meet high standards of safety, governance, and quality. While the aim to strengthen pathways between schools and clubs is a clear focus, sustainability of these partnerships is a challenge. Clubs often face their own resource constraints, and not all pupils transition from school-based activity to community sport. To mitigate this, Active Schools works closely with the Community Sports Hub (also funded by sportscotland) and the Sports Development team to develop the pathway from school to community sport. Pupils who excel in sports or have an interest in continuing their involvement in the sport, can do so through the Sports Development Programme. There are also strong links with clubs which allows young people to take part and compete both in regional and national competitions. 3. Measures of Success 3.1 A sustainable and successful programme which provides opportunities for children and young people to get active and stay active, both during and beyond the school day. 4. Supporting Documentation 4.1 Primary and Secondary Area Brochures 25/26 - Active Schools - Area Brochures - All Documents Page 43 of 374
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Lyall Rennie Chief Officer (Community Operations) Page 44 of 374
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 45 of 374
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Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The activity outlined in this report impacts on Article 31 – leisure, play and culture: Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? No impact assessment as no changes proposed at present. Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 46 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref JMcP/AH/MD Date 18/11/25 Additional Support Needs-School Consultations From James McParland, Chief Officer (Education – South) E-mail McParlandJam@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01236 812269 Executive Summary Elected members and officers will be aware of the considerable review of ASN which took place in 2019 and resulted in 12 recommendations to improve the service. This report provides information relating to three pertinent areas of work within the ASN sector: • Formation of Enhanced Learning Provision Classrooms in session 2025/26 • Proposed changes to the operational arrangements for We Aspire College • Early Years Assessment Centres arrangements at St Aidan’s PS LCSC To ensure a further roll-out and continuation of the Enhanced Learning Provisions classrooms, within primary and secondary settings, approval is required to proceed to statutory consultation. Similarly, approval is also required to relocate Fallside and Portland Schools, to ensure greater access to therapeutic and skills-based programmes for learners, and best value in terms of financial, material and personnel resources. Approval is also required to enable work within the Early Years assessment centre at St Aidan’s LCSC in Coltness, Wishaw, on the site of the former Edward Lawson centre, to commence from January 2026, to support children and families via a robust assessment process prior to transition arrangements commencing for primary school. The three areas of work highlighted within this report are integral to the wider 5-year ASN strategy paper which will be presented to Committee in March 2026. This report details the work undertaken by the service to implement the current strategies to date. It also details the changes which will require approval, to facilitate the consultations and assessment support for learners. Recommendations It is recommended Education, Children and Families Committee: (1) Approve commencement of the statutory consultation process of the five-pilot primary learning provision across North Lanarkshire. Item 5 Page 47 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 North Lanarkshire Council has made significant progress in transforming ASN provision, aligning local practice with national policy and legislation. The work completed provides a strong foundation for future policy development, with a growing emphasis on wellbeing, inclusion, and sustainability. As demand continues to rise, future programmes focused on refining systems, expanding capacity, and embedding inclusive practice across all sectors will be required. 1.2 North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) continues to undertake a strategic review and a far- reaching reform of its Additional Support Needs (ASN) and Inclusion Services. This reform is driven by a commitment to the presumption of mainstreaming, the principles of Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), and recommendations from the Morgan Review (2020), Audit Scotland reports on Additional Support for Learning (2020 & 2025), and NLC’s 2019 ASN Review. These reviews called for greater equity, accountability, inclusive practice, and improved outcomes for all learners, particularly those with complex or co-occurring needs. 1.3 This report outlines proposals relevant to the statutory consultations which will be required to continue with improvements in ASN provision and will support the new five- year ASN strategy which will be presented to Committee in March 2026. 1.4 Following the formation of We Aspire College, which was borne from the 2019 ASN review, the service proposes to relocate Fallside and Portland schools, within the existing Mavisbank school to ensure better support and access to therapeutic and skills-based programmes. The service did not implement the previous proposals due changing demographics of young people within North Lanarkshire. 1.5 In August 2025, the new Woodlands Park Secondary School and St Aidan’s Primary LCSC opened at the former site of the Edward Lawson Centre, Coltness Road, Wishaw. Within the new facility, an Early Years Assessment Centre is also located. The service is seeking approval for an operational change to the assessment centre for the centre to become operational from January 2026, and to support children and families through assessing the level of need for learners in advance of transition to a primary setting. (2) Approve commencement of the statutory consultation process to relocate Portland and Fallside schools to the existing Mavisbank site. (3) Approve the operational change to St Aidan’s Primary LCSC, Assessment Centre. . The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition statement (10) Engage with children, young people, parents, carers, and families to help all children and young people reach their full potential Programme of Work Brighter Futures Page 48 of 374
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2. Report Enhanced Provision - Current Operating Model 2.1.1 Following subsequent reviews, the LCSC estate in North Lanarkshire has increased in size and currently consists of 8 primary LCSC units and 3 secondary LCSCs located within mainstream schools. A further primary LCSC will be opened in 2026 within the newbuild of Gartcosh primary school. 2.1.2 Within mainstream schools, rising numbers of pupils presenting with additional support needs, contributes to challenges around, dysregulated behaviour, low attendance and attainment levels amongst pupils. Establishments have sought to address this through creative approaches to curriculum offers, part time timetables and support from Virtual school and the We Aspire Outreach team. 2.1.3 In line with national trends, the local authority has experienced an increasing number of requests for specialist ASN and LCSC primary and secondary placements over the last 4 years. The number of applications for a specialist primary one placement to Transition Pathway Review (TPR) formerly (NBPR), have continued to rise. Placing Requests Year ASN Primary ASN Secon dary LCSC Prima ry LCSC Secon dary 2021/22 131 122 131 48 2022/23 144 125 161 56 2023/24 192 135 196 66 2024/25* 67 101 77 63 *additional 53 applications received – who are moving into new enhanced provision Table 1 number of specialist applications received for ASN & LCSC Primary and Secondary each academic session from 2021/22 to 2024/25 2.1.4 A prevailing perception has emerged in North Lanarkshire that mainstream schools are unable to adequately meet additional support needs. This is reflected in the increasing number of placing requests, mediation cases, and tribunal references submitted by parents seeking placements in ASN (Additional Support Needs) establishments. Placing Requests Year ASN LCSC 2021/22 26 17 2022/23 16 51 2023/24 59 56 2024/25 114 91 Table 2 placing requests, mediation cases and ASN tribunal references each academic session from 2021/22 to 2024/25 The Pilot Model – Enhanced Provision 2.2.1 There is an increasing number of requests being submitted for secondary ASN and LCSC placements via TPR, placing requests and tribunal references, for pupils who have completed primary education in a mainstream school. Page 49 of 374
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Applications from Mainstream Year ASN Secon dary LCSC Secon dary 2021/22 28 29 2022/23 125 56 2023/24 141 65 2024/25 28 59 Table 3 total number of mainstream applications for secondary ASN & LCSC each academic session from 2021/22 to 2024/25 2.2.2 An increasing number of pupils being allocated to ASN rooms in early years establishments and primary LCSC and ASN provisions over the last 4 years, means that parental expectations of an LCSC or ASN secondary placement are set from an early age. 2.2.3 The current secondary LCSC estate is not equipped to meet this level of demand. Table 4 assumes that children follow a ‘single route’ pathway, e.g. LCSC Primary progressing to LCSC Secondary. This shows that if there is no change to the current Secondary LCSC model there would be a potential increase of 111 pupils between 2023 to 2029 across 3 establishments. Year S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 Total LCSC roll static 2023 2024 2025 2026 38 62 56 52 44 40 292 2027 50 38 62 56 52 44 302 2028 59 50 38 62 56 52 317 2029 59 59 50 38 62 56 324 Table 4 static projections for Secondary LCSC provision with no further/limited placements in LCSC from 2023 to 2029 2.2.4 Due to the level of demand for support, the LCSC units are seeing a year-on-year increase in pupil numbers coupled with a more complex pupil profile. This is impacting on the current delivery model of LCSC support available and has placed increasing pressure on resource within the mainstream schools they are located. 2.2.5 Increasing pupil numbers are having a detrimental impact on both the young people placed within the LCSC and the wider school community. Operating a mixed model of Page 50 of 374
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full-time support within the LCSC base, support within both the mainstream and the LCSC base and supporting pupils who are accessing only mainstream classes is proving difficult with current staffing allocations. To meet pupil needs and facilitate this model, staffing is having to be drawn from the mainstream allocation. 2.2.6 Over the last two years secondary LCSCs have piloted an enhanced operating model of support to meet the diverse needs of learners. This has proved successful in supporting the inclusion of young people within mainstream classes, and meeting pupil needs at an appropriate pace. Classes are supported by a mixture of primary and secondary teaching and support staff. Pupils are initially educated in a class set. The proposal is that the service moves towards an Enhanced Support Provision model within all clusters to meet the additional support needs of most pupils within their own community. This would be introduced over a period of 5 years. (2025-2030) of 6 pupils within the LCSC and integrate during the session to mainstream classes. Almost all pupils are integrated within mainstream classes with ASNA support by the end of S1. This approach whilst labour intensive has been positively received by pupils and parents. 2.2.7 Current research demonstrates that when children and young people with ASN are placed in mainstream education it can have effective positive outcomes for their academic attainment (Wagner et al, 2005). 2.2.8 The development of enhanced provisions, encompasses Scottish educational priorities relating to inclusion, children’s rights and statutory duties placed on local authorities. e.g. Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act, The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000, as amended GIRFEC (Scottish Executive, 2006) and the Education (Scotland) Act 2016. 2.2.9 In order to identify a new model of support within primary school settings based on solid evidence, the service began a new Enhanced Support Provision model within the following primary schools: • John Paul II PS • Muirhouse PS • Berryhill PS • Holy Cross PS • Shawhead PS 2.2.10 Each of the five pilot Enhanced Support Provision provides appropriate space including a teaching classroom(s), small spaces to support regulation and sensory requirements, plus access to separate accessible toilet facilities. 2.2.11 To support pupils’ access to both mainstream classes additional staffing of 1 Principal Teacher, Classroom Teacher and 2 Learning Assistants has been provided. 2.2.12 Following the initial review and evaluation of impact, it is requested that a statutory consultation takes place to make permanent these provisions to continue to support the pupils currently within these settings and to evaluate the longer-term impact. Consultation Process 2.3.1 In terms of the schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, the Education Authority is required to publish details of and consult on any proposal to vary arrangements for the constitution of a special class in a school other than a special school. Schedule 1 Section 7 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 Page 51 of 374
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2.3.2 North Lanarkshire Council will not make any decision, or put any changes into effect, until the consultation period has been concluded in line with statutory requirements. 2.3.3 The consultation period will be a minimum of 30 school days. It begins on 8 December 2025 and finishes on 9 February 2026 (Appendix 2). 2.3.4 The consultation will involve pupils, parent/carers, Parent Councils and staff of the schools involved, as well as other associated stakeholder and statutory consultees. 2.3.5 A public meeting will be held week beginning 16 January 2026 for each school to ensure each learning community’s questions and comments are addressed. 2.3.6 Council officers will be present at each public meeting to discuss the proposal. There will be limited time at the meeting to discuss all issues fully. To ensure that all issues are covered and that those who may be uncomfortable with speaking publicly are heard, advance notice of specific questions or issues to be raised will be accepted in writing up to two days in advance of the meeting – see contact details at 2.3.9. 2.3.7 At the end of the consultation process, a report will be prepared for North Lanarkshire Council detailing all responses received, summaries of their content and a statement from Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal. Responses to the issues raised through the consultation will also be incorporated in the report. Copies of the report will be available, prior to consideration by committee, in the affected schools and online. It is envisaged that the report will be published on 5 March 2026. The key dates are set out in Appendix 2. 2.3.8 The Statutory Proposal can be found at Appendix 1 and an online version of the document and other items related to the consultation can be found online: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/EnhancedPilot-consultation (not live) 2.3.9 Further information on the proposal can be obtained by sending an email to: ef.JPIIpilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) ef.Berryhillpilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) ef.Muirhousepilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) ef.HolyCrosspilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) ef.Shawheadpilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) 2.3.10 All interested parties are invited to submit their comments on or before 26 January 2026. The Proposal to relocate Fallside School and Portland School to the existing Mavisbank School. 2.4.1 The proposal is that Fallside School and Portland School are relocated to the vacated Mavisbank School site to establish to better support learning and vocational programmes. The relocation to the existing Mavisbank School will provide one campus for both schools, 2.4.2 This will provide shared resource opportunities for young people to work within, between and beyond a range of establishments and services such as the Skills Academy and 7 Day Centre. It will facilitate increased collaboration of staff, agencies and others to make more effective use of existing expertise which supports the achievement of the best possible outcomes. Page 52 of 374
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2.4.3 Fallside and Portland pupils are already incorporated into the We Aspire College (WAC), that provides school-based programmes of education and support for young people between the ages of 5-18 years. Importantly, the role of the service should be to both enable the semi-permanent and indeed permanent education of children in intensive arrangements, but where possible, promote a pathway back to mainstream for those who are capable of it and a pathway beyond to employment and training. 2.4.4 The Service will also support the Fallside and Portland pupils across the clusters by providing intensive support, within WAC outreach provisions within Bothwellpark ASN Outreach and Skills Academy, subject to the outcome of the proposed statutory consultation. This new school will also improve the accessibility to the wider We Aspire College facilities that provides vocational opportunities for young people. 2.4.5 Education and vocational provision within the Community Alternative and Skills Academy settings will also continue to be linked with the WAC portfolio, enhancing the ability to provide tailored support to those young people experiencing a range of adversities who may benefit from an alternative setting. Inclusion of these services as part of the We Aspire College will also strengthen opportunities and pathways for these young people and better connect provision to the wider service. 2.4.6 The proposal would also enhance the current alignment of all vocational education activity within the purview of the We Aspire College, including access to the Skills Academy and 7 Day Centre. 2.4.7 The reasons for this proposal are: (1) To improve the availability of shared resources, increase the sense of identity and community for staff and pupils and be more efficient in the use of the school estate. (2) To strengthen leadership, provide greater depth and breadth of staffing and improve the offering to secondary aged children with a range of complex Emotional Behaviour Needs within localities. (3) The historic ASN estate provision of North Lanarkshire has meant that Fallside and Portland Schools are smaller, more isolated ASN schools which can be more susceptible to challenges in recruiting appropriate staff and are less easy to naturally integrate with wider services, which can make them less sustainable. (4) The relocation of Fallside and Portland School to the We Aspire College will provide an equitable service for children with SEBN needs across localities. 2.4.8 Educational Benefits: • Through the planned proposals it is expected that the relocation of both schools and will provide a number of educational benefits for the young people. • This proposal will provide opportunities for young people to learn and achieve skills within a shared community. • It will facilitate increased opportunities for young people to have access to mainstream learning and vocational experiences. Page 53 of 374
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The Proposal to relocate Fallside School and Portland School to the Existing Mavisbank School – The Consultation Requirements 2.5.1 In terms of the schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, the Education Authority is required to publish details of and consult on any proposal to establish a new school and on any proposal to establish, terminate or otherwise alter the catchment area of a school. 2.5.2 North Lanarkshire Council will not make any decision, or put any changes into effect, until the consultation period has been concluded in line with statutory requirements. 2.5.3 The consultation period will be a minimum of 56 days, which include 30 school days. It begins on 24 November 2025 and finishes on 19 January 2026 (Appendix 4). 2.5.4 The consultation will involve pupils, parent/carers, Parent Councils and staff of the schools involved, as well as other associated stakeholder and statutory consultees. 2.5.5 A public meeting will be held on the evening of Tuesday 9th December 2025. 2.5.6 Council officers will be present at the public meeting to discuss the proposal. There will be limited time at the meeting to discuss all issues fully. To ensure that all issues are covered and that those who may be uncomfortable with speaking publicly are heard, advance notice of specific questions or issues to be raised will be accepted in writing up to two days in advance of the meeting – see contact details at 2.9. 2.5.7 At the end of the consultation process, a report will be prepared for North Lanarkshire Council detailing all responses received, summaries of their content and a statement from Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal. Responses to the issues raised through the consultation will also be incorporated in the report. Copies of the report will be available, prior to consideration by the council, in the affected schools and online. It is envisaged that the report will be published on 5 March 2026. The key dates are set out in Appendix 4. 2.5.8 An online version of the proposal document and other items related to the consultation can be found online: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/fallsideandportland-consultation (not live) 2.5.9 Further information on the proposal can be obtained by sending an email to ef.fallsideandportland@northlan.gov.uk (not live) 2.5.10 All interested parties are invited to submit their comments on or before 19 January 2026. St Aidan’s Primary LCSC Assessment Centre 2.6.1 In August 2025, the new Woodlands Park Secondary School and St Aidan’s Primary LCSC opened at the former site of the Edward Lawson Centre, Coltness Road, Wishaw. Within the new facility, an Early Years Assessment Centre is also located. The service is seeking approval for an operational change to the assessment centre for the centre to become operational from January 2026, and to support children and families through assessing the level of need for learners in advance of transition to a primary setting. 2.6.2 The operational change with result in children being assessed throughout an academic session to ensure a robust evaluation of their needs and support, in advance of making a transition to primary school. This methodology is in keeping with Page 54 of 374
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that deployed within the two other assessment centres at St Margaret of Scotland PS and Hilltop PS respectively. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Continue to provide additional support for learners and families within a mainstream setting, utilising existing ASN funding provided by Scottish Government and North Lanarkshire through the continued implementation of Enhanced Learning Provision classrooms within primary and secondary settings. 3.2 Ensure greater access to therapeutic and skills-based learning programmes through the co-location of Fallside and Portland schools, under inteWe Aspire College. 3.3 Provide support and assessment for children and families through the Early Years assessment centre within St Aidan’s PS LCSC, including assessment over time, as the methodology. In doing this, children will be assessed throughout an academic session to ensure a robust evaluation of their needs and support, in advance of making a transition to primary school. This methodology is in keeping with that deployed within the two other assessment centres at St Margaret of Scotland PS and Hilltop PS respectively. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 – Statutory Consultation Proposal – Five Enhanced Provisions Appendix 2 – Statutory Consultation Timeline – Five Enhanced Provisions Appendix 3 – Statutory Consultation Proposal paper Fallside and Portland Schools Appendix 4 – Statutory Consultation Timeline – Fallside and Portland Schools James McParland Chief Officer (Education – South) Page 55 of 374
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your- community/equalities/equality-and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Proposed changes can be achieved using existing dedicated ASN funding from Scottish Government and North Lanarkshire Council. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Colleagues in Legal and Democratic will support with preparations for the statutory consultations. 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 56 of 374
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If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? A Communications plan, to include all affected stakeholders, will be established should the proposal be approved. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex-Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Page 57 of 374
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The plan upholds the principles of the UNCRC by prioritising the rights, voice, and wellbeing of children and young people with additional support needs. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Subject to approval the statutory consultation will adopt the voice and collation of pupil views around the proposals. Yes ☒ No ☐ Page 58 of 374
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Appendix 1 of Committee Paper of 18 November 2025 Statutory Consultation Proposal to establish five enhanced provisions within John Paul II, Muirhouse, Berryhill, Holy Cross and Shawhead Primary Schools Education, Children & Families Page 59 of 374
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NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL – EDUCATION & FAMILIES 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 With Local Government re-organisation, North Lanarkshire Council (previously Strathclyde Region) inherited an ASN model which consisted of language and communication units (LCSCs) attached to mainstream schools where children and young people with complex language and communication needs “could be educated with their peers, either in a fully integrated or locationally integrated setting”. 1.2 The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, as amended by the 2009 Act expanded the definition of additional support needs to include needs such as mental health issues, looked-after children, and children impacted by social or emotional factors. 1.3 In recent years, due to an increasing number of pupils presenting with additional support needs, the volume of pupils requiring to be placed within ASN and LCSC settings has become untenable. 2. INTRODUCTION 2.1 Current Operating Model 2.1.1 Within early years establishments, children requiring additional support are given a placement within an ASN room. This provision has been expanded, and there are currently 11 ASN rooms across the Authority. 2.1.2 Following subsequent reviews, the LCSC estate in North Lanarkshire has increased in size and currently consists of 8 primary LCSC units and 3 secondary LCSCs located within mainstream schools. A further primary LCSC will be opened in 2026 within the newbuild of Gartcosh primary school. 2.1.3 Within mainstream schools, rising numbers of pupils presenting with additional support needs, contributes to challenges around, dysregulated behaviour, low attendance and attainment levels amongst pupils. Establishments have sought to address this through creative approaches to curriculum offers, part time timetables and support from Virtual school and the We Aspire Outreach team. 2.1.4 In line with national trends, the local authority has experienced an increasing number of requests for specialist ASN and LCSC primary and secondary placements over the last 4 years. The number of applications for a specialist primary one placement to Transition Pathway Review (TPR) formerly (NBPR), have continued to rise. Placing Requests Year ASN Prim ary ASN Seco ndary LCSC Prim ary LCSC Seco ndary 2021/22 131 122 131 48 2022/23 144 125 161 56 2023/24 192 135 196 66 2024/25* 67 101 77 63 Page 60 of 374
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*additional 53 applications received – who are moving into new enhanced provision Table 5 number of specialist applications received for ASN & LCSC Primary and Secondary each academic session from 2021/22 to 2024/25 2.1.5 A prevailing perception has emerged in North Lanarkshire that mainstream schools are unable to adequately meet additional support needs. This is reflected in the increasing number of placing requests, mediation cases, and tribunal references submitted by parents seeking placements in ASN (Additional Support Needs) establishments. Placing Requests Year ASN LCSC 2021/22 26 17 2022/23 16 51 2023/24 59 56 2024/25 114 91 Table 6 placing requests, mediation cases and ASN tribunal references each academic session from 2021/22 to 2024/25 2.2 The Pilot model 2.2.1 There is an increasing number of requests being submitted for secondary ASN and LCSC placements via TPR, placing requests and tribunal references, for pupils who have completed primary education in a mainstream school. Applications from Mainstream Year ASN Seco ndary LCSC Secon dary 2021/22 28 29 2022/23 125 56 2023/24 141 65 2024/25 28 59 Table 7 total number of mainstream applications for secondary ASN & LCSC each academic session from 2021/22 to 2024/25 2.2.2 An increasing number of pupils being allocated to ASN rooms in early years establishments and primary LCSC and ASN provisions over the last 4 years, means that parental expectations of an LCSC or ASN secondary placement are set from an early age. Page 61 of 374
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2.2.3 The current secondary LCSC estate is not equipped to meet this level of demand. Table 4 assumes that children follow a ‘single route’ pathway, e.g. LCSC Primary progressing to LCSC Secondary. This shows that if there is no change to the current Secondary LCSC model there would be a potential increase of 111 pupils between 2023 to 2029 across 3 establishments. Year S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 Total LCSC roll static 2023 2024 2025 2026 38 62 56 52 44 40 292 2027 50 38 62 56 52 44 302 2028 59 50 38 62 56 52 317 2029 59 59 50 38 62 56 324 Table 8 static projections for Secondary LCSC provision with no further/limited placements in LCSC from 2023 to 2029 2.2.4 Due to the level of demand for support, the LCSC units are seeing a year-on-year increase in pupil numbers coupled with a more complex pupil profile. This is impacting on the current delivery model of LCSC support available and has placed increasing pressure on resource within the mainstream schools they are located. 2.2.5 Increasing pupil numbers are having a detrimental impact on both the young people placed within the LCSC and the wider school community. Operating a mixed model of full-time support within the LCSC base, support within both the mainstream and the LCSC base and supporting pupils who are accessing only mainstream classes is proving difficult with current staffing allocations. To meet pupil needs and facilitate this model, staffing is having to be drawn from the mainstream allocation. 2.2.6 Over the last two years secondary LCSCs have piloted an enhanced operating model of support to meet the diverse needs of learners. This has proved successful in supporting the inclusion of young people within mainstream classes, and meeting pupil needs at an appropriate pace. Classes are supported by a mixture of primary and secondary teaching and support staff. Pupils are initially educated in a class set. The proposal is that the service moves towards an Enhanced Support Provision model within all clusters to meet the additional support needs of most pupils within their own community. This would be introduced over a period of 5 years. (2025-2030) of 6 pupils within the LCSC and integrate during the session to mainstream classes. Almost all pupils are integrated within mainstream classes with ASNA support by the end of S1. This approach whilst labour intensive has been positively received by pupils and parents. Page 62 of 374
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2.2.7 Current research demonstrates that when children and young people with ASN are placed in mainstream education it can have effective positive outcomes for their academic attainment (Wagner et al, 2005). 2.2.8 The development of enhanced provisions, encompasses Scottish educational priorities relating to inclusion, children’s rights and statutory duties placed on local authorities. e.g. Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act, The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000, as amended GIRFEC (Scottish Executive, 2006) and the Education (Scotland) Act 2016. 2.2.9 In order to identify a new model of support within primary school settings based on solid evidence, the service began a new Enhanced Support Provision model within the following primary schools: • John Paul II PS • Muirhouse PS • Berryhill PS • Holy Cross PS • Shawhead PS 2.2.10 Each of the pilot Enhanced Support Provision provides appropriate space including a teaching classroom(s), small spaces to support regulation and sensory requirements, plus access to separate accessible toilet facilities. 2.2.11 To support pupils’ access to both mainstream classes additional staffing of 1 Principal Teacher, Classroom Teacher and 2 Learning Assistants has been provided. 2.2.12 Following the initial review and evaluation of impact, it is requested that a statutory consultation takes place to make permanent these provisions to continue to support the pupils currently within these settings and to evaluate the longer-term impact. 2.3 Consultation Process 2.3.1 In terms of the schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, the Education Authority is required to publish details of and consult on any proposal to vary arrangements for the constitution of a special class in a school other than a special school. Schedule 1 Section 7 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 2.3.2 North Lanarkshire Council will not make any decision, or put any changes into effect, until the consultation period has been concluded in line with statutory requirements. 2.3.3 The consultation period will be a minimum of 30 school days. It begins on 24 November 2025 and finishes on 29 January 2026. 2.3.4 The consultation will involve pupils, parent/carers, Parent Councils and staff of the schools involved, as well as other associated stakeholder and statutory consultees. 2.3.5 A public meeting will be held week beginning 9 January 2026 for each school to ensure individual learning communities questions and comments are addressed. 2.3.6 Council officers will be present at each public meeting to discuss the proposal. There will be limited time at the meeting to discuss all issues fully. To ensure that all issues are covered and that those who may be uncomfortable with speaking publicly are heard, advance notice of specific questions or issues to be raised will be accepted in writing up to two days in advance of the meeting – see contact details at 2.3.9. Page 63 of 374
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2.3.7 At the end of the consultation process, a report will be prepared for North Lanarkshire Committee detailing all responses received, summaries of their content and a statement from Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal. Responses to the issues raised through the consultation will also be incorporated in the report. Copies of the report will be available, prior to consideration by the council, in the affected schools and online. It is envisaged that the report will be published on 5 March 2026. The key dates are set out in Appendix 2. 2.3.8 An online version of the document and other items related to the consultation can be found online: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/EnhancedPilot-consultation (not live) 2.3.9 Further information on the proposal can be obtained by sending an email to: ef.JPIIpilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) ef.Berryhillpilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) ef.Muirhousepilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) ef.HolyCrosspilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) ef.Shawheadpilot@northlan.gov.uk (not live) 2.3.10 All interested parties are invited to submit their comments on or before 19 January 2026. 3. EDUCATION BENEFITS STATEMENT 3.1 Through the pilots it is expected that several educational benefits will be achieved on behalf of children and young people with the requirement for intensive services to meet their needs. These points were clearly established in the findings of the council’s ASN Review of 2019 and include: • Empowerment of practitioners and local ownership of resources to meet needs • Improved access to high quality facilities • Strengthened leadership, provide greater depth and breadth of staffing and management of learning for those with additional needs • Strengthened transition arrangements at all key points of transition, under the leadership of a single head teacher. • Increased opportunities for professional learning and sharing good practice, through strengthened workforce arrangements. • Strengthened practice in planning to meet the needs of learners • Strengthened practice in pedagogy and learning and teaching • Clearer pathways to mainstream for those who can access such provision • a broad range of opportunities for personal achievement and interdisciplinary learning • Strengthened integrated planning with partners 3.2 Spaces for learning are designated in such a way as to allow a range of teaching styles and approaches, including active learning, interdisciplinary learning and outdoor learning. Page 64 of 374
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3.3 The curriculum provides the opportunity for learners to achieve across all curricular areas and to develop skills, attributes and capabilities through courses aligned with the design principles of Curriculum for Excellence: challenge and enjoyment, breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice, coherence and relevance. 3.4 Pupils are provided with a broad range of opportunities for personal achievement and interdisciplinary learning across all curricular areas by building on best practice in curriculum design in North Lanarkshire Schools. 3.5 The provision of high-quality technology for learning provides the potential to transform ways of learning and teaching by giving young people and staff flexible and embedded access to a fully digital learning environment. 4. COMMUNITY IMPACT 4.1 There is limited impact for traffic management due to the small number of pupils involved in the delivery of the pilot. 4.2 It is anticipated that any community impacts that come from the consultations will be mitigated. 5. IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSAL 5.2 Transport Pupils will continue to be transported from home to school. Transport contracts will be updated to reflect the different drop off and pick up point. As a result, there is no anticipated impact with regard to transport. 5.3 Financial Implications The Service has developed the five enhanced classrooms through the existing capital budget envelope. 5.4 HR Implications Affected staff will be managed in accordance with the appropriate Workforce Change Policies of the Council, and in consultation with the signatory trades unions. Considerations would include Compulsory Transfer, Premature/Early Retirement, Redundancy/ Redeployment. 6. EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT An Equality Impact Assessment has been completed and will underpin planning for these proposals, since a few of the young people involved are considered as being from a protected group, due to disability. 7. CONSULTATION REQUIREMENTS 7.1 In terms of the schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, the Education Authority is required to publish details of and consult on any proposal to establish a new school Page 65 of 374
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and on any proposal to establish, terminate or otherwise alter the catchment area of a school. 7.2 North Lanarkshire Council will not make any decision, or put any changes into effect, until the consultation period has been concluded in line with statutory requirements. 7.3 The consultation period will be a minimum of 30 school days. It begins on 8 January 2026 and ends on 9 February 2026. 7.4 The consultation will involve pupils, parent/carers, Parent Councils and staff of the schools involved, as well as other associated stakeholder and statutory consultees. 7.5 A public meeting will be held week beginning 19 January 2026 for each school to ensure individual learning communities’ questions and comments are addressed. 7.6 Council officers will be present at each public meeting to discuss the proposal. There will be limited time at the meeting to discuss all issues fully. To ensure that all issues are covered and that those who may be uncomfortable with speaking publicly are heard, advance notice of specific questions or issues to be raised will be accepted in writing up to two days in advance of the meeting – see contact details at 7.9. 7.7 At the end of the consultation process, a report will be prepared for North Lanarkshire Council detailing all responses received, summaries of their content and a statement from Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal. Responses to the issues raised through the consultation will also be incorporated in the report. Copies of the report will be available, prior to consideration by the council, in the affected schools and online. It is envisaged that the report will be published on 5 March 2026. The key dates are set out in Appendix 2. 7.8 An online version of the document and other items related to the consultation can be found online: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/fallsideandportland-consultation (not live) 7.9 Further information on the proposal can be obtained by sending an email to ef.fallsideandportland@northlan.gov.uk (not live) 7.10 All interested parties are invited to submit their comments on or before 19 January 2026. 8. INACCURACIES OR OMISSIONS 8.1 There is a statutory requirement for the Council to consider any allegation of an inaccuracy or omission in the proposal paper and determine whether the allegation has foundation. Where inaccuracies or omissions are notified to, or discovered by, the Council within this proposal document, the Council will determine if relevant information has, in its opinion been omitted or whether there is in fact an inaccuracy. 8.2 Notifiers of any omissions or inaccuracies will be informed of the Council’s decision and the reasons for that decision. Notifiers will also be informed of any action. The Page 66 of 374
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Council will invite the notifiers to make further representations to the Council should they disagree with the Council’s determination or its decision as to whether to take action. 8.3 If the Council has found, either itself or through a concern being raised, that there is an inaccuracy or omission in the proposal paper, it must decide whether this relates to a material consideration relevant to the proposal. 8.4 Where the confirmed inaccuracy or omission relates to a material consideration, there is a duty on the Council to correct it. 8.5 Appropriate action will then be taken by the Council depending on whether the inaccuracy or omission relates to a material consideration. Such action may include withdrawing the proposal and issuing a revised proposal paper for the whole consultation period, or issuing a corrected proposal paper with, if appropriate, an extension of the consultation period. In any of these eventualities, all relevant consultees (and, where applicable, the notifier(s) of any omissions or inaccuracies) and HMIE (Education Scotland) will be advised of the appropriate action. 8.6 Where inaccuracies or omissions are discovered within the proposal document, the Council will determine whether relevant information has been omitted or if there has been an inaccuracy. Appropriate action will then be taken by the Council, which may include issuing corrections, issuing a corrected proposal document, or an extension of the consultation period. In any of these eventualities, all relevant consultees (and where applicable, the notifiers(s) of any appropriate action) will be advised. 8.7 Notifiers of any omissions or inaccuracies will also be given the opportunity to make representations if they disagree with the Council’s determination of any action on the matter, which may result in the Council making a further determination/decision on the matter. 9. THE STATUTORY CONSULTATION PROCESS – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 9.1 The current requirements for consulting are set out in the schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. This consultation will be carried out in accordance with the Act. 9.2 This consultation has been planned in order to meet the following statutory requirements: 9.3 The consultation document sets out the details of the proposal. 9.4 The proposal paper details the educational benefits of the proposal and other relevant information. 9.5 The proposal paper will be published and widely advertised. 9.6 North Lanarkshire Council will seek to determine whether there are inaccuracies or omissions within the proposal paper and take such action as it considers necessary. Page 67 of 374
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9.7 The consultation period will be a period of at least 6 weeks including at least 30 school days. 9.8 Prior to the commencement of the consultation period, the authority will give notice of the proposal to the relevant consultees. The relevant consultees are defined in the schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, and are as follows: (a) The parent council or combined parent council of any affected school (b) The parents of the pupils at any affected school (c) The parents of any children expected by the education authority to attend the affected school within two years of the date of publication of the proposed paper (d) The pupils at any affected school (in so far as the education authority considers them to be of suitable age and maturity) (e) The staff (teaching and other) at any of the affected school(s) (f) Any trade union which appears to the education authority to be representative of the persons mentioned above (g) The community council (if any) (h) The community planning partnership (within the meaning of section 4(5) of the Community Empowerments (Scotland) Act 2015 for the area of the local authority in which any affected school is situated (i) Any other community planning partnership that the education authority considers relevant (j) Any other education authority that the education authority considers relevant (k) Any other users of any affected school that the education authority considers relevant During the consultation period, the authority will hold and be represented at public meetings on the relevant proposal. 9.9 The council will involve Education Scotland in the consultation process. This will culminate in Education Scotland preparing and submitting an independent report on the educational aspects of the proposal. 9.10 Following the consultation period, the council will prepare and publish a consultation report. The report will be published at least three weeks before a final decision is taken on the proposal. 9.11 The consultation timeline provides further information on the timescales for various staged in the statutory process. Page 68 of 374
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Appendix 2 of the Proposal Paper to provide five enhanced provisions Tentative Consultation Timeline Proposal to Consult on the proposal that five enhanced provisions JPII, Muirhouse, Berryhill, Holy Cross and Shawhead Primary Schools are made permanent Stages Dates 1. Committee Date 18 November 2025 2. Consultation starts 8 December 2025 3. Public meetings Week beginning 19 January 2026 4. Consultation Ends 9 February 2026 5. Data to Education Scotland 13 February 2026 6. Education Scotland produce report 2 March 2026 7. Consultation Report Published 30 March 2026 8. Time for further consideration – end 20 April 2026 9. Final Committee Decision 26 May 2026 10. Council implements outcome of consultation Following council approval Page 69 of 374
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APPENDIX 3 to Committee Paper of 18 November 2025 Statutory Consultation Proposal to relocate Fallside School and Portland School at the vacated Mavisbank School building in Airdrie Education and Families Page 70 of 374
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................... 26 2. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 26 3. PROPOSAL .................................................................................................................. 8 4. EDUCATION BENEFITS STATEMENT .............................................................................. 27 5. COMMUNITY IMPACT .................................................................................................. 28 6. IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSAL................................................................................ 19 7. EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT .................................................................................. 19 8. CONSULTATION REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................. 19 9. INACCURACIES OR OMISSIONS .............................................................................. 20 10. THE STATUTORY CONSULTATION PROCESS – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ..... 21 11. APPENDIX 4 – CONSULTATION TIMELINE……………………………………. 10 Page 71 of 374
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NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL: EDUCATION AND FAMILIES 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 To meet the needs of its learning communities, provide an effective educational service and to support teachers and pupils with the best resources, the education service must evaluate and amend its school estate as appropriate. Having identified the requirement to meet the needs of the pupils at Fallside and Portland Schools, this paper sets out the reasons for the proposal to relocate Fallside School and Portland School, close these school buildings and relocate the vacant Mavisbank School in Airdrie. Mavisbank School in Airdrie is relocating to the new refurbished Carnbroe Primary School in Coatbridge by January 2026. 1.2 We Aspire College provides tailors educational support for children and young people in North Lanarkshire with significant social, emotional, and behavioural needs (SEBN), while promoting the presumption of mainstream education. The College includes Fallside School, Portland School, Pentland Primary School and Willowbank School, alongside a growing Outreach service supporting both SEBN and Additional Support Needs (ASN) pupils. 1.3 The Outreach team collaborates with schools, families, and agencies using GIRFEC planning to maintain mainstream placements, reduce exclusions, and improve attendance and attainment. Since its inception, the Outreach model has successfully reduced out-of-authority placements and supported positive educational outcomes, including the withdrawal of ASN Tribunal cases due to effective interventions. It has also been successful in reducing the number of placements at Fallside and Portland Schools, whereby the service now deems it would be more effective for staff and pupils to relocate these two schools to share communities and resources. 1.4 This move is anticipated to enhance inclusive practice, reduce reliance on external placements, and improve outcomes for our more vulnerable learners. 1.5 If the proposal is approved a consultation with appropriate stakeholders will establish an action plan to relocate Fallside and Portland Schools. 2. INTRODUCTION 2.1 The service proposes the relocation of Portland and Fallside schools to establish a joint campus at the former Mavisbank site, to better support learning and vocational programmes. 2.2 This will provide shared resource opportunities for young people to work within, between and beyond a range of establishments and services such as the Skills Academy, Cumbernauld Theatre and 7 Day Centre. It will facilitate increased collaboration of staff, agencies and others to make more effective use of existing expertise which supports the achievement of the best possible outcomes. 2.3 Fallside and Portland pupils are already incorporated into the We Aspire College (WAC), that provides school-based programmes of education and support for young people between the ages of 5-18 years. Importantly, the role of the service should be to both enable the semi-permanent and indeed permanent education of children in Page 72 of 374
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intensive arrangements, but where possible, promote a pathway back to mainstream for those who are capable of it and a pathway beyond to employment and training. 2.4 The Service will also support the Fallside and Portland pupils across the clusters by providing intensive support, within WAC outreach provisions within Bothwellpark ASN Outreach and Skills Academy, subject to the outcome of the proposed statutory consultation. This campus will also improve the accessibility to the wider We Aspire College facilities vocational opportunities for young people. 2.5 Education and vocational provision within the Community Alternative and Skills Academy settings will also continue to be linked with the WAC portfolio, enhancing the ability to provide tailored support to those young people experiencing a range of adversities who may benefit from an alternative setting. Inclusion of these services as part of the We Aspire College will also strengthen opportunities and pathways for these young people and better connect provision to the wider service. 3. PROPOSAL 3.1 The proposal is that Fallside School and Portland School are relocated to the vacated Mavisbank School site to establish a new school. 3.2 This will enhance the current alignment of all vocational education activity within the purview of the We Aspire College, including access to the Skills Academy and 7 Day Centre. 3.3 The reasons for this proposal are: (i) The success of the various interventions and initiatives over the last couple of years have resulted in a fall in the school roll in both schools. School 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 Fallside 15 10 9 Portland 14 14 12 Table 1 School Rolls 2023/24-2025/26 (ii) To improve the availability of shared resources, increase the sense of identity and community for staff and pupils and be more efficient in the use of the school estate. (iii) To strengthen leadership, provide greater depth and breadth of staffing and improve the offering to secondary aged children with a range of complex Emotional Behaviour Needs within localities. (iv) The historic ASN estate provision of North Lanarkshire has meant that Fallside and Portland Schools are smaller, more isolated ASN schools which can be more susceptible to challenges in recruiting appropriate staff and are less easy to naturally integrate with wider services, which can make them less sustainable. (v) The relocation of Fallside and Portland School to the existing Mavisbank school will provide an equitable service for children with SEBN needs across localities. Page 73 of 374
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4. EDUCATION BENEFITS STATEMENT 4.1 Through the planned proposals it is expected that several educational benefits will be achieved on behalf of children and young people with the requirement for intensive services to meet their needs. These points were clearly established in the findings of the ASN Review and include: • Empowerment of practitioners and local ownership of resources to meet needs • Improved access to high quality facilities • Strengthened leadership, provide greater depth and breadth of staffing and management of learning for those with additional needs • Strengthened transition arrangements at all key points of transition, under the leadership of a single head teacher. • Increased opportunities for professional learning and sharing good practice, through strengthened workforce arrangements. • Strengthened practice in planning to meet the needs of learners • Strengthened practice in pedagogy and learning and teaching • Clearer pathways to mainstream for those who can access such provision • a broad range of opportunities for personal achievement and interdisciplinary learning • Strengthened integrated planning with partners 4.2 Experience in new joint campus demonstrates a flexible learning environment, inspires staff and pupils and has a positive impact on the general health and wellbeing of stakeholders. Further, it increases learners’ aspirations, attainment, achievement and positive destinations at a later stage in their education. This is evident through improving trends in attainment and achievement of our young people. 4.3 Spaces for learning will be designated in such a way as to allow a range of teaching styles and approaches, including active learning, interdisciplinary learning and outdoor learning. 4.4 The curriculum will provide the opportunity for learners to achieve across all curricular areas and to develop skills, attributes and capabilities through courses aligned with the design principles of Curriculum for Excellence: challenge and enjoyment, breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice, coherence and relevance. 4.5 Children and young people will be provided with a broad range of opportunities for personal achievement and interdisciplinary learning across all curricular areas by building on best practice in curriculum design in North Lanarkshire Schools. 4.6 The provision of high-quality technology for learning will provide the potential to transform ways of learning and teaching by giving young people and staff flexible and embedded access to a fully digital learning environment. 5. COMMUNITY IMPACT 5.1 Both Fallside and Portland Schools are beyond maintaining and repairing. Closure of these school buildings will provide the respective communities with the opportunities to embrace alternative options for these sites. Page 74 of 374
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5.2 Work is being done to determine mitigation of any adverse impact on those using the facilities (wider access to school spaces may be possible in the evenings for example, or use of other facilities in the locality where available). 5.3 Work will now be done between Education and Families and Enterprise and Communities to: • Assess the impact on community use • Assess the budget implications i.e., any impact on NLC on income streams • Engage effectively/co-producing the approach with communities/users 6. IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSAL 6.1 It is recognised that for existing Fallside and Portland pupils the change of location may be challenging, and consideration has been given to how best to support pupils to make the transition as seamless as possible. Staff will work collaboratively with parents/carers and pupils to support pupils in preparing for the transition. Each pupil will be offered individualised support to ensure they are completely comfortable to complete the transition. This may involve numerous visits during and after school. 6.2 Transport Pupils will continue to be transported from home to school. Transport contracts will be updated to reflect the different drop off and pick up point. As a result, there is no anticipated impact with regard to transport. 6.3 Financial Implications Through a range of management actions, the proposals outlined in this paper will contribute to the overall efficiencies sought through relocation and rezoning schools, as approved in the Budget Planning process. Subject to approval the Service will allocate capital funding within the existing budget envelope. 6.4 HR Implications Affected staff will be managed in accordance with the appropriate Workforce Change Policies of the Council, and in consultation with the signatory trades unions. Considerations would include Compulsory Transfer, Premature/Early Retirement, Redundancy/ Redeployment. 7. EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT 7.1 An Equality Impact Assessment has been completed and will underpin planning for these proposals, since a few of the young people involved are considered as being from a protected group, due to disability. 8. CONSULTATION REQUIREMENTS 8.1 In terms of the schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, the Education Authority is required to publish details of and consult on any proposal to establish a new school Page 75 of 374
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and on any proposal to establish, terminate or otherwise alter the catchment area of a school. 8.2 North Lanarkshire Council will not make any decision, or put any changes into effect, until the consultation period has been concluded in line with statutory requirements. 8.3 The consultation period will be a minimum of 56 days, which include 30 school days. It begins on 24 November 2025 and finishes on 19 January 2026. 8.4 The consultation will involve pupils, parent/carers, Parent Councils and staff of the schools involved, as well as other associated stakeholder and statutory consultees. 8.5 A public meeting will be held on the evening of Tuesday 9th December 2025 for both schools. 8.6 Council officers will be present at the public meeting to discuss the proposal. There will be limited time at the meeting to discuss all issues fully. To ensure that all issues are covered and that those who may be uncomfortable with speaking publicly are heard, advance notice of specific questions or issues to be raised will be accepted in writing up to two days in advance of the meeting – see contact details at 2.9. 8.7 At the end of the consultation process, a report will be prepared for North Lanarkshire Council detailing all responses received, summaries of their content and a statement from Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal. Responses to the issues raised through the consultation will also be incorporated in the report. Copies of the report will be available, prior to consideration by the council, in the affected schools and online. It is envisaged that the report will be published on 5 March 2026. The key dates are set out in Appendix 4. 8.8 An online version of the document and other items related to the consultation can be found online: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/fallsideandportland-consultation (not live) 8.9 Further information on the proposal can be obtained by sending an email to ef.fallsideandportland@northlan.gov.uk (not live) 8.10 All interested parties are invited to submit their comments on or before 19 January 2026. 9. INACCURACIES OR OMISSIONS 9.1 There is a statutory requirement for the Council to consider any allegation of an inaccuracy or omission in the proposal paper and determine whether the allegation has foundation. Where inaccuracies or omissions are notified to, or discovered by, the Council within this proposal document, the Council will determine if relevant information has, in its opinion been omitted or whether there is in fact an inaccuracy. Notifiers of any omissions or inaccuracies will be informed of the Council’s decision and the reasons for that decision. Notifiers will also be informed of any action. The Council will invite the notifiers to make further representations to the Council should they disagree with the Council’s determination or its decision as to whether to take action. Page 76 of 374
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9.2 If the Council has found, either itself or through a concern being raised, that there is an inaccuracy or omission in the proposal paper, it must decide whether this relates to a material consideration relevant to the proposal. 9.3 Where the confirmed inaccuracy or omission relates to a material consideration, there is a duty on the Council to correct it. 9.4 Appropriate action will then be taken by the Council depending on whether the inaccuracy or omission relates to a material consideration. Such action may include withdrawing the proposal and issuing a revised proposal paper for the whole consultation period, or issuing a corrected proposal paper with, if appropriate, an extension of the consultation period. In any of these eventualities, all relevant consultees (and, where applicable, the notifier(s) of any omissions or inaccuracies) and HMIE (Education Scotland) will be advised of the appropriate action. 9.5 Where inaccuracies or omissions are discovered within the proposal document, the Council will determine whether relevant information has been omitted or if there has been an inaccuracy. Appropriate action will then be taken by the Council, which may include issuing corrections, issuing a corrected proposal document, or an extension of the consultation period. In any of these eventualities, all relevant consultees (and where applicable, the notifiers(s) of any appropriate action) will be advised. 9.6 Notifiers of any omissions or inaccuracies will also be given the opportunity to make representations if they disagree with the Council’s determination of any action on the matter, which may result in the Council making a further determination/decision on the matter. 10. THE STATUTORY CONSULTATION PROCESS – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 10.1 The current requirements for consulting are set out in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. This consultation will be carried out in accordance with the Act. 10.2 This consultation has been planned in order to meet the following statutory requirements: 10.3 The consultation document sets out the details of the proposal. 10.4 The proposal paper details the educational benefits of the proposal and other relevant information. 10.5 The proposal paper will be published and widely advertised. 10.6 North Lanarkshire Council will seek to determine whether there are inaccuracies or omissions within the proposal paper and take such action as it considers necessary. 10.7 The consultation period will be a period of at least 6 weeks including at least 30 school days. Page 77 of 374
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10.8 Prior to the commencement of the consultation period, the authority will give notice of the proposal to the relevant consultees. The relevant consultees are defined in the schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, and are as follows: (a) The parent council or combined parent council of any affected school (b) The parents of the pupils at any affected school (c) The parents of any children expected by the education authority to attend the affected school within two years of the date of publication of the proposed paper (d) The pupils at any affected school (in so far as the education authority considers them to be of suitable age and maturity) (e) The staff (teaching and other) at any of the affected school(s) (f) Any trade union which appears to the education authority to be representative of the persons mentioned above (g) The community council (if any) (h) The community planning partnership (within the meaning of section 4(5) of the Community Empowerments (Scotland) Act 2015 for the area of the local authority in which any affected school is situated (i) Any other community planning partnership that the education authority considers relevant (j) Any other education authority that the education authority considers relevant (k) Any other users of any affected school that the education authority considers relevant During the consultation period, the authority will hold and be represented at public meetings on the relevant proposal. 10.9 The council will involve Education Scotland in the consultation process. This will culminate in Education Scotland preparing and submitting an independent report on the educational aspects of the proposal. 10.10 Following the consultation period, the council will prepare and publish a consultation report. The report will be published at least three weeks before a final decision is taken on the proposal. 10.11 The consultation timeline provides further information on the timescales for various staged in the statutory process. Page 78 of 374
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Appendix 4 of Proposal Paper – Proposed Relocation of Fallside School and Portland School to the existing Mavisbank School. Tentative Consultation Timeline Stages Date 11. Committee Date 18 November 2025 12. Consultation starts 24 November 2025 13. Public meeting 9 December 2025 14. Consultation Ends 19 January 2026 15. Report to Education Scotland 22 January 2026 16. Education Scotland produce report 12 February 2026 17. Consultation Report Published 5 March 2026 18. Time for further consideration – end 26 March 2026 19. Final Committee Decision 26 May 2026 20. Council implements outcome of consultation Following council approval Page 79 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref Date 18/11/25 Resilient People: Improving Health and Wellbeing, Family Support and School Attendance From Alison Gordon, Chief Social Work Officer E-mail GordonA@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Executive Summary This report sets out for committee further progress in delivering whole family support locally, when families need it, in a way that addresses the impacts of poverty and reduces inequality – the core objective of the Resilient People Programme of Work. The report highlights how we are using grant and core funding to invest in prevention, at each stage of our Getting It Right for Every Child pathway, and in line with the development of the council’s operating model. This is central to our commitment to keep The Promise and preventing families’ reaching crisis through more flexible and holistic family support. The report is not an exhaustive account of our family support services but highlights some key developments with a focus on areas in which we are innovating with our grant funding. The report also introduces members to the new Health and Wellbeing Framework for education establishments which sets expectations for family engagement and support as part of meeting the needs of children and promoting positive school attendance and attainment. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: (1) Endorse the approach to supporting children and young people and families as outlined in the report. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition statement (7) Enhance collaborative working to maximise support and ensure all our children and young people are included, supported, and safe Programme of Work Resilient People Item 6 Page 81 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 Since the start of the Programme of Work 2023-2028 (PoW), Committee has seen a number of reports setting out how the Resilient People strategic board is overseeing an ambitious PoW to improve outcomes for children and their families through a long- term shift in resources to preventative support that gets the right support to families at the right time. Working alongside the Children’s Services Planning Partnership, the Resilient People Board is overseeing a strategic approach to using core and grant funding to create a suite of whole family support offers that fulfil the commitment in North Lanarkshire to keep The Promise by upscaling family support which is flexible, accessible and relational. Achieving this shift requires changes in the way we work, and we are developing our approach within the Operating Model programme to deliver more integrated and place-based support. 1.2 The commitment of the council to tackle child poverty is also being driven by the Resilient People PoW by ensuring that addressing financial exclusion is core component of family support. This is achieved through provision of direct financial assistance, a focus on skills and employability as well as addressing whole family mental health and wellbeing through joining developments within adult services. Services are now empowered to offer direct financial help to families as part of the Council’s cash first approach to reduce stigma, alleviate immediate need and support longer term financial security through robust links with Tacking Poverty Team. 1.3 This work involves aligning the various funding streams, such as the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF), to maximise impact for families across the GRIFEC pathway of stage intervention. The range of services is outlined below: Page 82 of 374
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1.4 Members will recall that funding streams such as the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund are temporary and have been given to partnerships to create capacity for system change aligned to the needs of families. Alongside these developments, we are therefore reviewing and evaluating our family support offer and will be developing options for a sustainable family support offer within the PoW. This is involving innovative work to adapt the principles of Human and Economic Cost Modelling (an approach used by the Promise Scotland in the field of care experienced children) to understand the impacts of family support in North Lanarkshire. 1.5 The lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in school attendance across Scotland, making it a critical national and local priority. Regular attendance is essential not only for academic achievement but also for supporting the wellbeing and long-term outcomes of children and young people. In response, North Lanarkshire has maintained a strong commitment to addressing this issue through the implementation of a revised attendance policy and a whole family support approach to engaging children with. Collaborative efforts across establishments and Empowering Clusters, have helped to reduce barriers to attendance through staged intervention, trauma- informed practice and tailored approaches to meet the needs of children and families. 1.6 While the data outlined below shows encouraging progress, continued attention is essential, particularly for children and young people with persistent absence patterns, to restore attendance to pre-pandemic levels and ensure positive outcomes. Promoting attendance and engagement continues to be a key focus within this year’s Education and Families Service Improvement Plan. This includes strengthening approaches to whole family support through the Empowered Cluster model, to ensure early and effective intervention through integrated practice and resources. Session year 2021 2022 2023 2024 Category Attendance % Attendance % Attendance % Attendance % Secondary 86.1% 85.4% 85.7% 86.9% Primary 90.8% 91.1% 91.6% 92.2% ASN 84.7% 84.6% 86.2% 86.2% Total 88.7% 88.7% 89.1% 89.9% 2. Report Health and Wellbeing Framework for schools and establishments 2.1 The Roadmap to Recovery was approved by Committee and launched in August 2022, as the Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-25 for establishments and schools. The aim of the Roadmap was to provide a strategic focus on supporting the health and wellbeing of children by promoting good practice within this complex area. The Roadmap therefore had a range of actions covering both curriculum, universal and additional supports to promote good mental health and the wellbeing for children and young people. The service has reviewed the Roadmap, underpinned by a comprehensive health and wellbeing audit undertaken by education establishments in session 24/25 where significant progress was noted, particularly in the area of early intervention. On the basis of this evaluation, it was agreed that to consolidate our progress, and develop greater consistency across establishments, a Framework was required (see Appendix1). Members will note that the Framework takes a holistic approach to children’s mental health and wellbeing, including alignment with whole Page 83 of 374
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family support. This new framework will allow establishments to evaluate their own delivery and progress against core expectations and also align their developments with areas of further development set out in the framework. The links between promoting school attendance, wellbeing and whole family support are set out in the Framework. In this way the new Framework clearly connects establishments as the key universal service that is often the first point of contact for families. to the PoW and work of the partnership Whole Family Support – Universal Level 2.2 The Families Here and Now Service (FHANS), a partnership led by Barnardo’s, is now a core component of the partnership’s response to delivering integrated place-based family support at the earliest point of need. It is our universally available service, funded by the WFWF, and can be accessed by any family who needs it without the need for a professional referral. 2.3 Since reporting to committee in May 2025 the service has continued to expand across the whole of North Lanarkshire (see chart below) and is actively promoting the service in areas with lower uptake. 2.4 FHANS provides whole family support through a variety of flexible interventions centred around each individual family’s need as illustrated below: Page 84 of 374
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2.5 The most common type of support provided is practical and emotional support provided on a 1:1 or whole family basis. The service also offers group work, wider community focussed activity-based support for families and art-based support using different projects. Participation is a key driver in service delivery, with families helping to develop the summer activity programme and after school sessions in Community Hubs. The community art-based support, Art Wise, has evolved from the initial offer of group sessions, to respond to the complexity of need for some families through individual sessions, small group and family dyadic art therapy sessions in conjunction with wraparound support. The Make it your Own project (MIYO) is a further initiative within FHANS to promote skills and build confidence for families. More details of this approach can be found in the case study at Appendix 2. A coordinator is now employed to build community capacity, volunteering, peer support, and work collaboratively with employability services to ensure employability is part of a whole family support offer. 2.6 The service received 133 referrals between April and July 2025, and they are actively supporting 204 whole families. FHANS has been successful in meeting the needs of families, only referring 3 families on to social work in this period. The service also offers ‘checks-in’ with families after ending their involvement at 3, 6, 9, & 12 months intervals and in nearly all cases families have continued to sustain progress following the help from FHANS. The service has embraced the ethos of ‘no wrong door’ and works in a collaborative way within and beyond the community hubs supporting families get to the help they need often providing a bridge to other services. The activity between April and July 2025 is illustrated below: Page 85 of 374
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Family Support– Additional Level Support Family Engagement Support Assistants 2.7 As members know, Family Engagement Support Assistants (FESAs) were established through Scottish Equity Funding to respond to families where attendance issues had been identified, using a family support approach as a means to improve attendance and outcomes. FESAs are now operational across all clusters linking with schools and other services, particularly where communication with schools and other services has been difficult for families. This has helped families use a range of community supports providing help beyond the direct intervention of the FESA. Each FESA is now also able to use the cash first approach to support families and increase children’s school attendance. This enables small but significant changes. For example, the purchase of additional bedding for a child where it was necessary to change bedding frequently, making morning and evening routines much easier and the child feeling more confident going into school. 2.8 FESAs worked with a significantly higher number of families in school year 2024/25 with 370 children completing work compared to 192 in year 2023/24. This is related to having recruited to establishment and better planning for children within the Empowered Clusters approach. Positively a significantly higher number of children showed increased attendance as shown below: Page 86 of 374
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2.9 Improved attendance was observed across the range of starting levels at point of referral, including for children referred with less than 10% attendance. This is the result of FESAs supporting communication and working with schools to use flexible approaches to timetables and supports. Neurodevelopmental Family Support Workers 2.10 We also continue to innovate to improve both financial wellbeing and wider outcomes for families of children with disabilities and additional support needs, focussing therefore on a key priority cohort within Best Start, Bright Futures. In response to the growing number of neurodiverse children we are aligning, at local level, various funding streams to invest in our Neurodevelopmental Family Support Service delivered by Carers Together. This now includes Fairer Future Partnership funding, a Scottish Government initiative to tackle child poverty, which has allowed us to extend the cash first approach to families involved with this this service and enhances the service offer with a council-based family support worker whose role will be developing pathways to the tackling poverty team, and addressing the impacts of poverty, for families. 2.11 This will help an already successful family support service develop its reach and range of help in the context of increasing demand of an average of 22 new referrals per month. The service is currently supporting 85 whole families (often various members of each family individually), and 28 children or young people are being individually supported on an intensive basis. The service adopts a range of interventions Page 87 of 374
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including 1:1 emotional support and practical strategies for parentings in understanding their child and helping children manage distress and anxiety, particularly around school. The support responds to what families say they need. For example, the team have developed peer support groups, with some now being run by parents themselves, such as a group in Riverbank Community Hub. 2.12 The partnership has identified increased need for support in early years, and the Carers Together team has been involved in a pilot which involved integrated working with nursery staff to offer group work with parents in two nursery settings. The aim was to establish a peer support network for nursery parents to share the joys and challenges of parenting children experiencing social and communication difficulties, with flexible information sessions designed around the needs of those attending. The value of early intervention can be seen in the fact that none of these families required ongoing intervention after the groups were established and a WhatsApp chat was established for them at their request to continue supporting each other. This work is being scaled up with the use of our Fair Futures Funding. CLD Based Family Support for Children with Additional Support Needs 2.13 The community based CLD family support offers to parents and carers with children attending We Aspire and ASN schools has developed in line with identified need and ongoing consultation with parents and carers. The support has a focus on accreditation and learning, building resilience, peer support and addressing isolation, developing coping strategies, strengthening parenting, and supporting whole families to better communicate and manage in the longer term. A consultation about need received 131 responses. The range of supports offered has included: • Holiday provision consultation and a programme designed around this, which had high levels of family engagement over the summer with 112 participants. • Integrated working and multi-disciplinary offer to families with co-location of Routes to Work, Tackling Poverty and FHANS teams at key times. • SQA programmes with parenting, skill building and employability focus. • Inclusive activities for the whole family, and a whole family day out at the zoo, with 106 participants. • Positive feedback and outcomes outlined in the link https://youtu.be/hUFt1DfmoZ0?si=ekXso-Q_C8IXMr-4 2.14 The Family Learning approach has been complemented by joined working with CLD youth work for a holistic wraparound service for each family member at points of higher need. Page 88 of 374
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Family Support – Intensive Level 2.15 While most of our use of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund has been focused on building preventative support at an early stage, we have also invested in areas where care experienced children and their parents or carers need additional support which helps prevent further disruption for children and is restorative in its aims: • Kinship support workers • Children’s House Family Support Workers • Partnership with the Why Not? Trust • Family Group Decision Making Kinship Support 2.16 As reported to previous committees we have employed 2 additional family support workers with WFWF money in the Virtual School and kinship support team. They have continued to play a key role in contributing to a team approach to prevent school exclusions and provide whole family support for children in kinship care. They have helped to deliver the summer and holiday period activity programme, have planned Family Education Engagement Sessions to better help kinship families understand and support the children in their care, their needs and how this influences their learning. Page 89 of 374
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Family Support Workers in Children’s Houses 2.17 As part of our corporate parenting review, we identified a need to increase capacity for more intensive support to children and their families when they enter a children’s house, particularly on an unplanned basis, to facilitate a timely and successful return home. The workers are already having a significant impact as illustrated in the case study below. : 2.18 We also recognise the longer term trend that most of our children in children’s houses are over 16 and this has been their long-term home. They therefore need a high level of support when moving to their own accommodation like any young person. The new support workers have also enabled us to increase capacity to support young people when they move into the community to reduce isolation and to improve relationships and connectedness to family and the local community. Page 90 of 374
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The Why Not? Trust – Support for Birth and Care Experienced Parents 2.19 Research in Scotland has highlighted the value and importance care experienced parents, and parents whose children are in care, place on dedicated support, that recognises their particular needs (Critchley et al, 2023). In recognition of this, our social work intensive services and corporate parenting team have collaborated with the Why Not? Trust to commission a specific service, The Village, which offers a nurturing and supportive community for care-experienced and birth parents in North Lanarkshire. 2.20 In North Lanarkshire, psychological and emotional support is the most frequently provided type of assistance, representing 43% of all engagements with parents. This trend highlights the complex emotional needs many parents are navigating, particularly in relation to loss, separation, and involvement with statutory systems. Traditional practice has followed the child when they have been permanently separated from the birth parents (for example, by adoption) but our investment in the Why Not? Trust has increased capacity for direct support to birth parents build hope to care for children in the future and/or have positive family time (contact) with their children. The Why Not? Trust is currently supporting 9 parents in this position. 2.21 When we consulted with care experienced birth parents, they told us they often felt stigmatised by services, as care experience was seen by some services, as a risk factor. We have therefore asked The Why Not? Trust to work with this group of parents to improve supports across all agencies to give them the best start as parents. the Why Not? Trust has created a network of 11 care experienced parents which meets online and in person and provides bespoke support as directed by the parents. Below is some feedback from parents: 2.22 Looking ahead, the Why Not? Trust will promote the service further across North Lanarkshire by having a presence in our community hubs and attending a variety of parent groups and engaging with adult and justice social work services. Page 91 of 374
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Family Group Decision Making 2.23 Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) is a strength-based approach designed to empower families to make a safe plan when there are concerns about the care of a child or young person. In North Lanarkshire we have continued to use the WFWF to invest in this approach, funding social workers within our intensive family support service to work with families and their extended network to bring them together in family meetings to make a family plan to the needs of their child and keep them safe. The approach recognises the assets of families and maximises their participation in planning. We use FGDM where there are child protection concerns or where a child may need care. In 2024/25, 63 of the 125 families referred to the service progressed to a full family meeting where a plan was made for the child to remain safely at home. This helps fulfil our commitment to keep The Promise and its challenge that families must be given support together, to nurture love and overcome the difficulties which get in the way. As well as reducing separation and loss for children, and promoting family relationships, using an agreed formula we estimate the approach resulted in the avoidance of around £900k in the costs of interventions including care. 3. Measures of Success 3.1 Improved health and wellbeing of children and their families. 3.2 Reduction in need for crisis services and requests of assistance to social work. 3.3 Progress in improving attendance is maintained. 3.4 Outcomes for children, young people and their families are improved through positive relationships with staff and with trauma-informed approaches. 3.5 Supports are easier to access and responsive to need – the ‘no wrong door approach’ – through integrated working within the new Operating Model, supported by the GIRFEC pathway. 3.6 Reduction in number of children being cared for outside of their family. Page 92 of 374
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4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1: Education and Families Health and Wellbeing Framework 4.2 Appendix 2: Families Here and Now Case Study. Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer 5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? North Lanarkshire received a grant of £2.351 million for 22/23 and 23/24 to be overseen through the governance of the Children’s Services Partnership (CSP). A further £2.281 million was received for 24/25. The Scottish Government has now confirmed funding of £2.687 million per year for 25/26 and 26/27. In recognition of the lead in time required to establish new supports in partnership with families, the Scottish Government confirmed in April 2023 that this grant funding could be rolled forward beyond year end, The Children’s Services Partnership Board has responsibility for the governance of the fund. . 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Page 93 of 374
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Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? Some of the work being carried out is funded through temporary funding which raises a risk about long term sustainability. As noted in the report, these risks are Page 94 of 374
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mitigated by a review of all our family support offers across the council, monitored by the Resilient People Strategic Programme Board. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). A CRWIA has been undertaken in respect of the current Children’s Services Plan which frames delivery and the focus on family support within the CSP upholds the interlinked rights of children If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? A CRWIA has been carried out for the commissioned family support service. Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 95 of 374
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Appendix 1: Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework THE HEALTH, WELLBEING & INCLUSION FRAMEWORK Page 96 of 374
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The Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion Framework Children and young people’s health and wellbeing remains core to positive outcomes in their education. As part of this, NL recognises the need to focus on positive relationships to create inclusive practices in our establishments and reduce the impact of adversity within a context of delivering excellence and equity for all our young people. The Framework This framework is intended to provide establishments with a clear statement of the minimum standards expected to be implemented in the next three years. The framework follows on from the Roadmap to Recovery health and well-being strategy which was launched in 2022 which offered a strategic guide to the route out of the COVID-19 pandemic. This framework recognises the work done to get to where the service is now, but it also recognises the need to consolidate the current position across all our schools and establishments and achieve consistency for the children of North Lanarkshire. Page 97 of 374
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The framework is divided into universal, additional and intensive level health and wellbeing offers which are linked to HGIOS 4. Our GIRFEC pathway and practice model is central to the delivery of this framework and can be depicted as the following range of supports: There is also a section relating to staff support. The framework below is presented with four columns: 1. The desired outcome, which includes a related evaluative statement from HIGIOS4. 2. The core expectation, where each establishment is expected to achieve in terms of its health and wellbeing provision. 3. Further Development and impact measure, which shows the possible direction towards improvement beyond the core expectation and how success will be measured. 4. Links are provided to relevant sources of information regarding relevant approaches. Timescales and Review The Framework is designed to be reviewed at agreed intervals. The structure allows for information to be gathered from establishments on the various sections, in a way that will be easy to report on and easy to analyse. Timescales will require to be agreed. Intensive level -Partnership planning and support based in wellbeing meetings involving the child and family, including complex and specialist interventions, if required Additional Level -More targeted approaches to support more vulnerable children which promote positive relationships. This is informed by tailored approaches to; nurture, resilience, trauma informed approaches, family support, and aditional support needs, with planning lead by the named person and involving the child and family Universal Level -Whole establishment approaches to promoting positive relationships, informed by; nurture, resilience and, trauma informed approaches, a curricular approach that shows clear and coherent progression routes from 2-18 Page 98 of 374
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Universal and Whole Establishment Level This section takes in the range of work done to promote health and wellbeing through the universal levels of the GIRFEC pathway. This includes school ethos, whole school approaches to measuring wellbeing, curricular approaches, and other interventions open to all at universal level. It is followed by sections that look at more targeted approaches to measuring wellbeing and providing intervention to children and families at the higher levels of support. Outcome Core Expectation Further Development Outcome Measures Links Ethos and Environment Ethos and environment promote nurture resilience and trauma informed practice and equity. Minimising barrier to learning Link QIs: 1.5, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7, 3.1 All establishments can evidence that their ethos is underpinned by trauma informed practice, supported by positive relationships and nurturing environments. All establishments have effective systems in place to promote equity for all children and young people. Including some of the following: • Nurturing approaches (The Nurture Self-Evaluation Toolkit/The Six Principles of Nurture) • The Solihull Approach • Restorative Approaches • Solution-Oriented Approaches • Circle Framework / Up, Up and Away • Creating a trauma informed environment • Multi-Sensory Strategies School improvement plans should detail actions to develop and embed whole school approaches over time (3-5 years). Carry out Trauma Informed Walk through of the establishment on an annual basis. Establishments have in place relationships with community and voluntary organisations that can assist children and families in a non-stigmatising way. All establishments are able to show results from the approaches in use, linked to the section on measuring wellbeing set out below. Increase the number of establishments with most staff trained in nurture/ resilience /TIP and related approaches Scotland’s anti- bullying service CIRCLE resource Cost of the School Day Toolkit - Scotland | CPAG Practitioners – GIRFEC in NL Scottish Attainment Challenge | Learning in Scotland | Page 99 of 374
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• Access to Quiet Areas or Sensory Rooms • Awareness of, and support for, children likely to be affected by poverty and deprivation, ensuring there is no cost to families for curricular activities. • Involvement in Contextual Safeguarding processes where required Education Scotland Rights and Participation Children and young people and their parents/carers are fully involved in decisions about how their needs will be met. UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools or other rights-based approaches in use across all school Registration or gaining bronze level of RRSA. Evidence of children and young people’s voice being routinely gathered as part of whole school approaches to inform policies, procedures and track progress Achieving higher level of RRSA (Silver/Gold) Children and young people have a strong voice in whole establishment improvement planning RRSA achieved and maintained in all establishments. Higher levels worked towards, where appropriate. Evidence of children’s views being considered as part of the approach of the school. Most schools without Gold Awards are improving their award level. The Rights Respecting Schools Award | UNICEF UK UN Convention on Rights of a Child (UNCRC) - UNICEF UK CLPL (Career Long Professional Learning) All staff engage in regular professional learning to ensure they are fully up to date with local, national and, where Staff have undertaken training including: • CP training annually • TIP Training • Training in approaches stated in Ethos and Environment above • GIRFEC training Key staff undertake additional HWB training and qualifications according to role. Increase number of schools with almost all staff trained staff trained in these approaches North Lanarkshire Council Learn NL Log in Page 100 of 374
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appropriate, international legislation affecting the rights, wellbeing and inclusion of all children and young people. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7, 3.1. Health and Wellbeing Champion identified for each establishment Measuring Health and Wellbeing Learners’ needs are identified through robust assessment information including specialist input where required. Link QIs: 2.1, 2.4, 3.1. All schools maintain an up-to-date system for monitoring and tracking pupil wellbeing at the universal level. This system uses the Wellbeing Indicators to systematically assess and record needs, ensuring that data informs both whole-school strategies and targeted interventions. Schools follow the GIRFEC pathway, enabling early identification and intervention. Accurate records of learners with Additional Support Needs (ASN) are maintained and accessible to all relevant staff, supporting a coordinated and timely approach to wellbeing and support planning. Wellbeing is tracked with reference to the Wellbeing Indicators Ongoing mapping exercises to evidence changing trends and patterns in HWB. Tools used for pre and post intervention measurement. All establishments can provide data as to numbers of children supported at the three levels of the GIRFEC pathway Page 101 of 374
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School, Cluster and Community The school understands and plays a significant role in the life of the local community. Partnerships have clear agreements where the purpose, aims, roles and responsibilities are clear and understood by all involved. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7, 3.1. Staff have a clear understanding of the local community and the social, economic and cultural context of their learners. Effective working with parents, carers and other stakeholders and the wider school community. School engages with partners in integrated cluster processes aligned to improving outcomes for Children and Young People taking account of local community needs and authority priorities. Clear, evidenced engagement with parents, carers and other stakeholders around self- evaluation processes. Well established and embedded Cluster processes All establishments can identify examples of planning and support taking account of local community needs, and involving parents, children and partner services. Empowering Our Clusters HWB Curriculum The curriculum provides children and young people with well-planned and progressive opportunities to explore diversity and multi-faith issues, and to challenge racism and religious intolerance. Children and young people are supported and encouraged to recognise difference and discrimination, underpinned by the UNCRC. All schools must deliver a high-quality health and wellbeing curriculum, guided by PSHE / HWB programmes incorporating experiences and outcomes at relevant stage appropriate to sector and guided by NLC’s Progression Pathway. HWB / PSHE courses include success criteria linked to HWB targets, using input / feedback from all stakeholders HWB awards. Children and Young People are supported to challenge discrimination. All classes / levels / departments incorporate a HWB target weekly / Establishments are able to show evidence of the delivery of a clear PSHE curriculum. Health and wellbeing; Responsibility of all Healthy Schools Home - RSHP God's Loving Plan SCES Page 102 of 374
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Children and young people are knowledgeable about equalities and inclusion. They feel able to challenge discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance when they come across it. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.2, 3.1. Lessons are differentiated as appropriate to meet the needs of all learners. Effective use of some of the following will be evidenced: • Healthy Schools’ resource around mental and physical health. • Emotional literacy approaches such as Emotion Works, PATHS, • Caring and Compassionate Classrooms and bespoke PSE programmes • RSHP, God’s Loving Plan, Call to Love (appropriate to sector) Curricular approaches to be backed up with additional approaches including: • Mentors in Violence Prevention • Equally Safe at School • Mental Health Ambassadors • Peer Mentoring approaches • Use of progressive pathways supported by NLC monthly / termly within lessons. Wide range of vocational learning pathways (sector specific) as well as traditional routes to careers available and offered to students, based on assessment, including appropriate health and wellbeing factors. Called to Love | Scottish Catholic Education Service | SCES Health and wellbeing in schools - Schools - gov.scot Building Racial Literacy CIRCLE resource (Primary) CIRCLE resource (Secondary) The compassionate and connected classroom Attendance All staff and partners take due account of the legislative framework All schools should have accurate and consistent attendance recording in line with national and local guidance. Attendance is tracked daily using correct coding, and unexplained Schools have a clear profile of all persistent non- attenders including push and pull factors related to absence. Targeted plans and All establishments show accurate attendance records, trends and can identify examples of working with children and families to Managing Attendance and Absence Page 103 of 374
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related to wellbeing, equality and inclusion. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.7, 3.1 absences are followed up where necessary. Schools should work with families and agencies to address concerns early, using attendance data to support learner wellbeing and engagement following a staged intervention process. approaches are in place to improve attendance for specified individuals. FESAs are involved with appropriate families as a result of staged intervention. improve attendance where necessary. Early Intervention Universal Offers Staff and partners have created an environment where children and young people feel listened to and are secure in their ability to discuss personal and sensitive aspects of their lives because they feel cared about. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 3.1 All settings will develop early intervention safeguarding approaches that promote positive mental health, aligned with GIRFEC planning. These approaches may involve collaboration with a range of partners and services, as appropriate to the needs of the pupils and the setting, including: • Family Learning and Youth Work approaches provided by Community Learning and Development (CLD) • Early and Effective Intervention (EEI) strategies for children in conflict with the law • Joint planning and/or service delivery with NHS partners, including Speech and Language Therapy (SLT), Sexual Health services, and School works with partner agencies to provide and develop universal level support, including CLD, School Nursing and the independent/voluntary sector. All establishments have a range of approaches in use and establishments have outcome data available from use of the approaches. Home - Kooth Page 104 of 374
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School Nursing, tailored to pupil needs and sector context. • School-based counselling services • KOOTH (online mental health support) • Mental Health Champions or Ambassadors • Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management (LIAM) • Seasons for Growth (grief and loss support) • Educational Psychology services • Community and voluntary sector mental health interventions • Family Support services (Barnardos FHANS, and others) Universal GIRFEC Supports All staff and partners are sensitive and responsive to the wellbeing of each individual child and colleague. Staff, children and young people know, understand and use the wellbeing Named person/Establishment contact identified for all pupils. All staff within schools will also be involved in supporting/relationship building with children and young people. Effective use of 5 GIRFEC questions in place as part of Request for Assistance procedures Clear evidence of Pupil Voice within assessment and planning. Plans codesigned with children and families when first formed and when reviewed. Almost all establishments have communication materials available for families. Use of the 5 questions and the views of pupils evidenced in records. Practitioners – GIRFEC in NL Guidance on planning for children and young people’s Wellbeing Page 105 of 374
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indicators as an integral feature of school life. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 3.1. Assessments and plans reviewed with child and family as necessary. Clear communication strategy with families around ASN supports Transition support Transition arrangements ensure children and young people’s wellbeing and raise attainment. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.6, 2.7, 3.1 Outcome Measure – Almost all establishments can Evidence of transition support available Schools will oversee key transitions— nursery to P1, P5/6/7 to S1, and post- school—through structured planning that supports continuity of learning, emotional wellbeing, and effective communication. A Transition Calendar will outline key events and individual needs, while phased activities and parent workshops ensure families are informed and engaged throughout the process. Families involved in the design of the transition programme. Personalised plans in place to ensure equitable transitions Almost all establishments can Evidence of transition support available Transition Policy Page 106 of 374
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Additional Level This section sets out the expectation around involvement in planning for children’s wellbeing and delivery of support to children at the additional level. Outcome Core Expectation Further Development Outcome Measure Links Additional Level GIRFEC Planning Staff make effective use of staged intervention processes and the named person service to ensure children and young people’s needs are met. Children and young people and their parents/carers are fully involved in decisions about how their needs will be met. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 3.1. Named person co-ordinates planning for young people who require multi-agency support, always involving the child and family. Additional support level of GIRFEC planning developed in all settings through the use of: • SEEMiS Wellbeing App used to record information for young people at Additional Level • Click n Go used to record Chronologies • Joint planning to meet wellbeing needs where appropriate • Gathering of GIRFEC planning data at cluster level Pupils requiring health and wellbeing planning will have a plan in keeping with the GIRFEC Pathway Planning for Children’s Wellbeing meetings used to facilitate effective planning approach leading to plans that are co-produced with children and families. Full use of SEEMiS Wellbeing app for Assessments and Plans Almost all establishments can provide data as to numbers of children supported at the three levels of the GIRFEC pathway Clear records kept on Wellbeing App of plans, reviews, NOCs and RFAs. Practitioners – GIRFEC in NL Guidance on planning for children and young people’s Wellbeing Page 107 of 374
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Wellbeing meetings held and take account of the views of children and their families. Plans reviewed and updated as agreed using measures of success. Support at Additional Level All staff and partners are sensitive and responsive to the wellbeing of each individual child and colleague. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 3.1. A range of resources will be available to support children and families worked with through GIRFEC plans, including some of the following: • Resilience planning toolkit resource to help staff and children better understand children’s needs and thus put in place more meaningful plans to build their resilience. • Approaches in school that support good mental health (Involving partners where available) • Lifelines Lanarkshire (recognise signs of suicide or self-harm risk and respond appropriately) • Living Life to the Full programme • Partnership Poverty Interventions (CLD, Financial Inclusion) • Behaviour Support Plans Links to voluntary sector agencies in use where needed Almost all establishments have a range of approaches in use and establishments have outcome data available from use of the approaches. Lifelines Critical Incidents Page 108 of 374
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• Use of family support approaches ( including FESAs and others Page 109 of 374
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Intensive Level This section sets out the expectation around involvement in planning for children’s wellbeing and delivery of support to children at the intensive level where most children will have a lead professional coordinating planning. Outcome Core Expectation Further Development Outcome Measure Links Intensive GIRFEC planning Staff make effective use of staged intervention processes and the named person service to ensure children and young people’s needs are met. Children and young people and their parents/carers are fully involved in decisions about how their needs will be met. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.7, 3.1. Lead Professional is identified. School is in regular contact with LP and attend all meetings for pupils at Intensive level. School based planning is continued and regularly reviewed for pupils at Intensive level. This planning is fed into Child’s Plan via Lead Professional. School has copies of Child’s Plan, which is saved on Wellbeing App and contains school’s own planning for pupils. School takes a full part in partnership approaches that support all work with children and families at this level. Extensive evidence of Pupil and Parental views, as well as participation in planning being recorded Almost all establishments can provide data as to numbers of children supported at the three levels of the GIRFEC pathway Records kept on Wellbeing App of plans, reviews, NOCs and RFAs Practitioners – GIRFEC in NL Guidance on planning for children and young people’s Wellbeing Intensive Level Supports All staff and partners are sensitive and responsive to the wellbeing of each A range of approaches and links available to support multi-agency planning and support to families at intensive level, including: At least one staff member in each secondary school ASSIST trained Almost all establishments have records of plans and who the lead professional for each child is. Each establishment has outcome data for each plan. Establishment shows Page 110 of 374
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individual child and colleague. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.7, 3.1. Establishment has clear records of plans and who the lead professional for each child is. Each establishment has outcome data for each plan. Establishment shows evidence of assisting children and families to input their views to their plan. • Multi-agency intensive family support approaches used to meet family needs • Resilience planning toolkit resource available to help staff and children better understand children’s needs and thus put in place more meaningful plans to build their resilience. • Lifelines Lanarkshire in use in all schools (recognise signs of suicide risk and respond appropriately) • ASIST or suicide ALERT trained staff available in identified settings • Specialist mental health service links available to all settings through CAMHS and other appropriate services. • Clear Social Work contact person available to all settings Regular cluster level working and meetings with establishments and CIIL. CIIL is involved in school planning for pupils, where appropriate, accessing use of Cluster Support staff. evidence of assisting children and families to input their views to their plan. Page 111 of 374
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Care Experienced Children All staff and partners take due account of the legislative framework related to wellbeing, equality and inclusion Link QIs: 1.5, 2.1, 2.4, 2.7, 3.1. Establishments provide a range of approaches and links to provide multi-agency support to care experienced children in line with their duty as corporate parents Virtual School involved in planning and/or delivery of support for children with care experience as required, and in every case where exclusion is a significant risk. Establishment has copy of the child’s plan on the Wellbeing app and contact details of Social Work Lead Professional for all children currently experiencing care. Establishment holds Keeping the Promise Award (We Promise level) All establishments have records of plans and know who the lead professional is for each care experienced child, who has one. Each establishment has outcome data for each care experienced child. All establishments can demonstrate that no decision to exclude a care experienced child has been taken without exploring alternative options in discussion with CIIL and the Virtual School. Who Cares Scotland Teacher Resource Keeping the Promise Award Programme | Resources | Education Scotland Page 112 of 374
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Staff Supportll This section sets out the expectation around supporting staff and ensuring staff have access to information to seek out sources of support. Outcome Core Expectation Further Development Outcome Measure Links North Lanarkshire Workforce Wellbeing The school and partners share skills, knowledge and experience and take part in joint professional learning opportunities. They learn from effective partnership practice elsewhere. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.7, 3.1. School is linked into NLs commitment to providing a positive work environment for employees. Promoting use of: • MY NL offering key supports and development events. • Employee Assistance Programme (VITA) • Policies & pathways to support staff. Keeping staff up to date with developing offers Almost all establishments can show circulation of information to all staff. My NL Employee Assistance Programme NL Education SharePoint - Vita Health Group Mental health and wellbeing : workforce Supporting staff wellbeing Building a culture of wellbeing in schools Taking care of your staff | Turas | Learn Mental Health Support & a Stigma Free Environment (Resilience & Self Care) All staff and partners are sensitive and responsive Foster a culture of a stigma-free environment. Encourage open communication; Provide resources and educate both employees and managers on mental health. Make contact details for ESO Staff Wellbeing available to staff group. Encourage employees to develop coping mechanisms and promote self-care. Collegiate time identified and utilised for staff wellbeing. The majority of staff report that information available to staff on mental health supports including ESO. HarvieNic@northl an.gov.uk Healthy Working Lives - Public Health Scotland Support for mental health at work | Able Page 113 of 374
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to the wellbeing of each individual child and colleague. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.7, 3.1. Futures Mental Health Support Service Stigma Free Lanarkshire | Resources Suicide Prevention NL | North Lanarkshire Council NL Education SharePoint - Education Bulletins Responding to Traumatic Events All staff and partners are sensitive and responsive to the wellbeing of each individual child and colleague. Link QIs: 1.5, 2.7, 3.1. Respond to traumatic incidents through appropriate debriefing and critical incident protocol where necessary. Provide follow up over following stages: Stage 1 – Immediate. Stage 2 - First few days (during first week) days/over the initial week. Stage 3 – Following few weeks The majority of establishments can show evidence of responses to traumatic events through debriefs, highlighting further sources of support and critical incident protocol where appropriate. Latest Staff Information – My NL Trauma – national trauma transformation programme | NHS Education Page 114 of 374
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Appendix 2 Families Here and Now Case Study Page 115 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref Date 18/11/25 Resilient People and Brighter Futures: Annual Report on Community Learning and Development Performance and Activity 2024/25 From Alison Gordon, Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) E-mail GordonAl@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 332001 Executive Summary This report provides an overview on progress in relation to community learning and development activity for the year 2024/25. This includes both universal and targeted work with an emphasis on engagement with vulnerable people living in the lowest 20% data zones in Scotland and other vulnerable groups as reflected within the national self- evaluation framework for community learning and development. Recommendations It is recommended that the Education, Children and Families Committee: 1) Endorse the contents of this report. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Enhance participation, capacity, and empowerment across our communities Ambition statement (6) Raise attainment and skills for learning, life, and work to enhance opportunities and choices Programme of Work Resilient People Item 7 Page 117 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 The Programme of Work to 2028 (Policy and Strategy Committee, 16th March 2023) contains seven interdependent and cross cutting themes. Community learning and development activity is key to many of the actions outlined in the Programme of Work particularly within the priorities of Resilient People and Brighter Futures as reflected in its updated Delivery Plan (Policy and Strategy Committee, 14th March 2024), 1.2 As in previous years, this report will summarise progress and performance in relation to community learning and development activity, including both universal and targeted work with an emphasis on engagement with vulnerable people living in the lowest 20% of Scottish data zones and other vulnerable groups as reflected within the national self- evaluation framework for Community Learning and Development (CLD). 1.3 The report reflects the ongoing actions carried out within the current Community Learning & Development Action Plan for 2022-2025 (Appendix 1) which merged the previous Adult Learning, Family Learning, Youth Work and Recovery plans into one plan to ensure a connected and cohesive approach to delivery. 1.4 The report also highlights performance for the year 2024/25 against the following Community Learning & Development (CLD) reportable indicators within the Strategic Performance Framework: • Percentage of children aged 0-7 participating in CLD programmes from the 20% most deprived datazones in Scotland (SIMD 1 & 2) • Percentage of young people aged 8–15 participating in CLD programmes from the 20% most deprived datazones in Scotland (SIMD 1 & 2) • Percentage of adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes from the 20% most deprived datazones in Scotland (SIMD 1 & 2) • Number of national qualifications gained by learners 16 and over participating in CLD programmes • Number of distinct learners 16 and over participating in CLD programmes who have gained national qualifications • Number of literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes achieved by participants in CLD programmes • Number of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learning outcomes achieved • Number of youth work outcomes achieved through CLD programmes • Number of youth accredited learning awards achieved through CLD programmes • Number of distinct individuals achieving youth accredited learning awards through CLD programmes • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 16 and over in parenting and family learning programmes • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 0-15 in family learning programmes In addition to the service indicators above, the CLD team also contribute to integrated work which is reflected in reporting via relevant Programme of Work (POW) delivery frameworks. Quarterly reporting is submitted against deliverables relating to the provision of adult numeracy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), youth employment and core skills programmes. Page 118 of 374
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1.5 These indicators, along with a wider suite of data not reported within the Strategic Performance Framework, assist Community Learning & Development in assessing impact alongside qualitative information such as feedback from learners and partners. 1.6 In addition to this process of self-evaluation, CLD provision is also subject to The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013 and associated guidance for local authorities. Outcomes, improvement activity and the demonstration of positive impact are captured through the How Good Is Our Community Learning & Development? (4th Version) evaluation framework from Education Scotland. HM Inspectors evaluate and report on the quality of CLD provision across all local authorities in Scotland through local inspection and progress visits. The most recent visit by HM inspectors took place in December 2023, with North Lanarkshire receiving the highest level of evaluation. Further details are outlined below. 2. Report Continued Recovery 2.1 Since the removal of COVID restrictions in 2021, the number of unique learners engaging with CLD has continued to increase for the past four years in a row. In 2024/25, a total of 8714 distinct children, young people and adults engaged in Community Learning and Development programmes. Trend data shows that enrolment in CLD programmes has not only recovered in recent years but is now actually 16% higher than it was prior to the pandemic (reporting year 2019/20). Engagement in CLD Programmes 2.2.1 The engagement levels noted above represent a 1% increase on the previous year’s figure (8630), which itself was a 12% increase from the year before. This figure records the number of unique learners on CLD programmes (i.e. learners counted once per year regardless of how many times they engage across various CLD programmes). 2.2.2 The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) is used to identify datazones in North Lanarkshire where the highest deprivation occurs. Around 34% of the datazones in North Lanarkshire are classed as being in the most deprived 20% of datazones in Scotland (SIMD 1 & 2), accounting for just under 33% of the local population (SIMD - 2020). Although CLD provision is targeted using SIMD data, it is not confined solely to those datazones as deprivation and a lack of life chances can affect people wherever they live. 2.2.3 Over the past year 3740 adults, aged 16 and over, enrolled in CLD programmes (up from 3390 adults in 2023/24). Of those learners, 45% lived within the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland. This is a slight decrease of 1 percentage point on last year. Figure 1: Engagement with Adults 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 Q4 2021 - 22 Q4 2022 - 23 Q4 2023 - 24 Q4 2024 - 25 Adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes Page 119 of 374
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2.2.4 A total of 3779 young people, aged between 8 and 15, engaged in CLD provision (down from 4304 in the previous year). This drop in numbers is largely due to a reduction in school-based referrals in Quarter 4 associated with CLD Home School Partnership Officers. The role of HSPO was removed as part of a service-wide options appraisal presented to the Policy and Strategy Committee (5th of December 2024) in order to meet service savings. As shown below, trend data for young people still remains positive over the last four years despite this recent reduction. Of the 3779 young people (8-15 years) who engaged in CLD programmes, 41% lived within the 20% most deprived Scottish datazones (SIMD 1 & 2). This is a slight increase of 1 percentage point from the previous year. Figure 2: Engagement with Young People 2.2.5 CLD provision included 1195 children aged from birth to 7 years (up 28% from 936 children in 2023/24), with 44% coming from postcodes ranked in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones (SIMD). This is a decrease of 4 percentage points from last year, although only 2 percentage points below the service target of 46%. Figure 3: Engagement with Children (Note that children were not recorded in this way prior to 2022-23) 2.2.6 On average, this meant that 43% of all CLD participants (children, young people and adults) were from the most deprived datazones in Scotland. This is in line with the 43% also recorded last year. As 33% of North Lanarkshire’s general population live in SIMD 1 and 2 datazones, this shows that CLD provision continues to effectively target those who may face the most barriers across our communities. Given the overall increase in learners over the past year, this means that, in real terms, CLD supported 36 more learners from SIMD 1 & 2 areas compared to the previous year. 2.2.7 CLD’s social media accounts have continued to actively promote the work of Community Learning & Development and recognise the achievements of learners and participants. Since being streamlined in 2021/22, social media channels have focused on the key CLD themes of Adult Learning & Resettlement, Family Learning & Parenting and Youth Work, complemented by specific channels for focussed areas of work such as community-based Gaelic. 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 Q4 2021 - 22 Q4 2022 - 23 Q4 2023 - 24 Q4 2024 - 25 Young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes 200 700 1200 1700 Q4 2022 - 23 Q4 2023 - 24 Q4 2024 - 25 Children aged 0 - 7 participating in CLD programmes Page 120 of 374
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2.2.8 Youth Work social media accounts, across platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, have a total of 8533 current followers, which is an increase of 5% on the previous year (8144). Family Learning channels have seen a 15% increase in followers over the last year, rising from 2810 to 3240 followers. Adult Learning channels have 2083 followers, which is a 35% increase on the previous year (1539). Those following community-based Gaelic channels have seen an increase of 12% from the same period last year (up to 1754 from 1560). In total, CLD social media channels have a following of 15,610 people, an increase of 11% on last year. In addition to social media, Community Learning & Development regularly update learners and partner organisations through the use of other digital tools and traditional media. Information is also communicated through reports, newsletters and Sway documents, including the Council’s We Aspire update and CLD’s own newsletters. An example of a CLD report (Summer 2025) can be found at https://bit.ly/NLC-CLD and a recent CLD Newsletter (Summer 2025) at https://bit.ly/CLDsummer25 2.2.9 The key CLD engagement figures for the year 2024/25 are therefore, in summary: Engaged with 8714 individuals Up 1% from 2024-25 • Children (0-7 years): 1195 individuals Up 28% from 2024-25 • Young People (8-15 years): 3779 individuals Down 12% from 2024-25 • Adults (16+): 3740 individuals Up 10% from 2024-25 3747 individuals engaged from SIMD 1 & 2 datazones Up 1% from 2024-25 15,610 total social media followers Up 11% from 2024-25 The next section of the report provides an outline of some of the particular programmes and learning opportunities provided during 2024/25 and their related performance indicators. Adult Learning & Resettlement 2.3.1 CLD staff continue to provide a range of nationally accredited learning programmes for adults including core skills in areas such as literacy, numeracy, IT, communications, working with others and problem solving. Nationally recognised qualifications include Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) units and awards. A total of 939 SQA units and awards were achieved this year by adults (aged 16 and over) via the CLD team. This is a substantial increase of 92% compared to last year’s figure of 488. This increase has been mainly due to additional courses in ESOL, Adult Numeracy and Digital Skills via externally funded projects such as Resettlement, Sum It Up and Digital Skills. When taking account of national qualifications gained by those under the age of 16 (detailed further below under Youth Work) a total of 1142 SQA awards were achieved directly via the CLD team. In addition to SQAs delivered solely by the CLD team, a further 60 SQA units were achieved by learners during 2024-25 in partnership between CLD and other local providers such as schools and colleges. An example of this is the National 5 Page 121 of 374
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Mathematics course run jointly by the CLD team and New College Lanarkshire. This means that a total of 1202 SQAs were achieved by CLD learners of all ages. 2.3.2 To better reflect the range of other awards achieved by adults, which can include non- SQA qualifications such as First Aid, REHIS Food Hygiene, Adult Achievement Award, Discovery Award and others, this indicator was recently widened to include all national qualifications. Overall, including SQAs and the other awards noted above, 636 unique learners over the age of 16 gained a total of 1038 national qualifications. During the previous year (2023/24), 484 learners gained 651 qualifications. This represents substantial increases during 2024/25 of 31% and 59% respectively. 2.3.3 Although accreditation is a key element of CLD provision, the development of wider skills for learning, life and work are equally as important. The progression of adult learners is therefore also measured through a suite of adult learning outcomes. These outcomes were re-written during 2023/24. In that initial pilot year, a total of 4678 adult learning outcomes were recorded. During 2024/25, the number of outcomes achieved by adult learners increased to 7797 representing an increase of 67% in the past year. 2.3.4 The provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) continued at a high level during 2024/25. In order to better record the progression of ESOL learners, a new suite of ESOL learning outcomes was also introduced at the start of the 2024/25 reporting year. The CLD team responded to the needs of 516 unique learners whose first language is not English, including those under the age of 16 where relevant. This was at a similar level to the 546 individuals supported last year, with learners achieving a total of 2134 new-style ESOL learning outcomes. As these updated outcomes were only introduced this year though, no trend data yet exists. 2.3.5 Community Learning and Development supports adults aged over 16 to improve their literacy, numeracy and digital skills. In 2024/25 a total of 932 unique participants engaged with adult literacy, numeracy and digital programmes, which represented an increase of over a third from the previous year (687 learners). Learners achieved 4878 literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes (up 43% from 3405 in 2023/24). These outcomes, which have now increased by a notable 264% since the baseline set two years ago (2022/23), have been supported by adult numeracy and digital skills external funding via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). A detailed report on the success of the CLD team’s Sum It Up adult numeracy project, funded by the UKSPF Multiply programme, was recently presented to the Education, Children and Families Committee (25th of February 2025). 2.3.6 CLD also contributes to the Council's Gaelic Language Plan through a range of programmes, classes and support to communities. 158 unique learners attended CLD run Gaelic programmes during 2024/25, which was an increase of 16% on the previous year (136 learners). In addition to these community-based programmes, the CLD team also led a series of staff taster sessions and supported the launch of new Gaelic e- Adult Learning Participants: “I’ve unlocked a desire to learn I never knew I had!” – Digital Learning Participant “I have also gained my SQA Level 2 ICT … I am pleased and want to show off my certificate… If I hadn’t found the class, I would have been worried and stressed as I would not have been able to do the things the Job Centre wanted me to do” – Digital Learning Participant “It has been like a Pandora’s Box of positive experiences one after another. I have made new friends, earned new qualifications, which has helped me keep loneliness at bay.” – Women’s Group Participant Page 122 of 374
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learning modules on the Learn NL platform. Via this additional work with NLC staff, a further 135 learners were engaged in Gaelic, bringing the total to 293. 2.3.7 The multi-agency Resettlement Team (including CLD, Housing and Social Work colleagues) sits within the remit of Community Learning & Development. The team works with refugees and displaced people who are part of UK Government resettlement schemes: UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), Ukraine Resettlement, British National Overseas (BNO) and Asylum Dispersal. Personal Integration Plans are developed with individuals detailing learning and integration opportunities including ESOL and Health & Wellbeing classes. Moving forward into 2025/26, Social Work colleagues will lead support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), however the strong links to the CLD team and the key resettlement programmes above will remain. 2.3.8 There are 251 properties occupied in North Lanarkshire by over 550 known Ukrainian Displaced People. Accommodation is provided via local hosts (59 guests in 27 hosting arrangements) and NLC properties, including High Coats in Coatbridge (301 people in 142 properties) and Birkshaw Tower in Wishaw (118 people in 53 properties). The Adult Learning & Resettlement Team also support families through the Afghan Resettlement Programme and to date have resettled 36 people (7 households) and also support 8 families, (27 people), through the UK Resettlement Scheme. The team also work in partnership with Social Work colleagues to support the learning and integration offer for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children. Personal Integration Plans are developed with individuals detailing learning and integration opportunities including ESOL and Health & Wellbeing classes. According to estimates provided by COSLA, there are currently over 200 individuals residing in North Lanarkshire under the British National Overseas [BNO] visa scheme. In addition, since 2023, a total of 167 individuals have been accommodated across 43 properties procured by Mears Group as part of local resettlement and housing support initiatives. Those resettled within Mears accommodation are able to access wider integrated CLD classes and courses, such as English for Speakers of Other Languages, which are open to all residents of North Lanarkshire free of charge. These figures reflect ongoing efforts to support new arrivals and ensure access to appropriate housing and integration services within the local authority area. 2.3.9 Building on the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes initially offered at six venues across North Lanarkshire, additional targeted ESOL and employability courses were introduced to support residents seeking work. These courses have continued to run successfully, with positive engagement from participants aiming to improve their language skills and job prospects. In addition, the launch of six Chat Cafés across the authority has proven to be a valuable tool for community integration and social connection. These informal spaces have not only supported English language practice but also facilitated referrals to other local services and groups, helping to strengthen community ties and reduce social isolation. 2.3.10 The Resettlement Team use a Community Learning & Development approach to their work with resettled people, including young people. The Connect Youth Group, for young people from resettled backgrounds, now meets twice per week and a separate junior group has been developed for young people under the age of 16. Partners Page 123 of 374
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including Police Scotland, Scottish Fire Service and Active NL have supported young people, adults and families with learning and integration activities. Family Learning 2.4.1 Community Learning and Development plays a key role in raising the attainment of children and young people in North Lanarkshire through work with parents, carers and families. CLD teams are directly involved in school-based family learning, through Homelink Workers (Nursery) and CLD Workers - Schools (Primary). Parents benefit from using family learning techniques at home and their children directly benefit from increased parental skills, confidence and ambition. 2.4.2 During 2024/25, 2428 unique individuals (an increase of 22% from 1992 learners in 2023/24) took part in family learning programmes and 1110 learners participated in parenting support programmes (an increase of 14%). 2.4.3 Parents, carers and children benefit from a range of family learning and parenting programmes with progress measured through thematic learning outcomes. In 2024/25, 6222 family learning outcomes were achieved by adults aged 16 and over (an increase of 68% on the previous year) and 1594 outcomes were achieved by children and young people aged 15 and under (an increase of 17%). In total, 7816 family learning outcomes were achieved in 2024/25, which was an increase of 2742 (54%) on the previous year’s total of 5074. 2.4.4 Accreditation within family learning programmes is a key part of the learning offer provided by the CLD team. The awards offered to families include the national qualifications for adults and children detailed in other sections of this report. Many of the programmes delivered by CLD, however, do not lead to a formal qualification but are still approved or endorsed by a nationally recognised body. During 2024/25, CLD piloted a new method to track the performance of programmes offering ‘Approved Learning’. Through CLD’s management information system, a baseline was established around the completion of approved learning courses. These included those provided by the Family Learning team such as Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management (LIAM), Sleep Scotland, Relax Kids, Solihull Approach and others. For example, 83 learners completed IAIM approved Baby Massage courses during the pilot of the new Approved Learning indicators. This information will be used to further enhance Family Learning trend data over the coming years. 2.4.5 Requests for Assistance (RFAs) are received by the CLD team from colleagues in educational establishments, health, social work and other services, seeking additional and intensive family learning and parenting support for specific families. During 2024/25 a total of 717 unique individuals requiring intensive family support were either referred Resettlement Participants: “I love learning the new things and having a safe space where I can ask questions” – Participant – Health & Wellbeing Group “I feel very happy to join the cooking class and the ESOL English class because it helps me a lot. I make friends with many people and easily talk and share with them. I no longer feel sad and suffocated as much as before” – Participant – ESOL Group Page 124 of 374
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or chose to self-refer to the CLD Family Learning team. This was an increase of 119 (up 20% from 2023/24). Within this total, referrals from schools, other council services and external agencies increased slightly by 2%. The largest increase, however, was seen in self-referrals which rose from 286 to 400 (up 40%). 2.4.6 Community Learning & Development continues to lead on breastfeeding support on behalf of the local authority, in conjunction with internal partners and external organisations, such as NHS Lanarkshire. Breastfeeding Friendly North Lanarkshire is a local initiative, unique in the UK, that aims to address historically low breastfeeding rates by developing a supportive environment and culture for breastfeeding. It has been shown to increase breastfeeding rates locally, including the most deprived SIMD datazone areas, and was the first to be awarded a Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Local Authority Award at Gold level in 2024. This work is promoted by nine community- based Breastfeeding Champions within the CLD team and has been supported through the creation of ‘Baby Connections’ mutual support groups across North Lanarkshire. Youth Work 2.5.1 The delivery of youth work services is based on a hybrid model of universal and targeted provision. This includes provision such as community-based youth groups, thematic groups, work with schools, individual support and diversionary work with young people. 2.5.2 Community Learning & Development has continued to target work with young people based on need, including young carers, young people with additional support needs, those with health issues and those who are experiencing, or have had experience of, care. Support is carried out by CLD staff within schools, geographic communities and communities of common interest across North Lanarkshire. Staff work directly with young people and, where appropriate, their families in addition to providing general information about wider youth services and support available through partnership working, signposting of provision and communication through social media. 2.5.3 In addition to quantitative measures of engagement, achievement and attainment for young people, a suite of National Youth Work Outcomes has now been adopted. These seven youth work outcomes describe the key overarching impacts of youth work. As reported last year, these new outcomes were piloted in 2022/23 and the process for Family Learning Participants: “So grateful for this wonderful group that helped our breastfeeding journey and gave us friends for life” Parent – Breastfeeding Support Group "It's given me time that I never would have had with my son — which might sound daft, but it's difficult to get that time when mum is always there and breastfeeding… I've built relationships with the other dads here, and the scope goes far beyond the group itself. The timing of the group, especially on Saturdays, suits a lot of dads since most work Monday to Friday." Parent – Dad’s Group (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovJ-V85Ke9A ) “Events like this give us rare opportunities to socialise—with peers and other parents— which we often miss out on because our children attend schools outwith our local community.” Parent – ASN Whole Family Summer Programme “I have really struggled with my mental health. It’s great to have this group locally because I can walk to it and I would never be able to afford to pay for this type of support. I am so grateful to be able to come here and enjoy this time with my baby" Parent – Baby Connections Group (https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/OGsF4SrUuNfEv ) Page 125 of 374
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recording them was refined in 2023/24. As there was no previous trend data, a baseline of 6064 youth work outcomes was established in 2023/24 and a target of 5500 was set for 2024/25 to take into account planned staffing reductions within the team. A total of 5876 youth work outcomes were achieved in 2024/25 (down 3%), which was 376 above the target set despite a fall in the number of young people engaged, as noted in 2.2.4. 2.5.4 CLD has continued to ensure that the voices of young people are heard by supporting local youth forums, the North Lanarkshire Youth Council and Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs). The views of young people have been fed into Council and local partnership discussions such as Community Board meetings, and national consultations through Scottish Youth Parliament Members’ motions. A total of 239 unique young people were formally involved in CLD led youth voice programmes in 2024/25. This was down from 287 the previous year (reduction of 17%). 2.5.5 Young people have continued to gain skills and knowledge throughout 2024/25 by participating in a range of youth accredited learning awards including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Dynamic Youth Award, North Lanarkshire Challenge, Saltire Award, Hi5 Award and Outdoor Discovery Awards. During 2023/24 a total of 1570 unique young people received 2022 youth accredited learning awards. Whilst this represents a drop from 1738 individuals and 2310 awards in the previous year, it should be noted that there was a significant spike in accreditation in 2023/24, as previously reported, with the number of young people receiving awards up 70% that year and the number of awards gained up 96%. Performance in 2024/25 was therefore still far higher than in the years prior to the spike in 2023/24. 2.5.6 Youth accredited learning awards are tailored to suit young people’s needs and abilities. A wide range of options are therefore available, but the largest categories of awards over the past year have been the Saltire Award (489), Dynamic Youth (362), Outdoor Discovery Award (306), Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (285), Hi5 Award (251), and North Lanarkshire Challenge (149). Of those completing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, 13 achieved the highest level (Gold) which is down slightly from 18 the previous year. 2.5.7 As noted above, under Adult Learning, there was a substantial overall increase in the number of SQA awards achieved via the CLD team during 2024/25. Youth Work staff have worked hard in recent years to dispel the notion that SQA awards are only for those in their mid-teens and above, such as school pupils within the Senior Phase. As a result, the range of SQA units made available to young people under the age of 16 has increased substantially in recent years through the use of awards such as Personal Achievement, Employability and Wellbeing. In 2024/25, a total of 165 distinct young people under the age of 16 gained SQA units or awards (a substantial increase of 469% from 29 the previous year). These young people achieved a total of 205 units or awards between them, which was more than three times the 67 achieved in 2023/24. 2.5.8 The CLD team’s lead role in the provision of Young Scot NEC cards on behalf of NLC, gives those under the age of 26 access to free bus travel to access local opportunities whilst the card also acts as a nationally recognised form of identification accepted by many employers. During 2024-25, a total of 52,843 NEC cards were issued in North Lanarkshire, with uptake reaching 79% of the eligible youth population (national uptake is also 79%). The largest increase in uptake was amongst the 19-22 age group, which increased from 60% in 2023/24 to 79% in 2024/25. Page 126 of 374
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2.5.9 Following the decision taken by committee in February 2023 to develop an in-house youth work response to Early and Effective Intervention (EEI) for children in conflict with the law, the CLD team led the creation of the Compass Project. After a successful pilot period, the Compass Project has continued to develop during 2024/25 and has widened the range of training, qualifications, personal support and preventative work on offer to participants. The Compass Project won the Inclusion and Prevention Award at the 2025 National Youth Work Awards in Glasgow. The work of the project and its participants was also highlighted at NLC’s Youth Justice Conference in October 2024 (Compass Video - Justice Conference.mp4). Health & Wellbeing 2.6.1 As set out in the Community Learning & Development Action Plan for 2022-2025 (Appendix 1) there are a number of cross cutting themes delivered across Community Learning & Development including equality, diversity, the environment and health and wellbeing. As part of CLD’s learning offer, a range of CLD opportunities are specifically designed to improve health and wellbeing, including the promotion of positive mental and physical health, in response to the needs of learners. 2.6.2 Mental health and wellbeing is supported across the Community Learning & Development team’s provision. In 2024/25 a combined total of 5887 people took part in programmes aimed at promoting positive mental health including stress management, confidence building, emotional literacy and coping with bereavement or loss. This was a slight decrease of 3% from the previous year (6099 people), although this follows a notable increase of 25% that year (from 2022/23 to 2023/24). 2.6.3 Many of the mental health and wellbeing programmes delivered are nationally approved learning courses. A total of 411 individuals attended Living Life to the Full programmes (exploring cognitive and behavioural approaches), 81 people took part in Seasons for Growth programmes (dealing with bereavement and loss) and 134 individuals participated in Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management (LIAM) programmes which explore early interventions around low-level anxiety. Youth Work Participants: “It helps me out in the community. Has made me think about my reactions to situations and my feelings” “It’s nice to know that other people feel the same way I do and we could talk about it” “It has stopped me being as angry, as I have been able to talk about my feelings” Participants – Living Life to the Full (Mental Health and Wellbeing Group) “It’s really improving my confidence because I used to be really shy, like really angry person. I actually calmed myself” “It's made me reflect quite a bit and ever since then I've just changed a lot and tried to stay out of bother” Participants – Compass Project (Early & Effective Intervention) ‘We are very aware that the school holidays can be a very expensive time for families and parents, so we wanted to put on something families could attend and not need to worry about the cost. It was extremely busy, but we loved it and are enormously proud as a group.’ Youth Volunteer – Cumbernauld Volunteer Group Page 127 of 374
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2.6.4 Physical health and wellbeing are also supported across CLD activity through programmes designed to explore topics such as nutrition, sleep, exercise and sexual health or raising awareness of the impact of smoking, alcohol and substance misuse. In total 1309 people attended CLD health-related courses or programmes over the past year. 2.6.5 Wider physical health programmes delivered by CLD staff also include nationally endorsed courses such as sleep awareness for families (Sleep Scotland) and baby massage (International Association of Infant Massage). 48 people took part in sleep awareness programmes in 2024/25 and 583 participated in baby massage. How Good Is Our Community Learning & Development? (HGIOCLD) 2.7.1 In addition to the internal reporting and evaluation noted above, CLD provision is also subject to The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013 and associated guidance for local authorities. The improvement of outcomes and the demonstration of positive impact is captured through the How Good Is Our Community Learning & Development? (HGIOCLD) evaluation framework from Education Scotland. 2.7.2 As with other sectors, such as schools and colleges, HM Inspectors of Education (HMIe) evaluate and report on the quality of CLD provision across all local authorities in Scotland through local inspection and progress visits. Inspections are based on the quality indicators outlined in the HGIOCLD framework noted above. 2.7.3 The most recent visit by HM inspectors took place in December 2023 and was published in February 2024, with North Lanarkshire receiving the highest level of evaluation. The report highlighted positive work around the local vision for CLD, effective partnership working, strong use of data and target setting and “Clear pathways to volunteering, achievement and employment” including the provision of awards and accreditation for young people and adults. As a result of this positive inspection, no further actions or follow up visits to North Lanarkshire were required by HMIe during the reporting year 2024/25. It is expected that HMIe will announce plans for the next round of CLD inspections in the second half of 2025/26 once restructuring plans for the agency are further developed. Review of CLD Service Delivery, Including the Provision of Youth Diversionary Activities 2.8.1 During the council’s budget setting process for 2024/25, it was agreed at the Council meeting on 15 February 2024 that a ‘Review of Community Learning Development (CLD) service delivery, including the provision of youth diversionary activities’ be undertaken in order to achieve a 20% saving. This saving equated to a total of £1.046m from the previous core budget of £5.1m, which was broken down to a saving of £163,000 during 2024/25 and a further saving of £883,000 in 2025/26. 2.8.2 In line with this decision, a review was carried out during the reporting year 2024/25. A full options appraisal was carried out using the Council’s Strategic Self-Evaluation Framework. This options appraisal was informed by engagement with CLD staff along with both internal and external partners via development workshops and professional dialogue. A stakeholder engagement workshop and options appraisal exercise were held to review this feedback and data, supported by staff from across the Council. Page 128 of 374
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2.83 The results of this options appraisal exercise were reported to the Policy and Strategy Committee (5th of December 2024) where it was agreed that the remaining Year 2 saving should be realised through a reconfiguration of Youth Work and Family Learning functions involving a net deletion of 14.5 posts and cessation of the Saturday Night Project youth diversionary programme. 2.8.4 Work has been ongoing throughout the final quarter of 2024/25 and the first quarter of 2025/26 to achieve the savings set out above. This reprioritisation of CLD staff, services and delivery models will continue to develop as planned throughout 2025/26. Whilst these changes will undoubtably have an impact on future delivery capacity, the reprioritisation of work will also support a more responsive approach to the CLD team’s work with children, young people and families at key transition points in their lives. Under the revised model, Youth Work staff, along with other members of the CLD team, will collaborate with schools, locality Social Work teams and other local partners to build capacity and opportunities for priority young people through a range of community- based youth work programmes. Similarly, a realigned Family Learning model will focus on the deployment of community-based Family Learning resources rather than school- specific allocations. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Strategic Performance Framework outcomes and indicators for 2024/25. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 - Community Learning & Development Action Plan for 2022-2025 Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice) Page 129 of 374
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 130 of 374
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Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 131 of 374
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COMMUNITY LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN 2022 – 2025 Page 132 of 374
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Document Control Title Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Owner Education and Families Contact Chief Social Work Officer (Education, Families, Justice and Integrated Practice Governance Group Education and Families Author Community Learning and Development Contact Community Learning, Development and Resources Manager Revision History Number Originator Date Review Commenced Revision description / record of change Document approvals Number Governance Group Date approval granted Date approval to be requested (If document still draft) Consultation Record (for most recent update) Status of document consulted upon Consultation carried out on draft policy to inform the final policy development Stakeholders consulted / date June 2022 - December 2022 Strategic Alignment Improve economic opportunities and outcomes. Support all children and young people to realise their full potential. Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities. Enhance participation, capacity and empowerment across our communities Next review date Review date March 2025 Page 133 of 374
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3 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Contents page Introduction 04 CLD during 2020-2022 05 What is Community Learning and Development? 09 The Action Plan 17 Adult Learning and Resettlement 17 Family Learning 24 Youth Work 30 Appendix 1 41 Page 134 of 374
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4 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Introduction Community Learning and Development service in North Lanarkshire is structured across 5 delivery teams: Adult Learning, Youth Work, Family Learning, Resettlement and Learning and Improvement. The teams work well together to improve outcomes for children, young people, adults, and families through learning, with a particular focus on engaging learners from more vulnerable communities. The workforce is made up of 52% full time posts and 48% part time posts (196 staff) with over 75% of the workforce living in North Lanarkshire. “Being in my youth group is very fun and creative, giving us lots of new experiences to try. We get to take part in games, group work, go outdoors and it gives us a range of opportunities to take part in” Page 135 of 374
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5 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 CLD during 2020-2022 CLD during 2020-2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on North Lanarkshire’s communities with a particular negative impact on mental health and wellbeing and digital inclusion. Many staff were immediately involved in a partnership-led response, through the provision of urgent supplies, personal support and local programmes, including practical daily support, seven days per week, for the children of keyworkers and the most vulnerable local families and individuals. CLD continued to offer support to the most vulnerable children, young people, adults, and families by adapting engagement methods and how the service operated. This approach has seen the service moving from one that functioned predominately through face-to-face delivery and group work provision, to online, telephone, doorstep and outside learning supports and services. Successful adapted interventions included: y CLD workers made over 6,500 engagements with vulnerable young people, adults and families between January and February 2021 y over 2700 unique young people aged 8 – 15 engaged with CLD during 2021 – 22 y over 2200 unique adults aged 16 and over engaged with CLD during 2021 – 22 y over 460 unique children aged 0 – 8 engaged with CLD during 2021 – 22 y 50 young people volunteered in the hubs during summer 2020 y 170 digital devices and MiFi data connectivity boxes were secured by CLD for local individuals and households as part of Phase 1 of Connecting Scotland. CLD has since supported Council colleagues in Education and Families and Health and Social Care to secure a further 703 devices and MiFi boxes. Every participant was given access to a trained Digital Champion y through the Digital North Lanarkshire partnership, CLD has helped to coordinate and score Connecting Scotland applications from a range of local organisations, with a total of 2437 devices coming into the area so far y In 2020 – 21 100 adult learners completed 193 SQA qualifications y 19 weekly ESOL (English as a second or other language) classes took place online y over 800 young people participated in the Big Sleep Out y In 2020 North Lanarkshire Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants had a 5% higher completion rate than the national average. In 2020 the number of young people starting Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was 12% higher than the national average. In addition, 175 young people completed their Certificates of Achievements. y completion of Hi5 Awards doubled in 2020 (156 in 2019 and 348 in 2020) y over 1,000 Learning Bags distributed to families, adults, and young people to enable participation in blended learning programmes and learning at home. They covered a range of topics including STEM, cookery and mental health and wellbeing. y 8 staff trained in Sleep Counselling and 14 in Sleep Awareness enabling 190 distinct clients to benefit from the Sleep Scotland programme Throughout the recovery phase, Community Learning and Development continued to provide direct support to communities whilst meeting COVID regulations in place at the time. This has led to new ways of working for many, including online learning, and an increase in existing methods of engagement to meet the needs of learners and participants such as telephone support, outdoor education, and detached work. The workforce has become far more agile as a result. Page 136 of 374
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6 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 CLD during 2021-2022 The post-COVID recovery of local CLD provision continued throughout 2021-22. Many of the CLD programmes directly affected by restrictions were re- established alongside the continuation of alternative opportunities developed over the past two years (such as virtual group sessions, online learning and outdoor activities). These developments led to an increase in the number of unique learners engaging with CLD and will be further strengthened following the removal of most remaining COVID restrictions after April 2022. CLD delivery during 2021-22 included highlights such as: • 5504 individuals engaged with CLD (a 72% rise on the previous year). This figure records the number of unique learners on CLD programmes (i.e. learners counted once per year regardless of how many times they engage) • 2271 adults, aged 16 and over, enrolled in CLD programmes (up from 1851 adults in 2020/21). Of those learners, 41% lived within the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland (as defined by SIMD). • 2744 young people aged between 8 and 15 engaged in CLD provision (up from 1141 young people in previous year), with 42% living within the 20% most deprived national datazones. • CLD’s social media accounts were streamlined to help engage communities by age group and learning theme. Separate social media channels focus on Adult Learning, Family Learning and Youth Work, in addition to accounts dedicated to Gaelic and the Young Person’s Guarantee programme. • CLD staff continued to provide a range of Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) accredited learning programmes including core skills in areas such as literacy, numeracy, IT, communications, working with others and problem solving. • The service responded to the needs of 296 learners whose first language is not English (a rise of 60%) and supported them to achieve 799 learning outcomes. • 201 participants engaged with adult literacy and numeracy programmes (up from 147 the previous year). • 1208 parents (up from 367 in 2020/21) engaged in family learning programmes and achieved 1203 learning outcomes. This easing of access restrictions in schools and other educational establishments enabled more parents to take part in learning programmes. • 195 individuals requiring intensive family support were referred to the CLD Family Learning team from schools and other council services. This was supported by the roll out of a new CLD system to deal with Requests for Assistance (RFAs) from schools. • 44 people attended CLD’s Gaelic programmes during 2021/22. This contributed to the Council’s Gaelic Language Plan through a range of programmes, classes and support to communities. • 169 people participated in the Discovery Award programme for people aged 50 and over during 2021/22, up from 21 the previous year. • 120 adults were supported as part of the Adult Achievement Award (AAA), which gives adult learners the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised award for learning undertaken in the community, at work, in the home, or in volunteering programmes. • The voices of young people continued to be heard through CLD’s support of local youth forums, the North Lanarkshire Youth Council and local Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs). In November 2021, North Lanarkshire registered the highest number of votes in the Scottish Youth Parliament elections with 8,506 votes. • 780 young people achieved 952 youth accredited learning awards (107 more young people and 258 more awards than the previous year). These included Youth Achievement, Dynamic Youth, North Lanarkshire Challenge, Saltire, Hi5, and John Muir Awards. • In addition to the wider achievement awards noted above, young people gained 307 Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards (245 Bronze, 36 Silver and 26 Gold Awards), which was an increase from 277 awards achieved in 2020/21. Page 137 of 374
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7 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 • CLD continued to provide opportunities designed to improve health and well- being, including mental health and coping with stress. 115 individuals attended Living Life to the Full programmes and, in total, 1815 people attended CLD health-related courses and workshops with a focus on topics such as reducing the impact of smoking, addressing substance misuse and promoting healthy diet and weight. • Approximately 800 young people continued to attend diversionary activities each weekend, through Friday Night and Saturday Night Projects for young people across nine venues, including the popular Street Soccer programme. Young people participate in free physical activity and youth work programmes leading to improved health and wellbeing outcomes. Page 138 of 374
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8 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Existing plans To respond to changing needs during the pandemic, thematic plans were developed in 2021 to meet the ambitions of the previous CLD Partnership Plan and respond to the needs of communities. These can be consulted on the links below: Family Learning Plan and update Adult Learning plan and update Youth Work plan and update To ensure a connected and cohesive approach to delivery, these plans will be merged into this one CLD Action Plan 2022 to 2025. “Youth Work has improved my communication skills, my ability to speak up and join in a conversation or debate and has allowed me to make some amazing new friends. I owe a lot of the confidence I’ve gained in the last year to youth work and the opportunities it has given me” Page 139 of 374
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9 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 What is Community Learning and Development? Community Learning and Development (CLD) is described nationally as: y A distinct sector of education alongside early years, primary, secondary, further and higher education y A discipline using a distinct set of competencies that can be utilised by staff in a range of settings across the public sector and third sector y A process of supporting disadvantaged or vulnerable groups and individuals of all ages to engage in learning, with a focus on bringing about change in their lives and communities y An area of activity, undertaken in a wide range of settings, that promotes the national outcomes for community learning and development. The Strategic Guidance for Community Planning Partnerships: Community Learning and Development (2012) continues to underpin national CLD policy in Scotland. The Guidance notes that CLD is ‘a distinctive process of engagement and support, with a learning content that is negotiated with learners.’ CLD ‘plays a central part in ensuring individuals, families and communities across Scotland reach their potential through lifelong learning, mutual self-help and community organisation - and that the available support and opportunities are community-led, built around people’s aspirations.’ The Purpose of CLD, as defined by the Scottish Government, is to empower people, individually and collectively, to make positive changes in their lives, and in their communities, through learning. The Community Learning and Development approach is based on a commitment to the principles of: y Empowerment - Increasing the ability of individuals and groups to influence matters affecting them and their communities y Participation - Supporting people to take part in decision-making y Inclusion, equality of opportunity and anti- discrimination - Recognising some people need additional support to overcome the barriers they face y Self-determination - Supporting the right of people to make their own choices y Partnership - Ensuring resources, varied skills and capabilities are used effectively. “I really enjoyed the youth work Fire Reach Course! It was a good opportunity to learn new skills……. Working as a team has helped my team building skills, and I’d recommend the course to anyone.” “We have learned that there is so much to explore on our doorstep and it’s free!” Parent involved in outdoor learning. Page 140 of 374
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10 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Local and national context Community Learning and Development operates within the parameters of national and local acts, strategies and plans. CLD Action Plan Scottish Government National Performance Framework The Plan for North Lanarkshire UK and Scottish Government Strategies, Policies and Acts CLD Partnership Plan Local Outcome Improvement Plans Programme of Work National context - a short summary The Scottish Government has created a National Performance Framework (NPF) to provide a clear vision for public services and to enable progress to be monitored across the country. Five overarching strategic objectives guide the development of all public services in an integrated way. These objectives are: y Wealthier and Fairer - Enable businesses and people to increase their wealth and more people to share fairly in that wealth. y Smarter - Expand opportunities for Scots to succeed from nurture through to lifelong learning, ensuring higher and more widely shared achievements. y Healthier - Help people to sustain and improve their health, especially in disadvantaged communities, ensuring better, local and faster access to health care. y Safer and Stronger - Help local communities to flourish, becoming stronger, safer places to live, offering improved opportunities and a better quality of life. y Greener - Improve Scotland’s natural and built environment and the sustainable use and enjoyment of it. The relationship between the national and local context is described fully in the CLD Partnership Plan 2021–24. Underpinning these strategic objectives are 11 national outcomes: 1 We grow up loved, safe and respected so that we realise our full potential 2 We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe 3 We are creative and our vibrant and diverse cultures are expressed and enjoyed widely 4 We have a globally competitive, entrepreneurial, inclusive and sustainable economy 5 We are well educated, skilled and able to contribute to society 6 We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment 7 We have thriving and innovative businesses, with quality jobs and fair work for everyone 8 We are healthy and active 9 We respect, protect and fulfil human rights and live free from discrimination 10 We are open, connected and make a positive contribution internationally 11 We tackle poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally National plans and strategies can be accessed in Appendix 1. Have lots of information now to think about. Very inspired with the range of services, support, and organisations available in my area. I will follow up on these.’ Page 141 of 374
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11 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Local context – a short summary The Plan for North Lanarkshire sets the direction for partners, the council, stakeholders, communities and people who live, learn, work, invest, and visit within North Lanarkshire. It is a Plan with a vision of inclusive growth and prosperity, with a shared ambition that aims to ensure the benefits reach all North Lanarkshire communities with a fairer distribution of wealth. Five Priorities are key elements of the Plan and Community Learning and Development’s input supports all of them in a variety of ways: y Improve economic opportunities and outcomes. y Support all children and young people to realise their full potential. y Improve the health and wellbeing of North Lanarkshire’s communities. y Enhance participation, capacity, and empowerment across North Lanarkshire’s communities. y Improve North Lanarkshire’s resource base. A Gaelic learner said: “The Gaelic class has become the highlight of my week due to the other people there, whose friendship, support and patience have become a valued part of my life. We also have the best tutor, who ensures everyone is involved, understands what teaches us, and encourages us to converse with each other in Gaelic. Direach sgoinneil, tha mo gaol orra tha uile” Adult learner attending a First Aid course said: “I have 6 grandchildren so it will come in handy. It’s gave me a lot more confidence and also the chance to save lives.” Page 142 of 374
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12 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 CLD Partnership The North Lanarkshire Community Learning and Development Partnership was formally established in its current form in 1999. The CLD Partnership brings together a wide range of local and national organisations involved in the development of learning, skills and community capacity building across North Lanarkshire. It is recognised that the three national CLD priorities around youth work, adult learning and family learning and community capacity building are delivered by many different local organisations, ranging from small voluntary sector projects to large public sector agencies. Whilst each member organisation continues to have its own specific purpose, the North Lanarkshire CLD Partnership aims to bring stakeholders together, as equal partners, to jointly assess needs, plan services, review outcomes and develop practice for the benefit of local learners and participants. The North Lanarkshire CLD Partnership works on behalf of the wider North Lanarkshire Partnership and delivers against the community planning partnership’s ongoing commitment to the Strategic Guidance for Community Planning Partnerships: Community Learning and Development (2012). Local Outcome Improvement Plans Local Outcome Improvement Plans (LOIPs) have been produced for the following Community Boards. Airdrie Cumbernauld Northern Corridor Bellshill Kilsyth Shotts Coatbridge Motherwell Wishaw The plans provide a focus for local planning and delivery which: y Outline the priorities highlighted by local people and support partnership action and approaches. y Provide a focus for the work of the Community Board. y Ensure that people have the opportunity to shape, influence and benefit from the vision and ambition outlined in the Plan for North Lanarkshire. They provide frameworks for local delivery across the nine Community Board areas. These are based on the needs and aspirations of local communities as well as an evidence-based understanding of each area. The overarching aim of the Local Outcome Improvement Plans is to ensure better use of shared resources to support the most disadvantaged people in local communities and tackle the inequalities that exist in North Lanarkshire as a result of poverty and social-economic disadvantage. They outline the key priorities for each Community Board area that have been identified through an extensive stakeholder engagement programme which was undertaken throughout 2020. Further details on the CLD Partnership and its Plan for 2021-24 can be found on: https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/ sites/default/files/2022-04/North%20 Lanarkshire%20CLD%20Partnership%20 Plan%202021-24_.pdf Page 143 of 374
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13 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Programme of work The Programme of Work is the key resource for delivering and sustaining the long-term vision set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire. It provides a clear roadmap for work across all council services and with partners and allows for plans of action to be developed that inform the projects, activities, services, technologies and resources that need to be harnessed in order to seize opportunities to deliver on the long-term strategy, while achieving value for money. CLD will continue to contribute to the annual Programme of Work by identifying aspects of the service which particularly relate to the five priorities of the Plan for North Lanarkshire. The document is refreshed annually, and the latest version can be found on MARS. Local plans and strategies can be accessed in Appendix 1. Emerging cross cutting themes Within the five priorities in the Plan for North Lanarkshire, several cross-cutting themes have assumed significance for CLD services over the last year. Some of these are: poverty, mental health and wellbeing, employability and family support. CLD contributes to all of these themes through programmes and initiatives. Tackling Poverty In the last 2 years CLD has contributed to tackling poverty through locally accessible learning programmes and other targeted projects. Some examples are: y free bus travel cards issued to people aged 5 - 21 in North Lanarkshire (over 40,000 in 2022 – 23) y over 5,000 young people in North Lanarkshire are Young Scot members y #YSAttain Project targeted at young people disadvantaged by poverty and other impacts y Duke of Edinburgh’s Award costs met for young people actively participating in the Award (1123 in 2021 – 22) y free entry to Time Capsule Takeover events (500 young people in 2022) y free school prom outfits donated to the Prom Shop (70 young people benefitted in 2022) y free physical activity in 8 venues every Friday and Saturday evening (900 young people in 2022) y free summer learning programmes (2058 individuals attended in 2022) y referrals to welfare support agencies including Financial Inclusion, food banks, Citizen’s Advice, grant awarding bodies and clothing banks. (66 referrals in 2022) “Getting the opportunity to organise and present at NLC’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Presentation was an absolutely amazing experience, and I would love to participate in an event like this again.” Page 144 of 374
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14 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 The following targets for participation by learners residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones in the SIMD data have been set for the years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25: Participation targets 22/23 23/24 24/25 % of adult learners enrolled from the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones 48.5% 49% 49.5% % young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes from the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones 46% 47.5% 48% % children aged 0 - 7 participating in CLD programmes from the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones 45% 45.5% 46% All CLD staff will make referrals to relevant council services and local organisations that can provide support. Through work with adults and young people CLD will provide financial education and money management skills. Health and Wellbeing Mental and physical health and wellbeing is a prominent theme of CLD service delivery. Living Life To The Full (LLTTF), Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management (LIAM), health walks, Mens’ Space and outdoor learning are some of the activities that have helped participants cope with the challenges of 2020 and 2021. Consultation with adults, young people and families has identified health and wellbeing as a continuing priority and therefore will remain an overarching theme of CLD service delivery during the life of this plan. Some examples of actions are: y Offer SQA wellbeing modules y Establish a health and wellbeing subgroup in Family Learning y Increase the number of health and wellbeing outcomes achieved through family learning and parental engagement programmes y Provide youth focused information on the North Lanarkshire Young Scot webpages and social media y Increase participation in LLTTF y Offer school and community-based Seasons for Growth groups Attainment and Employability Over 29,000 North Lanarkshire residents of working age (16 – 64) have no formal qualifications. This is 13.6% of the population and is 4.9 percentage points higher than the Scottish average. To help address this CLD has provided opportunities for participants to engage in accredited learning programmes such as SQA units and group awards, food hygiene awards (REHIS), Youth Achievement Awards, First Steps to Youth Work, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, John Muir Award, Saltire Awards, and Adult Achievement Awards. In 2021 – 22 64 participants gained 84 SQA units, 307 Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards were achieved, and 780 individuals gained 980 accredited learning awards Nineteen young people were employed as Assistant Support Workers through the Scottish Government funded Young Person’s Guarantee Programme in 2021 – 22 with all progressing to positive destinations of employment, training or further education. Fifty young people took up the opportunity to volunteer at the summer hubs in 2021. “After the First Steps to youth work course, I feel that I am more confident and that I’m able to speak to more people. I have learned the skills you need to become a youth worker” Adult learner attending a First Aid course said: “It’s so helpful and useful and very handy to know. Enjoyed the class so much.” Page 145 of 374
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15 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Actions are included in this plan which will support the Council’s priority to improve economic opportunities and outcomes. Some examples are: y To deliver a varied digital learning programme with clear progression routes to develop better ICT skill for life and work y Implement a development plan focused on delivering numeracy learning to adults aged 19 and over to meet the objective of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Multiply programme y To develop and deliver a programme of training and paid work experience that meets the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee y Increase the number of core skills outcomes achieved through family learning and parental engagement programmes y Provide volunteering opportunities and work experience options for young people y Increase the number of qualifications, awards and accreditations achieved by young people Support for individuals and families The CLD team takes a whole systems approach to supporting individuals and families to ensure that barriers to learning are removed. Through referrals from internal colleagues and external partners staff are able to tailor relevant support to each individual or family which can include one-to-one support, home visits, nurturing approaches, and onward referrals to other services. Support is available to families and individuals at key transition points and to groups with specific needs such as care experienced young people, people with disabilities or health issues, those whose first language is not English and those who have resettled in North Lanarkshire through government supported schemes. Care experienced young people and their families receive support from CLD as part of the Council’s commitment to The Promise and through the local Getting it Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) planning pathways. Parents receive additional support in areas such as breastfeeding, improving children’s sleep routines and attachment. Environment North Lanarkshire Council recognised the urgent need to tackle climate change and adverse environmental impact caused by human activity when it declared a climate emergency in June 2019 and in the report to Policy and Strategy Committee in December 2021, The Challenge: Net Zero by 2030 Post CoP26 Delivery of Meaningful Climate Action As part of CLD consultation events, climate change and the environment feature as a matter of concern, especially among young people. Over the last two years Youth Climate Ambassadors have been taking local action and raising awareness of these topics. CLD teams have been involved in outdoor learning, participation in the John Muir Award and inter- generational gardening projects. Some of the actions identified in the plan for 2022 – 25 which reflect this theme are: y Roll out environment themed workshops in youth work provision and schools y Continue to support the North Lanarkshire Youth Climate Ambassadors to raise awareness of climate change and environmental issues. y Continue to promote outdoor learning and train staff in Forest School provision Equality and diversity In the past 2 years there have been a number of projects aimed at increasing participation from under-represented groups or those facing barriers to participation: y LGBT+ youth groups y Work with New Scots families, particularly those coming to North Lanarkshire as part of resettlement programmes y ESOL (English as a second or other language) classes y Men’s Space project for those who have become isolated during the pandemic Development Officers have delivered training on United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to colleagues in CLD and other Council services. Page 146 of 374
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16 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 During the life of this plan CLD intends to: y deliver a programme by the resettlement team that encompasses the integration of all New Scots families into communities and includes their community learning, education, employability, health and social needs y implement a revised ESOL offer y organise events for young people on the theme of equality and diversity y adults and young people will be involved in raising the profile of UNCRC Workforce development CLD has a continuing commitment to upskilling, training and developing the workforce. Staff training will be recorded through the CLD staff training matrix, the Performance Review and Development (PRD) process and LearnNL. All CLD staff will complete the mandatory training units and will receive training in Cognisoft IO where appropriate. The youth work team will continue to lead on UNCRC and deliver training both to CLD staff and other council services as required. All staff will undertake contextualised safeguarding training. This multi-agency training will be facilitated by North Lanarkshire Social Work. Training in outdoor learning and Forest Schools will continue for those already undertaking training with the intention of extending this throughout the life of the plan. Staff will be given training opportunities based on their required skills. This will include Numeracy, SQA assessment and verification, Health Issues in the Community (HIIC), Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), internet safety, Relax Kids, LIAM, Sleep Scotland, forest schools, STEM, the Professional Development Awards (PDA) Introduction to Tutoring Adult Literacies Learning (ITALL), and Support Adult Literacies Learning (SALL). Other staff development opportunities will include LLTTF, drug and alcohol awareness, suicide prevention, Seasons for Growth and other aspects of equality and diversity including social media accessibility. Awareness raising sessions and training around the Young Scot National Entitlement card will also be offered. First Steps to Family Learning is new course created by CLD which is in the final stages of gaining SCQF Level 4 accreditation approval, supported by New College Lanarkshire. Having been successfully piloted by participants on the Young Person’s Guarantee Programme, this course will be used to upskill CLD staff and partners across the authority. Targeted provision and place- based programmes. CLD has systems in place to respond to the need for targeted provision and is able to respond to emerging needs through the work of the CLD Partnership, CLD staff involvement in Community Board meetings, the development of Local Outcome Improvement Plans (LOIPs) and GIRFEC planning pathways. Consultation Over 600 participants, as well as partner agencies and staff, have taken part in consultation events during 2021 and 2022. Online surveys and focus groups were used to gather participants’ opinions and several topics emerged which are reflected in the action plan below and in the emerging cross cutting themes highlighted above. These were: y Mental and physical health and wellbeing, drugs and alcohol awareness y Poverty, the cost-of-living crisis and money management y Equality and diversity y The environment and climate emergency y Youth participation and engagement - having your voice heard y Employment, training, awards, accreditation and qualifications y Information and activities for young people “Getting the opportunity to organise and present at NLC’s Duke of Edinburgh Awards Presentation gave me the confidence to talk in front of hundreds of people” Page 147 of 374
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17 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 The Action Plan Adult Learning and Resettlement The Adult Learning and Resettlement team works with adults across North Lanarkshire to develop better skilled, educated, confident and empowered people contributing to connected and inclusive communities. The CLD Adult Learning and Resettlement manager leads a team of CLD Development Officers, CLD Adult Learning and Resettlement Workers, Support Workers and Assistant Support Workers who all contribute to ensuring that the needs of adult learners are met. The Adult Learning and Resettlement Delivery Plan sets out actions to improve life chances for adult learners across North Lanarkshire. It focuses on both local and national priorities, with key themes including community based adult learning, health and wellbeing, Young Persons’ Guarantee, Multiply Project, health and Resettlement. The Adult Learning and Resettlement Team works with Syrian, Afghanistan and Ukrainian individuals and families who are part of UK and Scottish Government programmes and have resettled in North Lanarkshire after fleeing war in their own countries. The team provides ESOL classes and combined ESOL / Employability courses across North Lanarkshire supporting refugees and displaced people to improve on their English language skills, thereby increasing opportunities for learning, employment, and integration into local communities. Working closely with partner organisations and residents the team facilitates community activities, volunteering opportunities and provides links to community groups and local charities. As part of the wider Resettlement Team, the CLD Resettlement team works with other NLC services to ensure that all resettled people have access to suitable housing, health, and local schools, as available to all North Lanarkshire residents. Page 148 of 374
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18 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Expanding and Extending Adult Learning The Adult Learning and Resettlement team wants adult learning to be available, accessible, and meaningful with more people understanding the value and impact of adult learning. The CLD Adult learning programme contributes to all 7 National CLD Outcomes as stated in the NL CLD Partnership Plan 2021-24 and Programme of Work. The team provides adult learning opportunities that are lifelong, learner centred and cover all areas of life – personal, work, family and community. Objectives • Development and delivery of a programme which meets objectives of National Strategies and NLC Plans which offers connected adult learning opportunities across North Lanarkshire communities and organisations, targeting the most excluded and disadvantaged. • To put learner needs, experiences and voice at the heart of adult learning and increase learner awareness around community engagement and in relation to the 9 town boards. • A varied programme with clear progression routes, including accreditation, to develop better ICT skills for life and work. • Family learning is available and accessible to help impact on raising attainment and closing the poverty-related attainment gap. • Adult learners are confident and capable to progress in life through achieving qualifications that are relevant to them. To develop skills and confidence and increase economic opportunities for adults through qualifications. To offer a broad programme of accreditation which provides progression routes and links from community-based education to further educational opportunities. • To create an ambition and delivery plan in line with Multiply Programme objectives. Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • Number of National Qualifications gained by learners over 16 participating in CLD programmes. • Number of distinct learners 16 and over gaining national qualifications • % Adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes achieved. • Number of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learning outcomes achieved Actions Milestones Evidence Learners’ Voice – support regular consultation with learners and communities to empower learners to join the Adult Voice and influence the decisions that affect their lives. • Establish an initial range of NL Learner Forums by June 2023. • Visit CLD Parent Voice by March 2023 to discuss pathway into Learner Voice. • Survey results • Creation of 6 locality learners’ forums • Attendance of learners participating in forum • Staff attendance at CLD Parent Voice Digital – Deliver a varied programme with clear progression routes, including accreditation, to develop better ICT skills for life and work. • Completed review of current digital programme by March 2023. • Revised digital learning offer to begin Aug 2023. • Review digital learning offer every term from Dec 2023. • Create new materials and courses to reflect changes. • Learner consultation and review by June 2024 and June 2025. • Increased number of learners achieving SQA / national qualification in ICT/Digital Skills to pre-COVID levels of 52 by March 2023 and an annual 10% increase by March 2024 and 2025. • Continue to work with partners such as Digital North Lanarkshire and Driving Digital Locally to remove barriers to digital inclusion through increasing the number of sessions linked to digital learning outcomes. • Results of completed learner consultation. • New Online Programme in place across NL. • Shared resource bank available online. • Number of SQA qualifications achieved. • Increased attendance figures on Cognisoft IO. • Number of digital learning sessions. Page 149 of 374
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19 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Expanding and Extending Adult Learning Family learning – support the delivery of family learning/ intergenerational learning by working with CLD Family Learning Team to promote family. • Staff involved in co-delivery and promotion of family learning events. • Number of Referrals made to CLD Family Learning Team. • Family Learning opportunities are delivered across localities. • Number of family learning outcomes achieved. Accreditation and Quality Assurance – through consultation with learners, develop a programme of accredited learning that provides progression routes and links from community-based education to further educational opportunities and employment. • Participation levels increased across CLD adult learning offer to pre-COVID levels by March 2025 to 300 adult learners each year. • Completion of standardised SQA assessment packs by June 2023. • Increase number of Discovery Award learners enrolled to pre-COVID levels by June 2024 to 156 and by 10% by March 2025. • Increase number of Discovery Awards achieved to 25 by June 2024 and a 10% increase by 2025. • SQA qualifications • Discovery awards gained • SQA assessment packs standardised Multiply – create and implement a development plan focused on delivering numeracy programmes to adults ages 19+ to meet objectives of Multiply/UK Prosperity fund. • Project Lead and plan in place by March 2023. • Full Multiply team in place by March 2023. • Baseline exercise completed by March 2023. • 405 adults achieving levels 2/3 maths qualifications by March 2024 and again by March 2025. • 135 adults achieving levels 4/5 maths qualifications by March 2024 and again by March 2025. • 1250 adults participating in maths courses by March 2025. • Increase number of adults into sustained employment and/or education by March 2025. • Multiply development plan • Attendance on numeracy courses • Number of qualifications achieved. • Staff Team in place. • Tracking of participants on exit and post course. Young person who attended Connect Youth Group said: I love coming to the group, it is a place for me to meet new people and try new things. I like helping others and it is great to help other young people to settle in Scotland. I am looking forward to coming to the group every week. Page 150 of 374
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20 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Connecting the Adult Learning Journey The Adult Learning and Resettlement team wants adults to have access to the right information, advice, and guidance. This should be at all stages of learning. It should be accessible and fair to everyone. Objectives Develop and deliver a programme of training and paid work experience that meets the Scottish Governments Young Person’s Guarantee to provide young adults aged between 16 and 24 with the opportunity of employment, further/higher education or training. Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • Number of National Qualifications gained by learners over 16 participating in CLD programmes. • Number of distinct learners 16 and over gaining national qualifications • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes achieved. • Number of ESOL learning outcomes achieved Actions Milestones Evidence Young Person’s Guarantee – Develop and deliver a programme of training and paid work experience that meets the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee to provide young adults aged between 16 and 24 with the opportunity of employment, further/higher education, or training. Work closely with every YPG participant to move towards a positive destination; employment, further/higher education or training depending on individual ambition. • All participants will have completed at least 5 new training courses relating to their current role with NLC by June 2023. • Participants will show improved core/transferrable skills in IT, Communication, Numeracy, Working with Others and Problem Solving by March 2023. • Every participant can reflect on their learning journey, articulate progression and has developed personal goals and plans. • SQA certificates, Participation records and certificates. • SQA certificates, Completion of NLC internal modules. No One Left Behind reports. Placement feedback sheets and evaluation forms. Adult Achievement Award (AAA) and Youth Achievement Award (YAA). Adult Learning Outcomes achieved • AAA, YAA, PRD and evaluation day Adult Learning Networks – The Adult Learning and Resettlement team will identify and participate in local, regional and national adult learning network events/groups. Cascade learning to colleagues and embed knowledge in adult learning groups and classes. Shared resources and partnership working – ensure an effective system of operational networks that makes best use of skills and experience across North Lanarkshire. Review and re-establish partner networks across adult learning. • A visible presence with 5 posts per week across networks including Twitter and Facebook by March 2023. • A connected workforce with local organisations and communities • Staff will present at the West Alliance in Feb 2023. • Staff to deliver West CLD Alliance Workforce Development workshop by February 2023. • A programme of engagement with partner organisations developed and in place by March 2025. • Shared resources, referral pathways and good practice established through partnership working. • Attendance at West Partnership, Learning Links. • Increased staff participation in networking events. • Increased knowledge base. • Posts on social media Page 151 of 374
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21 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Access, Diversity and Inclusion Remove barriers to make sure support can be accessed and ensure adults are aware of learning opportunities. Objectives • Address effects of lockdowns and pandemic on mental health and increase participation in lifelong learning to create a positive impact on wellbeing and social integration. • Ensure there is a CLD Gaelic programme that meets the needs of learners across North Lanarkshire and the commitments set out in the NLC Gaelic Language Plan by providing increased opportunities for Gaelic learners to practise and use the language within community and social settings. • Deliver an ALN programme that positively impacts learners and their families within their everyday lives. • Ensure all ESOL learners, including New Scots, have access to provision in their locality. ESOL provision meets the needs of learners in all areas of their lives. • New Scots acquire language skills developed at the appropriate level to help them navigate their home/family and work life. ‘Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • Number of National Qualifications gained by learners over 16 participating in CLD programmes. • Number of distinct learners 16 and over gaining national qualifications. • % Adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones. Actions Milestones Evidence Health and Wellbeing – Increase participation on Health and Wellbeing programmes by upskilling CLD workers and expanding the learning offer across localities built in SQA Wellbeing Modules. Address the impact of climate change and the cost-of-living crisis by working with partners to offer a holistic learning programme to learners that will provide financial literacy skills and improved Health and Wellbeing outcomes. Increase opportunities for learners, including New Scots, to interact with local community services through signposting, information sharing events and embed within existing groups. • Health and wellbeing working group established by March 2023. • Promote referral pathway with partners by June 2023. • Regular meetings and correspondence with statutory organisations, health services and voluntary organisations. • A timetable of ‘connecting’ events have taken place by March 2023 to tackle Cost of Living Crisis. • Accredited learning offers for health and wellbeing established by June 2023. • Each locality to deliver Health Issues in the Community course (HIIC) by June 2023. • 2 staff will have completed Forest Schools training by June 2023. • Number of learners on health and wellbeing courses • Health and wellbeing courses delivered in each town board. • Number of “Connecting” events across NL. • Forest Schools qualification gained. • Number of qualifications gained for health and wellbeing courses. Gaelic Language – Develop and implement a Gaelic Language Plan in consultation with Gaelic learners, designed to ensure that there are opportunities for a sustainable future for Gaelic by raising its status and profile and creating practical opportunities for its use. • Delivery of the Gaelic Language Act Implementation Fund funding bid commitment by 2023. • Gaelic Development Officer in place by March 2023. • Review methods of delivery to include online groups, activities and classes by March 2023. • Plan events to coincide with “World Gaelic Week” in Feb 2023 - 25. • Introduce Beginners Gaelic class by March 2023. • Increase and improve social media presence. • Offer Introduction to Gaelic for staff by March 2023 and plan a programme over 2 years. • Programme of classes developed • Attendance • Social Media Posts • Staff Training Matrix/Calendar • Events for World Gaelic Week 2023. Page 152 of 374
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22 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Access, Diversity and Inclusion Adult Literacy and Numeracy – Establish a working group to embed literacies and qualifications within project work and broader adult learning opportunities. Raise awareness of ALN opportunities locally and through partners. Develop ALN volunteer training programme and expand use of volunteers to allow more 1 to 1 learning. Develop and source new materials and develop workshop packs. Identify opportunities and integrate the Multiply Programme. • Working group established by March 2023. • Review current ALN provision by March 2023. • Revised ALN learning offer to begin Aug 2023. • Review ALN learning offer every term from Dec 2023. • ALN Spotter Training Session delivered by Feb 2023. • Progression plan and training packs developed by Aug 2023. • Increase number of learners attending ALN classes to pre- COVID levels of 507 by March 2024 and a 10% increase by March 2025. • Increased numbers of learners achieving qualifications in core skills of communications and numeracy by 10% to 165 by March 2024 and a further 10% by March 2025. • Attendance at groups • Number of ALN learning outcomes being achieved. • Number of qualifications being achieved. • Number of referrals received. • Training matrix • Training packs developed • Updated materials and SQA packs. ESOL – Ensure all ESOL learners, including New Scots, have access to provision in their locality. Evaluate and refresh ESOL provision to meet current and local needs. Build volunteering capacity within ESOL groups aiding integration and learners’ progression. Recruit more volunteers and provide ESOL training. Promote volunteering as an option for ESOL learners to build skills and confidence Ensure ESOL learners are actively involved in community events improving connections and relationships by working in collaboration with ESOL services and support agencies to benefit learners across North Lanarkshire. Formation of an ESOL network across North Lanarkshire to create access pathways. Signposting and information sessions delivered by relevant partners. • Review current ESOL provision by March 2023. • Review ESOL learning offer every term from Dec 2023. • Full complement of ESOL staff in place by March 2023. • 3 staff to complete Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) by Dec 2022. • Increased number of ESOL learning outcomes being achieved by 10% to 1650 by March 2024 and a further 10% by March 2025. • ESOL Volunteer training delivered by Feb 2023 • ESOL network established by March 2025. • Number of ESOL Learning outcomes achieved. • Number of qualifications achieved. • Number of SQA and AAA qualifications gained. • Learner attendance • Placements completed • Completed ILP’s • Approval received for Level 4 • Minutes of ESOL network • Referrals Resettlement – Deliver a resettlement programme led by the Adult Learning and Resettlement Team, that encompasses the integration of all New Scots families into the communities and includes their community learning, education, employability, health and social needs. Refresh current resettlement support to ensure best practice and further develop outcome focussed resettlement. • An established New Scots Network by March 2024. • All New Scots families have an Integration Plan (IP) in place within one month of arrival. • ESOL offer reviewed and revised programme implemented by March 2023. • Employability programme re-introduced in consultation with partners by March 2023. • Pathways to further education and employment established by March 2024. • Increased referrals made to other CLD groups. • Connected partnership with up-to-date knowledge of resources. • Number of outgoing referrals. • Number of learners on CLD programmes. • Implementation of revised ESOL programme for resettled families. • Number of resettlement network events. • Number of New Scots in employment or training. • Number of New Scots gaining qualifications. Page 153 of 374
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23 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Workforce Development Adult learners have learning opportunities provided by skilled staff. Objectives • A professional, skilled adult learning workforce with good knowledge of ALN and ESOL that leads to better outcomes for learners. • CLD Adult Learning at the forefront of local, regional and national learning networks and organisations. • Strengthen networks with local stakeholders to encourage participation in Community Boards. • An effective system of operational networks that makes best use of skills and experience across North Lanarkshire. • North Lanarkshire is a place where everyone can volunteer, more often and throughout their lives. Volunteers are well educated, skilled and able to contribute to their local community. Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • Number of National Qualifications gained by learners over 16 participating in CLD programmes. • Number of distinct learners 16 and over gaining national qualifications • % Adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes achieved. • Number of ESOL learning outcomes achieved Actions Milestones Evidence Upskilling CLD Staff – Ensure personal and professional development is supported through support and supervision and PRD by identifying training needs and developing a training programme across staff levels. • All staff to have had PRD by March 2023. • Deliver ALN spotter and referrer training to partners by January 2023. • HIIC training scheduled for January 2023. • Support and Supervision offered every 8 weeks. • Cognisoft IO refresher training offered each quarter. • All staff to undertake UNCRC training by June 2023. • Regular completion of Support and Supervision and PRD. • Completion of Training Matrix. • Staff certificates from attendance. Volunteering – Review volunteering practice and establish induction processes, training courses matched to skill set and interest. Recognise and celebrate the contributions already being made and encourage everyone who wants to take part. Engage with Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL) and public sector partners to support volunteering and community involvement, working collaboratively with learners. • An established working group responsible for all aspects of volunteering established by June 2023. • Celebrate volunteers at a Celebration of Learning in 2023. • Volunteers Week is celebrated in June 2023. • Integrate pathway to volunteering within adult learning to include accreditation. • Increased number of volunteers within CLD. • Increase opportunities for development of adult learning volunteers “My daughter said it was the first time she saw me looking happy and confident. In my home country, women are not allowed to do these things. I want to do this every day!” Page 154 of 374
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24 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Family Learning The Family Learning Team consists of Homelink CLD, CLD Worker (Schools) and CLD Support Workers (Family Learning). The team works directly with parents and carers to provide parental engagement and with the parent and children together in a Family Learning context. Learning and engagement programmes recognise a parent’s and carer’s role as primary educators and the importance of their full engagement as equal partners in their child’s learning. This principle is a key driver in achieving improved outcomes for children, raising attainment for all, and closing the poverty related attainment gap. This approach has its roots in the ethos underpinning Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). Parental engagement is about parents’ and families’ interaction with their child’s learning in the home, at school or in the community. Success is vested in the quality of the parent’s engagement with their child’s learning and the consequential positive impact that it can have through the interaction and mutual development that will occur. The interventions are relationship based, incorporating nurturing principles, which place the adult and child at the centre of learning. Those who are most vulnerable are targeted, using Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SMID) data, the Request for Assistance process, and participation in the Education and Families Empowering Cluster model. Learning programmes involve groupwork or targeted work if a family requires that type of input. Partnership working is fundamental and key partners are: health, Early Years, Primary Schools, Psychological Services, Social Work, Virtual Schools and the Tackling Poverty team, 3rd sector regional and national organisations as well as the wider community ’Doing the Solihull course has helped me understand that behaviour is coming from feelings and that I had to change my behaviour to the way I dealt with things. Things are better at home now and I am so glad I did this course’’. Parent attending Solihull course. Page 155 of 374
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25 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Family Learning CLD Family Learning offers opportunities within communities to improve outcomes for children and families, encouraging family members to learn together and help adults learn how to support their children’s learning. Objective 1 Increase participation in Family Learning programmes from the 2021-2022 figure (613 unique clients) by 50% by March 2025 Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • % children aged 0-7 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones. • % young people aged 8-15 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones. • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones. • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 16 and over in parenting and family learning. • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 0 – 15 in family learning programmes. Actions Milestones Evidence Engage with internal and external partners to build upon and strengthen partnership working. Work alongside parents and families to ensure learning offers are responsive to need. • Review representation and engagement in internal and external structures January 2023 • Dissemination of refined and updated referral pathway March 2023 • Minutes from meetings • Excel tracker that logs referrals being made. • System reports/ Number of referrals made to CLD • System report - number of distinct clients who are participating in Family learning programmes. • Increased number of Referrals made to CLD Family Learning Team. Review the Family Learning offer within the secondary school establishments with a focus on S1/S2. • Establish a baseline of provision by January 2023 • Deliver Solihull Foundation Training by June 2023 • Deliver Family Learning STEM training by June 2023 • Provide opportunities on a quarterly basis for cross service professional learning • Attendance records of staff who have completed training • System report – Number of distinct clients participating in family learning within Secondary school establishments. • Training Matrix/ Training Calendar Increase the number of outcomes achieved by families participating in Family Learning programmes. • Review the outcomes on a quarterly basis. • System reports - Distinct number of outcomes achieved. Family Learning opportunities are delivered at a variety of days, times and venues including after school and during holiday periods. • Minimum of 2 after school Family Learning programmes per locality by December 2023. • Family Learning programme delivered in each locality outwith the school term including Easter, Summer and October school holidays on an annual basis • Evaluation reports • System reports- number of projects running over the summer. • Reportable indicators • Non reportable indicators Page 156 of 374
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26 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Family Learning Objective 2 Increase youth accredited learning opportunities for children aged 5 – 15 years with Family Learning programmes. Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • % children aged 0-7 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones. • % young people aged 8-15 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones. • Number of youth accredited learning awards achieved. • Number of distinct individuals achieving youth accredited learning awards. Actions Milestones Evidence Provide appropriate training for Family Learning staff • Hi 5 training delivered to CLD worker (Schools) by April 2023 • Agency assessors appointed and trained by June 2023. • Attendance records of staff who have completed Hi5 and Dynamic Youth training • Training calendar • Attendance records of staff who have completed Agency Assessors training Provide opportunities for families to participate in Youth accreditation within Learning at Home activities • Learning at Home youth accreditation materials developed and produced by April 2023 • Consented portfolios as examples of good practice • Celebration of learning events • Certification • Reportable indicators – Number of young people who have achieved a youth accredited award. ‘’These sessions are fantastic. My boys both thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it has been a big benefit to my eldest who sometimes is impacted by anxiety. His confidence is definitely growing and it was great to see him interacting more with other children as the sessions went on. Lovely that the whole family can be involved’’ Parent attending outdoor learning. Page 157 of 374
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27 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Parental Engagement CLD Parental Engagement offers opportunities within communities to parents to learn about the importance of their role, and nurture positive relationships with children and within families. Objective 1 Increase participation in parental engagement from the 2021-2022 figure (448 unique clients) by 10% by March 2025 Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones. • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 16 and over in parenting and family learning. • Number of National Qualifications gained by learners over 16 participating in CLD programmes. • Number of distinct learners 16 and over gaining national qualifications • Number of literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes achieved. Actions Milestones Evidence Engage with internal and external partners to build upon and strengthen partnership working. Work alongside parents and families to ensure learning offers are responsive to need. • Review representation and engagement in internal and external structures January 2022 • Dissemination of refined and updated referral pathway January 2023. • Minutes from meetings. • Excel tracker that logs referrals being made. • System reports/ Number of referrals made to CLD • System report- number of distinct clients who are participating in parental engagement programmes. • Increased number of Referrals made to CLD Family Learning Team. Review the Family Learning offer within the secondary school establishments with a focus on S1/S2. • Establish a baseline of provision by January 2023 • Deliver Solihull Understanding Your Child training Feb. 2023 • Provide opportunities, quarterly, for cross service professional learning • System reports - Distinct number of outcomes achieved. Theme: Parental Engagement Objective 2 Provide accredited learning opportunities for adults aged 16 + Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • Number of National Qualifications gained by learners over 16 participating in CLD programmes. • Number of distinct learners 16 and over gaining national qualifications • Number of literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes achieved. • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones Actions Milestones Evidence Provide opportunities for parents to receive national accreditation awards as part of a paternal engagement learning offer. • AAA familiarising session completed by April 2023 • AAA verification training completed by December 2023. • All staff attend at least 1 SQA internal meeting per year • Staff completed SQA Internal Verification. training by June 2024. • Attendance records of staff who have completed training • Training calendar • Report – number of adults achieving awards Page 158 of 374
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28 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Health and Wellbeing Families can access learning opportunities that promote positive physical and mental health and wellbeing. Including the importance of attachment, building nurturing relationships, resilience, and benefits of physical activity for individuals, families, and communities. Objective Increase participation in Health and Wellbeing programmes within parental engagement and family learning. Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • % children aged 0 - 7 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • % young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 16 and over in parenting and family learning programmes • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 0 - 15 in family learning programmes Actions Milestones Evidence Increase the availability of learning that strengthens emotional and physical well-being of children, adults, and families Work alongside parents and families to ensure learning offers are responsive to need. Increase the number of Health and Wellbeing outcomes achieved through family learning and parental engagement programmes. • Establish a Health and Wellbeing subgroup by February 2023 to develop professional learning and sharing of good practice. • Review Health and Wellbeing programmes and identify any gaps March 2023. • Establish baseline and targets for each programme by March 2023 • Baby Massage • LIAM ( family programme) • Relaxed Kids • Seasons for Growth (adult) • Sleep Scotland • Solihull • Outdoor Learning • System reports – number of participants engaging in Health and Wellbeing programmes. • System reports – number of Health and Wellbeing outcomes achieved • Monitor and track – quarterly reviews Family Learning Team refer appropriately to other services including Financial support. • Establish baseline information February 2023 • Provide quarterly opportunities for cross services internal and external for professional learning • System reports - number of outgoing referrals made for welfare supports • Training matrix • Team meetings Page 159 of 374
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29 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Wider Community CLD Family Learning Team works alongside parents and families to enable them to be effective partners within a range of networks and structures and build community capacity, confidence, and resilience. Objective Expand opportunities for parents to be actively participating in a range of community networks in relation to issues affecting them. Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 16 and over in parenting and family learning programmes Actions Milestones Evidence Increase participation in CLD Parent Voice • Review consultation with Parent Voice February 2023 • Refine and introduce operational model June 2023 • Quarterly events • Attendance figures • System reports – Number of distinct clients • You Said We Did action reports Opportunities for parents to participate in a range of meetings / structures to share their views and experiences. • Ongoing review of parents’ participation across a range of structures including Voice Task Group • System report – number of outcomes achieved in Wider Communities (FL Outcomes) Develop role of breastfeeding champions to encourage a positive message of breastfeeding across North Lanarkshire – Antenatal and postnatal. • Champions to roll out breastfeeding awareness training by December 2023 within wider CLD service • Attendance figures from breast feeding friendly training • Training Matrix Theme: Core Skills CLD Family Learning Team contributes to the Adult Learning Strategy (2022-27) through embedding accredited learning opportunities for adults 16* within parental engagement and family learning programmes. Objective Increase participation of parents engaging in core skills learning opportunities. Reportable indicator/s to which this objective contributes: • Number of National Qualifications gained by learners over 16 participating in CLD programmes. • Number of distinct learners 16 and over gaining national qualifications. • Number of literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes achieved. • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones. • Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 16 and over in parenting and family learning programmes Actions Milestones Evidence Increase number of core skills outcomes achieved through family learning and parental engagement programmes • Establish baseline of core skills embedded within delivery • Identify training needs March 2023 • Training programme established June 2023 • Provide opportunities twice yearly for cross service professional learning • System reports – participation – Number of distinct learners • System reports – number of outcomes and accreditation achieved • Training matrix Page 160 of 374
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30 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Youth Work North Lanarkshire CLD youth work is delivered across all North Lanarkshire localities, in a range of contexts and settings including schools, community centres and outdoor learning. The Youth Work team is led by the CLD Youth Work Manager. The Youth Work team consists of CLD Youth Workers including Home Schools Partnership Officers, Support Workers and Assistant Support Workers. The service is supported by Youth Work Development Officers who drive forward both strategic and operational priorities. Staff plan and deliver engaging youth work programmes according to the needs and aspirations of young people, using a youth work approach, incorporating the values and principles of youth work as outlined in the “nature and purpose of youth work” statement. There is a strong emphasis on providing opportunities for young people to gain awards and accreditations, which are built into youth work programmes to support young people’s attainment and achievements. Youth workers build partnerships across communities and work both locally and nationally with relevant agencies and organisations to ensure the best delivery of the service and to improve outcomes for young people. All CLD youth work practitioners uphold the values and principles of youth work and deliver on the national youth work outcomes and skills framework. The plan detailed below focuses on the themes of health and wellbeing, poverty and the cost-of-living crisis, youth voice, and equality and diversity, in addition to the climate crisis and universal youth work delivery on a range of issue-based topics. These themes came to the fore during consultation with young people and stakeholders, so we can be confident that we are meeting the needs of young people in developing this plan. “Youth work has opened up opportunities of public speaking and people work I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I have made many friends and have been invited on multiple fun trips thanks to youth work. It is something I always look forward to and is always a positive environment.” Page 161 of 374
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31 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Health and Wellbeing North Lanarkshire’s Youth Work service will work in a range of settings, using a youth work approach to improve outcomes for young people’s health and wellbeing. Objective To improve the health and wellbeing of young people through CLD youth work provision in North Lanarkshire. Reportable indicator to which this objective contributes: • % Young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • % Adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of youth work outcomes achieved • Number of Youth Accredited Learning Awards achieved • Number of distinct individuals achieving Youth Accredited Learning Awards Actions Milestones Evidence Create a pathway of support for young people seeking to improve their health and wellbeing. • Develop and enhance partnerships with external and internal agencies. • Promotion of universal and additional CLD services • Introduce a referral system for agencies and organisations to engage young people in CLD services. • System established to monitor and evaluate the referral pathway. • Presentation at relevant forums about CLD services • Promotional materials • Participation on relevant working groups • Referral form and guidance • Cognisoft IO evidence of young person’s journey • 6 monthly reports to the Children and Young People Mental Health and Resilience steering group To provide strategic and operational guidance within the multi- agency children and mental health and resilience task group as part of the Children Services Partnership • Enhanced funding to support the role out of Living Life to the Full and mental health community-based solutions. • Improved partnership with key stakeholders such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS); school-based councillors; social work and schools to improve pathways • 6 monthly quarterly reports and case studies • Children and Young People Mental Health and Resilience steering group steering group action notes. Provide youth focused health and wellbeing information via the North Lanarkshire Young Scot web pages and social media. • Published content, reviewed regularly • Promotion of universal and additional CLD services • Number of new and updated articles on Young.Scot • Number of page views, and social media engagements. Increase participation from 96 young people (June 2022) in our Living Life to Full programmes by upskilling CLD youth work staff and increase our wellbeing groups from two to seven. • Recruitment of new staff to develop and deliver Living Life to the Full and wellbeing groups. • Staff training will be completed by all staff on Living Life to the Full and Suicide prevention. • New wellbeing groups established by Summer 2023. • Staff in post • Staff training completed. • Cognisoft IO action plans for each group. • 6 monthly reports to the Children and Young People Mental Health and Resilience steering group Provide school and community-based Seasons for Growth groups. • Increase the number of Youth Workers trained in Seasons for Growth by end of 2023. • Increase the number of Seasons for Growth delivered within the community by 2024. • Number of participants completed Seasons for Growth • Number of trained staff in Seasons for Growth Youth work programmes will include information about healthy and active lifestyles. • All Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition preparation will include advice about food and nutrition. • Friday and Saturday diversionary activities will provide access to free physical activity. • Number of people taking part in expeditions. • Camp craft checklist • Quarterly Reports from operational group on Friday and Saturday diversionary workPage 162 of 374
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32 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Health and Wellbeing Resources on a range of health and wellbeing topics are collated by the health and wellbeing working group and made available to all youth work staff. • Resource packs are developed, piloted and distributed by 2023. • Staff training on drugs and alcohol is completed by June 2023 • Drugs and alcohol workshops are delivered in all diversionary activities by end of June 2023. • Training sessions for staff completed • Session plans and via Cognisoft IO • Diversionary Friday and Saturday night project reports • Alcohol and Drugs Partnership report template Provide an outdoor learning offer as part of youth work services in recognition of the benefits to young people’s health and wellbeing. • Launch the outdoor classroom at the @Home Centre spring 2023 • Forest schools established by Autumn 2023 • An increase in number of National Navigation Awards Scheme, John Muir Award and Outdoor Discovery awards from 2021/22 figures. • Outdoor classroom launch • Staff training concluded and Forest school programme established. • Cognisoft IO reports • Number of awards presented. • Number of young people in receipt of certificates. “Throughout the past few years, youth work has been a big part of my life, from going to groups to volunteering. I have made friends through these groups and have gotten to be a part of so many opportunities such as my Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, etc.” “Being a part of youth work has helped me in so many ways, with gaining confidence, making so many friends and experiencing things i would never have been able to do if it wasn’t for youth work, it’s an amazing thing that every young person can benefit from.” Page 163 of 374
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33 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Tackling Poverty North Lanarkshire’s youth work service will use a range of strategies to reduce the impact of poverty. Objective Provide youth work provision that does not financially impact on young people and families in North Lanarkshire. Reportable indicator to which this objective contributes: • % young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of youth work outcomes achieved • Number of Youth Accredited Learning Awards achieved • Number of distinct individuals achieving Youth Accredited Learning Awards Actions Milestones Evidence Increase the number of young people engaging in youth work opportunities from the lowest 20% SIMD datazones from 49% (2021) to 55% in 2023. • Production of Youth Work Team locality action plan • Reallocation of resources where necessary • Number of youth work participants from lowest 20% SIMD datazones. Increase the number of Young Scot National Entitlement Cards issued for free bus travel. • 38,000 cards issued by end of Dec 2022. Increase to 45,000 by end of 2024. • Number of staff training sessions and awareness raising sessions about the cards. • Application reports from Card Management system. • % uptake tracker • Number of staff training and awareness sessions to CLD staff, young people and partners. Continue to promote Young Scot discounts and secure more local deals. • Increased number of discounts and rewards available in 2023 and further increase in 2024. • Number of Young Scot discounts available • Uptake report Provide information on budgeting and money management through group work and other methods. • Session plans available and rolled out to staff • 100 Sessions delivered across the CLD Youth Work Teams • Add tag on Cognisoft IO - budgeting • Number of sessions Provide access to free outdoor equipment via the CLD Store to enable young people to take part in outdoor activities, including Duke of Edinburgh’ Award expeditions • Updated store inventory • Increase access to equipment for young people with additional support needs. • Bookings forms • Tracking of use and equipment Youth work staff will signpost and refer young people and families to local and national financial sources of assistance. • System established to record referrals by March 2023 and implemented in April 2023. • Number of referrals. • Young Scot partnership agreement actions Page 164 of 374
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34 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Climate Emergency (Youth Work) North Lanarkshire CLD youth work service recognises the importance of the climate emergency and will support young people to expand their knowledge, take action, and have their voices heard on this issue. Objective Deliver Youth Work activities that enable young people to have greater awareness of the climate emergency and take environmental action in their local communities. Reportable indicator to which this objective contributes: • % young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of youth work outcomes achieved • Number of Youth Accredited Learning Awards achieved • Number of distinct individuals achieving Youth Accredited Learning Awards Actions Milestones Evidence Support the roll-out of environment-themed workshops within youth work provision and schools. • Development of workshops • Delivery of 100 workshops by end of 2024. • Addition of Cognisoft IO flag • Number of sessions and projects delivered Support the North Lanarkshire Youth Climate Ambassadors group to raise awareness of climate change and environmental issues. • Peer education programme established by spring 2023 • New action plan for group established spring 2023 • Weekly meetings recorded on Cognisoft IO • New members • Events and activities • ACT Now key milestones Create an audit tool to support youth groups to undertake a green audit of their activities. • Audit tool developed by spring 2023 • Roll out to youth groups summer 2024 • Number of audit tools completed • Number of key actions implemented across the CLD Youth Work Service Support young people to engage in dialogue with decision makers about environmental issues. • ACT Now partnership youth representatives • ACT Now action plan and report Support young people to participate in local environmental action. • Add environmental flag to Cognisoft IO for reporting in 2023 / 2024. • Number of environmental activities “I really like playing games with my pals. I go to a few youth groups, it’s good to go have a chat with other kids and the staff and it helps us to learn things while having fun.” Page 165 of 374
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35 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Equality and Diversity Promoting inclusion and equality is crucial for our youth work service to ensure that everyone is treated fairly; with dignity and respect; that discrimination is tackled; that barriers to participation are removed; and that the learning and support opportunities provided are open to all. Objective To increase awareness of equality, diversity and human rights through issue-based youth work and to ensure participation and engagement of underrepresented groups is improved. Reportable indicator to which this objective contributes: • % young people aged 8 - participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of youth work outcomes achieved Actions Milestones Evidence Deliver issue-based youth work on equality, diversity and human rights. • Resources compiled on one drive and padlet by spring 2023 • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child peer led sessions delivered to youth groups by spring 2023. • Cognisoft IO sessions – number of sessions carried out. • Reports on relevant work • Evaluation of young people’s knowledge and understanding of relevant issues. • Partnerships with relevant agencies Organise youth events on the theme of Equality and Diversity to celebrate and raise awareness. • Events planned throughout 2023 and 2024. • Report and evaluation of events Improve social media and information provision to ensure it is accessible. • Staff trained in social media accessibility • Guidelines circulated to all staff • Number of accessible social media posts Provide training and development opportunities for staff on equality and diversity issues. • Training and CPD opportunities circulated to staff with CPD agreed for 2023 and 2024. • Number of staff attending relevant courses • Number / type of courses attended • CPD logs • Partnerships with relevant agencies Provide strategic and operational guidance within CLD and NLC Sections on the Equality Impact Assessments and Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact assessments (CRWIA). • Assessments on delivery plan themes carried out by April 2023, and the findings evaluated and implemented. • Further CPD sessions planned as part of the Corporate Management Team to raise awareness of UNCRC and Equality Impact Assessments by October 2023. • Equality impact assessments • CRWIA impact assessments Page 166 of 374
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36 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Employability and Training North Lanarkshire CLD youth work service will create and support opportunities for young people to progress their skills, learning, employability and training pathways. Objective To deliver a range of opportunities and offer a variety of accreditation that enhances young people’s skills for learning, life and work. Reportable indicator to which this objective contributes: • % young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of youth work outcomes achieved • Number of Youth Accredited Learning Awards achieved • Number of distinct individuals achieving Youth Accredited Learning Awards Actions Milestones Evidence Provide volunteering opportunities and work experience options to young people to enhance their skills and experience. • Recruitment and open day that includes training options in spring 2023 and 2024 • Local opportunities promoted • Number of work placements • Number of youth volunteers • Number of volunteering related youth accreditations Increase the number of qualifications, awards and accreditations achieved by young people. • Increase of award and accreditation by 10% by end of 2024 • Number of youth accreditations • Number of Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards • Number of SQAs Increase the number of young people from underrepresented groups achieving youth awards and accreditations. • Improve recording of protected characteristics and other underrepresented groups for 2023 and show an increase in 2024. • Promote and target young people from underrepresented groups. • Remove barriers to participation • Number of youth accreditations • Number of Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards • Number of SQAs Review all Youth Accreditation and Awards to improve pathways for quality assurance and certification. • Review group established Jan 2023. • North Lanarkshire Challenge SCQF levelled through 3rd party credit rating Summer 2023. • Improved quality processes for Dynamic Youth Award and Youth Achievement Award, Summer 2023. • Feedback from review group. • Credit rating awarded. ‘’when my daughter and myself where at STEM it was brilliant. As I got to see how my daughter used her creativity and how much she loved every second. Plus we got to bond more over it, and learn from each other’’ Parent attending STEM sessions Page 167 of 374
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37 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Youth Voice Youth participation and engagement is key to the delivery of North Lanarkshire CLD youth work services. We will support young people to ensure they have a voice on decisions that impact on them. Objective Our objective is: To support a diverse group of young people to be key stakeholders in the decision-making process at all levels within the youth work service and beyond. Reportable indicator to which this objective contributes: • % young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes from the 20% lowest datazones • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes from the 20% lowest datazones • Number of youth work outcomes achieved • Number of Youth Accredited Learning Awards achieved • Number of distinct individuals achieving Youth Accredited Learning Awards Actions Milestones Evidence Provide strategic leadership and direction for the Voice Task group on behalf of the Children Services Partnership • Terms of reference established and approved by the membership January 2023. • Young Person approved as Co-Chair of the task group spring 2023. • Agreed action plan established on behalf of the group, spring 2023. • Terms of reference • Young person as co-chair supported by chair • Action plan agreed and delivered on Develop training sessions with young people on the incorporation of UNCRC and Equality Impact Assessments. • Co-produced session with young people on UNCRC established spring 2023. • Sessions co-delivered with young people to NLC services and partners on UNCRC April – December 2023. • Peer education sessions on UNCRC delivered April 2023 - April 2024. • Number of sessions on UNCRC delivered by young people to NLC services • Number of sessions on UNCRC delivered using a peer education approach Provide further training and awareness within CLD, other NLC services and partnership on methods of engagement and participation to enable the involvement of young people in co-production and decision making under UNCRC article 12. • Co-produced session with young people developed spring 2023 • Session co-delivered by young people to multi-agency stakeholders April 2023 – April 2024. • Evaluation of sessions and feedback received. Provide strategic and operational direction on the implementation of the youth participation structure. • Publish and promote the youth engagement and participation infrastructure January 2023. • Develop key actions and a Red Amber Green (RAG) system and report spring 2023. • Records of meetings • Cognisoft IO action plans • Photos of activity • Committee reports Support young people to take on leadership roles within their own youth groups, develop their own programmes, local projects and initiatives. • Offer young leader roles • Support young volunteers • Co-production of youth work programmes • Youth accreditation • Cognisoft IO action plans • Photos of activity Page 168 of 374
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38 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Youth Voice Support young people to engage in dialogue with decision makers by undertaking representative roles locally, authority-wide and nationally. • FutureNL firmly established • Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) attending national sittings 3 times per year. • 9 local youth forums with local action plans April 2023 and completed / reviewed for April 2024. • Examples of activity: • Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) activity • West Partnership • Children’s Services Partnership • Act Now • Education Reference Group Further develop engagement opportunities in order to increase participation and inclusivity in youth voice groups. • Design social media campaign by April 2023. • Engage with partners and third sector organisations by December 2023. • Promotion of SYP elections from June-November 2023. • Social media, promotional tools and other forms of engagement with schools, partner organisations and the wider community. “The groups and events set up by the youth work team have always given me somewhere to go, where I don’t have to hide and I can just me my true authentic self, it’s also given me things to look forward to when my mental health got really bad. These services have helped me develop social skills I now use in my everyday life at work, it has offered me the ability to do qualifications outside of traditional school exams and has connected me with a diverse group of people! I have been able to experience things like residentials with these groups and these have been absolutely amazing as it lets me forget about any troubles having at home or with family. These groups have played a critical role in my life since my early teens and I know I’m a far better adult now thanks to skills I’ve learned, things I’ve done and memories and friendships I’ve made.” Page 169 of 374
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39 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Theme: Diversionary Youth Work A range of community-based activities provided during evenings, weekends and holiday periods, based on a universal, additional and intensive approach. Objective To provide diversionary activities for young people in partnership with key strategic stakeholders. Reportable indicator to which this objective contributes: • % young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes residing in the lowest 20% of Scottish datazones • Number of youth work outcomes achieved • Number of Youth Accredited Learning Awards achieved • Number of distinct individuals achieving Youth Accredited Learning Awards Actions Milestones Evidence Provide strategic and operational guidance as part of the diversionary multi-agency steering group. • Secure enhanced funding from Alcohol and Drug Partnership January 2023. • Implementation of the operational model around ADP funding key actions. April 2023 • Improved governance and reporting January 2023. • Minutes of the meetings • Quarterly reports to steering group Development and implementation of detached youth work. • Staff recruited and trained Summer 2023. • Number of engagements • Service reports Provide youth work engagement and activities as part of Friday and Saturday night projects • Planned topic-based youth work sessions in each quarter April 2023 • e.g. Drug and Alcohol sessions; Living Life to the Full sessions • Creation of “chill out spaces” for young people not participating in physical activity. April 2023 • Number of youth work sessions provided • Number of young people attending • Number of young people signposted to other community- based activities. Create national and international partnerships with the view to plan and deliver international youth work experiences. • Partnerships and collaborations established 2023 / 2024. • Funding opportunities explored and secured for 2024 / 2025. • Ocean Youth Trust experience completed as part of Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award residential summer 2023 • Action plan created • Ocean Youth Trust Experience completed Deliver universal and targeted youth work holiday programmes during Easter, Summer and October breaks. • Locality delivery action plans established prior to each holiday period. April 2023 • Cognisoft IO: • Reports generated on programme participation and activity. • Case studies and programme evaluations To explore new strategies within Early Effective Intervention (EEI) as part of Youth Justice Review, including Contextualised Safeguarding • CLD Youth Work identified as part of the Youth Justice review recommendations with reference to EEI strategies. April 2023. • Increased participation of CLD Youth Workers in Children’s Services Partnership (CSP) meetings. December 2023 • NLC Youth Justice Review recommendations • CSP meeting notes and actions Explore existing and new strategies to support young people using a youth work approach in schools. • Participation and actions as identified through cluster attainment reviews and empower clusters. • Youth Work Team locality plans established April 2023 • Locality Plans • Project action Plans • Clear evidence of links to School Improvement Plan and strategies Page 170 of 374
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40 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Reviewing the action plan Progress will be evaluated during the time frame of this action plan using: y Place based reviews developed around Community Board areas y Thematic reviews based around the themes of Adult Learning, Family Learning and Youth Work y Ongoing self-evaluation and discussion within teams and localities. How Good Is Our Community Learning and Development? will continue to be the scrutiny framework used to evaluate the service. y Reports to committee as required by the Programme of Work Performance The management information system, Cognisoft IO, is used by staff to record learning projects that clients attend, contacts made with them, and outcomes they achieve. Data reports from the system are used both by managers in service development and review, and to report CLD performance to council committee: The following indicators will be reported internally on a quarterly basis and annually to council committee: y Number of National Qualifications gained by learners over 16 participating in CLD programmes. y Number of distinct learners 16 and over gaining national qualifications y % children aged 0 - 7 participating in CLD programmes from the 20% lowest datazones y % young people aged 8 - 15 participating in CLD programmes from the 20% lowest datazones y % adults aged 16 and over participating in CLD programmes from the 20% lowest datazones y Number of literacy, numeracy and digital learning outcomes achieved. y Number of ESOL learning outcomes achieved y Number of youth work outcomes achieved. y Number of distinct individuals achieving Youth Accredited Learning Awards y Number of Youth Accredited Learning Awards achieved y Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 16 and over in parenting and family learning programmes y Number of family learning outcomes achieved by learners 0 - 15 in family learning programmes Service indicators will continue to be reported internally on a quarterly basis. Examples of these are: y Number of participants in age groups 0 – 7, 8 – 15 and 16 and over. y Number of participants engaging in programmes related to SQA units y Number of participants engaging in programmes on specific topics identified as Curriculum Topics on IO. y Number of participants engaging in programmes related to accredited learning awards. CLD contributes data to the CLD Managers Scotland National Key Performance Indicators which are reported annually to the Scottish Government. These thirteen indicators are grouped thematically under: y Adult Learning y Youth Work y Health and Wellbeing y Community Development y Wider Engagement CLD will report performance and outcomes to external funders as required by the terms of the funding agreement. Examples of programmes to which this applies are: y Youth Guarantee Programme y Multiply y Resettlement y Scottish Attainment Challenge. “Youth work has helped me towards my future for eventually getting into college/ university” Page 171 of 374
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41 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Appendix 1 – Local and national plans, policies and strategies National Policies – links to documents and website y Achieving Excellence and Equity: 2021 National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan (2021) y Adult Learning in Scotland Statement of Ambition (2014) y Adult Literacies in Scotland 2020 (2010) y Children and Young People (Scotland) Act (2014) y Climate Change Plan 2018-2032 (2020 Update) y Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act (2015) y Culture Strategy for Scotland (2020) y Curriculum for Excellence (2004 onwards) y Developing the Young Workforce: Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy (2014) y Equality Act (2010) y Equally Safe: Scotland’s Strategy to Eradicate Violence Against Women (2018) y Every Child, Every Chance: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2018-22 (2018) y Future Skills Action Plan (2021) y Getting it Right for Every Child (2010 onwards) y National Action Plan on Parental Involvement, Engagement, Family Learning and Learning at Home 2018-21 (2018) y National Performance Framework y National Youth Work Strategy 2014– 2019 y New Scots: Refugee Integration Strategy 2018- 22 (2018) y No One Left Behind: Next Steps for Employability Support (2018) y Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations (2013) y Scotland’s Careers Strategy: Moving Forward (2020) y Scottish Attainment Challenge (2015 onwards) y Strategic Guidance for Community Planning Partnerships: Community Learning and Development (2012) y United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child y Volunteering for All: National Framework (2019) y Welcoming Our Learners: Scotland’s ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Strategy 2015–20 (2015) y Working and Learning Together to Build Stronger Communities (2004) “Being at youth groups has had such an amazing impact on my life. I have met so many amazing people, and it has really boosted my confidence when it comes to social situations. I feel like I’m a more adventurous person thanks to groups, I take lots of opportunities i never would have before. they have made me a lot happier, and I have met some of the greatest friends through them.” Page 172 of 374
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42 Community Learning and Development Action Plan 2022-2025 Local Plans – links to documents and websites y Community and Voluntary Sector Strategy for North Lanarkshire y Glasgow and Clyde Valley Strategic Development Plan (Clydeplan) y Health and Social Care NL Strategic Plan 2016- 2026 (& Strategic Commissioning Plan 2020-23) y Lanarkshire Colleges Regional Outcome Agreement 2019-22 y Lanarkshire Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2019-2024 y North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan y North Lanarkshire Community Safety Strategy 2020-25 y North Lanarkshire Equality Strategy 2019-24 y North Lanarkshire Gaelic Language Plan 2016-21 y North Lanarkshire Local Policing Plan 2020-23 y North Lanarkshire Physical Activity Strategic Framework 2020-2024 y North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy 2020-23 (& Child Poverty Action Report) y Strategy for Carers in North Lanarkshire 2019-24 y West Partnership Plan 2020-23 (Glasgow City Region Education Improvement Collaborative) Page 173 of 374
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CC_2022_0399 Produced by NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Community Learning and Development Education and Families c/o Coatbridge Community Centre Old Monkland Road Coatbridge, ML5 5EA e. cld@northlan.gov.uk NORTHLANARKSHIRE.GOV.UKPage 175 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education Children & Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref AG Date 18/11/25 Annual Report of the Chief Social Work Officer 2024/25 From Alison Gordon, Chief Officer (Chief Social Work Officer - Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Services - Education & Families) E-mail GordonAl@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 332001 Executive Summary In line with Scottish Government guidance the Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) is required to provide an annual report. This report provides an overview of social work service delivery in North Lanarkshire for the period April 2024 to March 2025 and covers the following areas: • Governance and accountability arrangements, including partnership working. • Service Quality and Performance, including service developments. • Resources • Workforce • Looking Forward - Future Priorities, Opportunities and Challenges The report, attached as Appendix 1, also reflects social work’s contribution to the Programme of Work underpinning the Plan for North Lanarkshire. Recommendations It is recommended that the Education Children & Families Committee: (1) Approve the Annual Report of the Chief Social Work Officer 2024/25 (2) Acknowledge that approval of the report has also been sought through Adult Care & Social Work committee. (3) Acknowledge that in line with requirements, the report will on approval be submitted also to the Scottish Government Item 8 Page 177 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 The requirement that each local authority appoint a professionally qualified Chief Social Work Officer is contained in Section 45 of the Local government (Scotland) Act 1994. Statutory Guidance on the role of the Chief Social Work Officer was updated in 2016, to reflect the impact of Health and Social Care integration, extending the responsibilities of the role to provide advice to the Integration Joint Board (IJB). In addition to providing advice both to the Local Authority and IJB in relation to the discharge of statutory social work functions the role continues to carry key responsibilities for professional leadership, values, and standards both for directly provided and commissioned services. 1.2 Social Work Services in North Lanarkshire continue to play a lead role in supporting and safeguarding our communities. Adult Social Work and Social Care Services are delivered through Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire (HSCNL) whilst Children, Family and Justice Services are delivered through the Council’s Education and Families Service. 1.3 The CSWO role requires to be undertaken by one designated individual however delegation of responsibilities is permitted where required by the scale of business. In North Lanarkshire this means that the Chief Officer Adult Social Work Services, routinely exercises delegated responsibilities for decision-making and professional standards within adult services as well as providing support and cover with respect to the wider functions of the CSWO role. 1.4 The Annual Chief Social Work Report follows a nationally set template and is intended to provide a key overview and support scrutiny of social work service delivery and performance over the period. The Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor (OCSWA) also produces a national report each year which draws on key themes and messages from CSWO reports across Scotland. Due to scope of its coverage we recognise the report is lengthy and covers some areas on which elected members will have previously received reports. Going forward we will seek to review its presentation both to make it easier to navigate and also to increase the visibility of data and impact information. 2. Report 2.1 Social Work in North Lanarkshire employs just over 3000 staff around 185 of whom are sessional. In collaboration with commissioned services and 3rd Sector partners support is provided to around 30,000 individuals and families at any one time. Social work also makes a key contribution to wider partnership and community activity. 2.2 As illustrated within the report partnership working is fundamental to social work at every level and a key aspect of the CSWO role involves developing and sustaining partnership working and relationships across a range of organisations and structures. In addition to the specific responsibilities of the CSWO to the Council and HSCNL, the The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work All Programmes of Work Page 178 of 374
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CSWO holds a key leadership role within several local partnership arrangements. The delivery of social work is also supported by the ‘one plan’ ethos of North Lanarkshire and structures which facilitate strong links with other key services such as housing, employability and community learning and development and there are examples throughout this report of how this is helping us improve outcomes for those we support. 2.3 Income maximisation, tackling poverty and addressing financial wellbeing remain key to social work practice, recognising the link between poverty and the health inequalities which contribute to driving the need for services and in consideration also of the evidence that compulsory interventions are disproportionately experienced by those in poverty within our communities, We are therefore continuing to ensure this focus is embedded in social work practice and that it is embedded within our developing early support services through which we have also been exploring the use of small tailored direct payments to meet specific needs. We are conscious of the particular challenges for specific groups in our community such as carers/parent carers. During the coming year working with our colleagues in education, tackling poverty and commissioned community and voluntary sector services we will have the opportunity through our Fairer Future Partnership to test approaches which will support families of children with additional support needs with a focus on financial wellbeing. 2.4 Whilst social work services within both education and families and the health and social care services were able to deliver services within overall budgets during this period as reflected in Section 4 of this report, this to some extent masks a range of demand and financial pressures impacting on social work service with vacancies and recruitment challenges in some service areas also a key issue. Section 5 of this report provides further information on how we are managing workforce challenges and also reflects positive progress in some areas such as social worker retention. 2.5 A range of factors including the the legacy impacts of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, new legislative duties, the increased number of people who are impacted by complex needs and frailty and societal factors contributing to new safeguarding needs, have all meant that meeting demand within available resources continues to be challenging. As the report demonstrates however, the service has continued to innovate to ensure not only that statutory duties are delivered to a high standard but to improve outcomes and people’s experience of services. Throughout this period we have continued to retain a strong balance of care across all care groups, supporting individuals to remain within their homes and communities wherever possible and empowering individuals and families to achieve positive outcomes. 2.6 In the context reflected above a key focus across all areas of social work continues to be the promotion of trauma-informed, relationship and strength-based practice with a particular focus on preventative approaches and enhancing early support. In adult services system change to support an enabling approach is being rolled with a view to eliminating waits for assessment and to fulfil the commitment of ‘right support, right time’ adopting a ‘Getting it Right for Everyone’ approach. A public health approach within justice is promoting a holistic response to need whilst continuing to manage risk, Whilst in children’s social work, work to embed ‘Signs of Safety and Healing’ alongside engagement with ‘empowering clusters’ model and expansion of early family support services are progressing well, with some very tentative indications that this may be impacting positively on volume of referrals. 2.7 Looking forward the report reflects on the opportunities to continue our whole system approach but is realistic also in setting out the significant challenges facing social work services, in the context of the significant financial challenges impacting on the public sector and communities. Whilst a step back from a maximalist approach to a National Page 179 of 374
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Care Service has removed the potential challenge of large-scale structural reorganisation, a number of new areas of legislation in addition to the Care Reform (Scotland) Act will create additional duties on the service and further work is also required to realise locally the aspirations of the Promise. As in other areas of the council significant service transformation, as referenced in the report, has begun and is essential but may be challenged by the very pressures it is setting out to manage, Similarly the establishment of a new National Social work Agency and Partnership will bring a positive focus to the role of social work however arrives with no specific commitments around investment in the profession. Nonetheless this report demonstrates the strong foundation of social work delivery in north Lanarkshire which remains supported by a committed and innovative workforce. 3. Measures of success 3.1 N/A – Annual Report to meet reporting requirement. A range of outcome measures, KPIs and specific service standards are applied across social work services. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1: Annual Report of the Chief Social Work Officer 2024/25. Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer Page 180 of 374
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? No direct impact though the report provides key evidence that the effective delivery of social work services supports the Council in their delivery of Fairer Scotland Duty. As this is a retrospective report no EQIA is required If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? All recruitment is in line with our workforce plans and governed through the appropriate routes. 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? All statutory requirements are met through the role and function of the CSWO. 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 181 of 374
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If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Whilst digital developments are a feature of service improvement and delivery within social work all relevant changes reflected within the report have already been considered through relevant governance processes. Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? Key risks highlighted within the report are incorporated in relevant risk registers. The report itself is part of a wider framework of reporting which supports the scrutiny of social work services and therefore aids the Council in its duties with respect to the delivery of key statutory functions. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. Where relevant issues are considered in planning for individual’s support, Page 182 of 374
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the service will also continue to consider the benefits of enhanced arrangement for groups of service users. An example of this is within our Restorative Justice Service which has both a veteran’s group and has also previously contributed through unpaid work to linked community projects. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☒ No direct impact though the report provides key evidence that the effective delivery of social work services supports the Council duty. As this is a retrospective report no CRWIA is required If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 183 of 374
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1 Chief Social Work Officer Annual Report 2024-2025 Page 184 of 374
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2 ........................................................................................................................ 1 THE CHIEF SOCIAL WORK OFFICER FUNCTION ......................................................... 5 ANNUAL REPORT ..................................................................................................... 5 1. GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARRANGEMENTS ..................................... 7 1.1 NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL AND NORTH LANARKSHIRE PARTNERSHIP ...... 7 1.2 HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE NORTH LANARKSHIRE ........................................... 9 1.3 SUPPORT, CARE, PRACTICE AND STAFF GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS .......... 9 1.3.1 SELF ASSESSMENT ................................................................................. 10 1.4 PUBLIC PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS .......................................................... 11 1.5 CARE HOME ASSURANCE………………………………………………………………………..11 1.6 ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PEOPLE WHO USE SUPPORT SERVICES, THE COMMUNITY, AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR .............................................................. 12 2. SERVICE DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE .................................. 14 2.1 PERFORMANCE AND IMPACT MEASUREMENT ................................................ 14 2.2 SUPPORT TO UNPAID CARERS ....................................................................... 14 2.3 JUSTICE SOCIAL WORK SERVICES ................................................................. 15 2.3.1 COMMUNITY PAYBACK ORDER-INCLUDING UNPAID WORK ...................... 16 2.3.2 OTHER ACTIVITY ..................................................................................... 17 2.3.3 DIVERSION FROM PROSECUTION............................................................ 18 2.3.4 OFFENCE FOCUSED WORK ..................................................................... 18 2.3.5 WOMEN’S COMMUNITY JUSTICE SERVICE (WCJS) AND BAIL SUPERVISION 19 2.3.6 OTHER NEW DEVELOPMENTS ................................................................. 20 2.3.7 ARREST REFERRAL .................................................................................. 21 2.4 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SOCIAL WORK SERVICES ....................................... 22 2.4.1 THE BALANCE OF CARE .......................................................................... 22 2.4.2 MOVING ON: SUPPORTING CARE EXPERIENCED YOUNG PEOPLE ............. 24 2.4.3 A LOVING HOME: ADOPTION, FOSTERING AND KINSHIPCARE .................. 26 2.4.4 INTENSIVE FAMILY SUPPORT ................................................................... 29 2.4.5 YOUNG PEOPLE IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW .......................................... 31 2.4.6 CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS (ASN).............................. 33 2.5 ADULT SOCIAL WORK SERVICES .................................................................... 33 2.6 EARLY AND PREVENTATIVE INTERVENTIONS – RIGHT SUPPORT, RIGHT TIME .... 34 Page 185 of 374
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3 2.6.1 GETTING IT RIGHT FOR EVERYONE (GIRFE) ............................................... 34 2.6.2 MAKING LIFE EASIER (MLE) ...................................................................... 36 2.6.3 ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TEAM ............................................................... 36 2.6.4 COMMUNITY ALARMS AND ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL .................................. 37 2.6.5 EQUIPMENT AND ADAPTATION SERVICE (EAS) ......................................... 38 2.6.6 SOCIAL WORK TRANSITION TEAM ............................................................ 39 2.6.7 LOCALITY SUPPORT SERVICES (LSS) ........................................................ 39 2.6.8 INTEGRATED DAY SERVICES (IDS) FOR OLDER ADULTS: OVERVIEW AND DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................... 40 2.6.9 HOME ASSESSMENT TEAM (HAT) ............................................................. 40 2.6.10 HOME SUPPORT SERVICE – LIVING WELL AT HOME ................................ 41 2.6.11 TRANSFORMATIONAL SELF-DIRECTED SUPPORT (SDS) AGENDA AND INDIVIDUAL BUDGETS ..................................................................................... 42 2.6.12 COMMUNITY LIVING CHANGE FUND/COMING HOME ............................ 43 2.7 DIGITAL SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION ............................................................ 44 3. STATUTORY INTERVENTIONS ........................................................................... 45 3.1 MENTAL HEALTH OFFICERS SERVICE AND ADULTS WITH INCAPACITY ACT (SCOTLAND) 2000 .............................................................................................. 45 3.2 MENTAL HEALTH (CARE AND TREATMENT) ACT 2003 AND MENTAL HEALTH (SCOTLAND ACT 2015) ........................................................................................ 47 3.3 DEVELOPMENT OF MHO SERVICE TO MEET NEEDS ......................................... 48 3.4 APPROPRIATE ADULT SERVICES ..................................................................... 49 3.5 PUBLIC PROTECTION .................................................................................... 50 3.5.1 ADULT SUPPORT AND PROTECTION INVESTIGATIONS/CASE CONFERENCES AND STATUTORY ORDERS/FUNCTIONS ............................................................ 50 3.5.2 MAPPA (MULTI AGENCY PUBLIC PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS) ............... 52 3.5.3 CHILD PROTECTION INCLUDING CONTEXTUAL SAFEGUARDING .............. 53 3.5.4 GENDER BASED VIOLENCE ..................................................................... 56 4. RESOURCES ................................................................................................... 57 4.1 FINANCIAL MODELLING FOR SERVICE DELIVERY ........................................ 59 5. WORKFORCE .................................................................................................. 59 5.1 WORKFORCE PLANNING ............................................................................... 59 5.2 SOCIAL WORK RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION .............................................. 60 Page 186 of 374
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4 5.3 SOCIAL CARE ............................................................................................... 61 5.4 OTHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION CHALLENGES ................................... 61 5.5 SOCIAL WORK DEGREE PATHWAY .................................................................. 62 5.6 FOCUS ON HOMECARE ................................................................................. 63 5.7 NEWLY QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORK PROGRAMME ............................................ 64 5.8 OTHER KEY TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES ................................... 64 5.9 TRAUMA INFORMED PRACTICE ...................................................................... 67 5.10 SUPPORT FOR STAFF WELLBEING ................................................................ 68 6. LOOKING FORWARD – PRIORITIES FOR 2025-2026 AND BEYOND ...................... 68 Page 187 of 374
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5 ANNUAL REPORT BY CHIEF SOCIAL WORK OFFICER: NORTH LANARKSHIRE 2024-2025 THE CHIEF SOCIAL WORK OFFICER FUNCTION Every local authority must appoint a professionally qualified Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) as reflected in Section 46 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994. The CSWO provides professional leadership, accountability, and governance for the delivery of social work and social care services, including commissioned services. The CWSO also provides advice on Social Work service delivery and on related issues to the local authority Chief Executive, Elected Members, and the Integrated Joint Board (IJB) promoting understanding of the range of Social Work and Social Care Services, and the complexities involved in delivering statutory responsibilities which require both consideration of need and the management of risk and liberties. Operationally, the CSWO also has a direct remit for decisions on specific statutory matters including in relation to secure accommodation, adoption and welfare guardianship as illustrated below. The CSWO role within North Lanarkshire is held by the Chief Officer, Children, Families, Justice, and Integrated Services. However, the CSWO is supported by the Chief Officer, Adult Social Work Services who holds delegated responsibilities with respect to adult Social Work and social care, deputises in other areas as required and works alongside the CSWO in relation to the other functions of the role. ANNUAL REPORT In line with Scottish Government guidance, the CSWO is required to provide an annual report. This report provides an overview of Social Work service delivery in North Lanarkshire for the period April 2024 to March 2025 and covers the following areas: • Governance and accountability arrangements, including partnership working and statutory functions • Service Quality and Performance, including key service improvement activity and challenges impacting service delivery • Resources • Workforce Issues, including workforce planning, training, and development • Future Priorities – Social Work landscape and priorities looking forward to 2025/26 Social Work Services continue to play a critical role in supporting communities in North Lanarkshire and in meeting both national and local priorities to improve outcomes, address Page 188 of 374
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6 inequalities and empower those individuals and families who may face exclusion or a range of adversities. Demand challenges driven by a range of societal factors including demographic change and health inequalities continue to impact on Social Work Services alongside financial constraints and new legislative duties reinforcing the need not only to continue to innovate and make improvements in the delivery of statutory functions but to work with partners and those we support to strengthen early support and prevention. This is reflected within the report along with our achievements as staff across the service continue to work with resilience and commitment to support the best possible outcomes for individuals, families and our community, I would like to record my thanks and pay tribute to all staff involved in the delivery of Social Work services in North Lanarkshire for their work over the past year I would also like to thank all internal and external partners, carers, families and communities who have supported us in our work. Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer Page 189 of 374
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7 1. GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARRANGEMENTS 1.1 NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL AND NORTH LANARKSHIRE PARTNERSHIP The shared priorities of North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) and partner organisations are set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire. These continue to have a focus on tackling inequality and poverty and on inclusive and sustainable growth, and development. Social Work has a critical role in supporting key objectives of the Plan in particular in: • Supporting children and young people to achieve their potential • Improving community health and well-being • Supporting and facilitating engagement and participation. A focused and integrated five-year Programme of Work, approved in March 2023, supports the Plan for North Lanarkshire. The Programme of Work has seven priorities for delivery as shown below: Across NLC, all services and partners contribute towards all seven programmes with the social work footprint particularly strong within the Resilient People and Brighter Future programmes. This is reflected by Senior Social Work Manager involvement in the programme boards and the CSWO’s role as SRO for Resilient People, which is focussed on delivering whole family support locally, when families need it, in a way that also addresses the impacts of poverty and reduces inequality. Page 190 of 374
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8 Throughout this report, many strands of work which are positively impacting on these issues are referenced, reflecting that addressing complex problems such as poverty, family breakdown or social isolation require sustained (and sustainable), relationship-based and community-led responses. The programme provides a framework to support a move towards early, preventive or anticipatory support which helps builds trust, strengthens relationships, and promotes resilience. Whilst transformation activity is reported and governed through programme boards, primary oversight of social work activity and performance within NLC continues to be via the council’s committee structure, with children, families and Justice social work reporting to Education, Children and Families Committee and adult social work to the Adult Care and Social Work Committee ( although functions are delegated to the Health and Social Care Partnership/Integrated Joint Board) North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Partnership (CSP) continues to be the structure through which partners provide governance, strategic planning, direction, and delivery of shared priorities for children’s services in North Lanarkshire. The Children’s Service Partnership Board membership includes Elected Members with Voice reflected through links with North Lanarkshire Youth Council and our Children’s Champion’s Board. There are strong links and cross over with other strategic partnerships, such as NL Child Protection Committee and the Tackling Poverty Officer Action Group (TPOAG). The North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan is refreshed every three years and supported through annual reporting. This remains also the key strategic vehicle also for the delivery of the Promise in North Lanarkshire. Social Work has a key role in all the CSP priorities as reflected by the CSWO’s role as lead officer for the CSP and chair of the Improving Children’s Services Group which has oversight of the work of associated task groups. The Community Justice Partnership (CJP), also chaired by the CSWO, has responsibility for the multi-agency oversight of Community Justice in North Lanarkshire. The partnership has a strong ethos of collaboration with a wide range of partners including the NL Alcohol and Drug Partnership and employability services. In turn, this supports options such as diversion, throughcare, bail supervision and our local Arrest Referral Pilot initiated in April 2023. Commitment from partners ensures a holistic response to meeting need. The Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan 2023 to 2028 was informed by engagement including with those with lived experience and by a Strategic Needs Assessment- setting out a framework for our ongoing activity in this area. Both the CSP and CJP report annually to the North Lanarkshire Partnership (NLP) which brings together the major public sector agencies in the area, including Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL), the local third sector interface. The priorities for delivery across the partnership are set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire. Page 191 of 374
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9 Nine Community Boards, involving local citizens, continue to support community leadership, involvement, and capacity building, with Local Outcome and Improvement Plans (LOIP) guiding this work. Social Work is fully engaged with these structures with the CSWO continuing to have the role of Community Co-ordinator for one of the local boards whist the Chief Officer Adult Social Work and Senior Managers for Quality Assurance and Strategy & Performance provide links to the UHSCNL and the strategic commissioning activity across all Community Boards. Senior Social Work Managers also participate in area-based teams and the sub-groups which support the delivery of the LOIPs. 1.2 HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE NORTH LANARKSHIRE UHSCNL’s current Strategic Commissioning Plan 2023-26 sets out key priorities for the three-year period with the aim of ensuring that people are robustly supported to live in their own homes and lead independent lives in their communities. Key priorities include: • Do the right thing first time • Increased focus on prevention, early intervention and tackling inequalities by working with communities and people • Develop and support a workforce for the future • Improve mental health and wellbeing • Support people through a whole family approach Under each priority area, an agreed set of short- and medium-term goals has been developed underpinned by the Programme of Work which sets out in detail the programmes to be progressed. These are updated on an annual basis to ensure response to any new or emerging issues. A mid cycle review was published in December 2024 – further information can be found within the minutes of the IJB meeting held 4th December 2024. The Annual Performance Report for 2024-25 will be published later in the year and twill give further details and achievements of the partnership. 1.3 SUPPORT, CARE, PRACTICE AND STAFF GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS Within adult services the Support Care and Clinical Governance Committee (SCCGC) plays a key role and met eight-weekly over the reporting period. Chairing responsibilities are scheduled to change from the UHSCP Medical Director to the Chief Officer Adult Social Work during 2026. Adult Social Work Governance meetings included a programme of assurance and improvement for Adult Social Work Services. This fed into the SCCGC structure. During 2024-25 a review of the reporting process and format for Social Work Services was undertaken by the professional and operational managers, supported by our Quality Assurance team whose role continues to support all social work care groups. Practitioners and managers are supported with assurance activity including: • A test of change as a precursor to broadening self-evaluation for each of the teams Page 192 of 374
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10 • Engagement with individuals and carers around lived experience • Feedback from staff • Monitoring of regulated services and regulated workforce • Safety • Review of complaints and compliments • 6 monthly reports on learning and development • A review of current policies and procedures is underway • Introduction of a quarterly commissioned services performance report Our In-House Monitoring Framework was previously approved for a test of change. This concluded within the reporting period and, following evaluation, operational roll out will commence in April 25. The range of work undertaken by Quality Assurance is detailed in the QA Annual Report. External scrutiny is primarily undertaken through the Care Inspectorate through regular inspection of regulated services including Care at Home, Support Services, Children’s Houses and Family Placement Services with further detail provided within the Quality Assurance report. Strategic and thematic inspections are also undertaken periodically by the Care Inspectorate, the former with other inspection partners. Over this reporting year a thematic (nationwide) inspection of Children’s Throughcare and Aftercare services was undertaken, with North Lanarkshire one of four areas subject to a ‘deep dive’ – details of the findings of this inspection are included within section 2.4.2 of this report. In addition to the mechanisms referenced above practice and staff governance and development across social work functions continue to be supported by an integrated professional meeting structure (social work leadership, social work solutions and social work workforce planning) which maintain coherence across adult, justice and children and family services. 1.3.1 SELF ASSESSMENT Over the course of the reporting period within Adult Services we developed a self-assessment toolkit, which takes the form of an edited version of the Quality Assurance Framework, as set out in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Quality Management System. This approach allowed us to self-assess our capacity for improvement across a range of themes, with each theme setting out criteria with associated quality indicators. The Framework is not intended a checklist, but a reference guide to support and inform reflection, evaluation and decision making about how best to improve outcomes for people. In March 2025, we engaged a small number of services in piloting this self-assessment approach. Through the completion of this self-assessment, we are able inform discussion on what good care looks like; and identify any actions for learning that supports the importance of Direction, Implementation & Delivery and Results. We recognise that by considering leadership and culture; vision and purpose; and the importance of co-design and relationships, we can shape services to ensure good outcome Page 193 of 374
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11 for people across our communities. The learning from the pilot(s) will inform wider roll out across all Adult Social Work and Social Care services. 1.4 PUBLIC PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS North Lanarkshire Chief Officer Public Protection Group (NLCOPP), chaired by the Council Chief Executive and supported by the CSWO continues to provide oversight and direction for local multi-agency public protections arrangements updating its terms of reference within this period. The group regularly considers reports and data from the local Child and Adult Protection Committees, pan-lanarkshire MAPPA Strategic Oversight Group and Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Partnership and additionally Suicide and Drug Deaths and associated prevention activity. The newly established National Public Protection Leadership Group continues to develop its links with local partnerships and provides a vehicle to address common challenges and improvement areas in particular crosscutting issues, at a local level we continue to address these both at system and practice level, with work continuing on transitional safeguarding and incorporating learning from reviews. With recent guidance broadening the criteria for learning reviews in public protection we are also continuing to explore how these can best be resourced to support improvement. 1.5 CARE HOME ASSURANCE Care Homes continue to benefit from the support offered by the Care Home Liaison Team. The team consists of a range of professionals providing bespoke and specialised advice, guidance and practical assistance specialising in areas such as falls, mental health, infection control, continence, pharmacy, and anticipatory care planning, all of which are conducive to continued wellbeing and improved quality of life for adults and older people living in Care Homes. Focused activity and change projects have reported improved outcomes for people resident within Care Homes within North Lanarkshire. Some of the most significant developments are as follows: • Reduction in falls • Improved continence • Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT) facilitate reviews for all new admissions and residents of concern with zero waiting time • RESPECT emergency plan offered to all residents • Call before you convey professional advice line for out of hours advice or input • Increase in Hospital at Home usage • Health colleagues trained as second workers to participate in Adult Support & Protection investigations Page 194 of 374
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12 Following review of the enhanced clinical and care oversight arrangements for care homes reported last year, there has been continued support commissioned through the Care Home Assurance and Support Board and the Care Home Collaborative Group. The Safety Huddle Multi-Disciplinary Forum has continued to build on the good practice embedded during the pandemic. The focus of work has been reviewed and refined to include the RAG ratings for each Care Home within North Lanarkshire. Adult Support and Protection escalations have also been included in discussions. These further enhancements maximise the effectiveness of the arrangements in place enabling intelligence to be shared between agencies to identify and allow support to be provided to care homes at risk. Actions are agreed collaboratively to provide an immediate response to safeguard residents. 1.6 ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PEOPLE WHO USE SUPPORT SERVICES, THE COMMUNITY, AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR Work to increase the capacity to enhance engagement and participation across our communities and amongst supported people and unpaid carers has continued in line with the ambition of the Plan for North Lanarkshire and the UHSCNL Strategic Commissioning Plan. The key ambitions of our continued investment to engage supported people, unpaid carers and communities is to: • Improve communication and increase connections • Increase awareness of what matters to people • Increase capacity for early intervention and prevention During 2024-25 the investment and focus to ensure that the voices of supported people was strengthened and has gathered pace. The partnership of the North Lanarkshire Disability Forum (NLDF), Lanarkshire Links (LL) and Voice of Experience Forum (VoEF), work together to deliver a wide range of recurring and non- recurring actions, events and programmes of work using a wide range of methods to engage with supported people and support active participation. They have a remit that includes to: • Build links, create opportunities, and strengthen the interface with supported people • Develop and support an Engagement & Participation Network (E&PN), bringing together groups and organisations who involve and represent supported people • Administer a Growth Pot Fund to enable engagement and participation activities with an aim to reach out to underrepresented communities During 2024-25 there were two rounds of Growth Pot funding that generated 55 applications and 20 awards totalling just over £80,000. The fund reached minority ethnic groups, rural communities and those who experience disability, mental health issues and addictions, and helped these groups better engage with the UHSCP. In September 2024, the University Health Page 195 of 374
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13 and Social Care Engagement and Participation Strategy was launched alongside the Growth Pot Fund. North Lanarkshire Carers Together are a well-established community-based organisation working on behalf of carers to ensure the voice of carers is raised, amplified, and heard. They reach out to carers, share information, and campaign for identified issues relevant to carers, represent the carers voice in decision making forums. There is a full programme of work with a focus on engagement and participation through a range of approaches and methods. The Strategy for Carers 2024–27 was developed with carers and carer organisations. Supporting this strategy is an annual event - Commitment to Carers - engaging with carers, staff, and relevant partners to acknowledge their commitment, showcase services and supports, share significant achievements and gather views on what is important to them to support future plans in this area. Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire oversees the Community Solutions approach and the Children, Young People and Family Network. This supports a broader reach within communities and opportunities to engage in what matters to people in the localities of North Lanarkshire. Community Solutions enables investment in community led initiatives that build community, family, and individual strengths and resources - with a focus on prevention and early intervention. There is engagement with localities to build community capacity, through anchor organisations and Community Consortia provide leadership and co-ordination of activities. Within Children’s Services the Voice Task Group which supports the work of the partnership has further integrated the voice of young people in planning and decision making, by creating opportunities for dialogue between staff and young people through a bi-ennial Youth Voice Conference and leadership staff attending North Lanarkshire Youth Council meetings. Increasingly children and young people have been actively involved in service design such as aftercare support, funding decisions such as allocation on funds to support the mental health and wellbeing framework and raising awareness of UNCRC through a peer led workshop for children and young people. Parents and carers were involved in the procurement of a whole family support services within the developing community hubs. In Justice Services two development workers with lived experience have continued to support consultation activity with those involved with the service. The digital questionnaire they developed last year has been applied to routinely gather feedback on the experience of supported people as well as ideas for developments and service improvements. This questionnaire is complemented with a mid-point and end point evaluation focused on the experience of engagement with justice services. The commissioning of Care Opinion in Adult Health and Social Care and Mind of my Own in Education and Families ensures there are opportunities online for adults, children, and young people to comment, feedback on their experiences and/ or raise concerns. Page 196 of 374
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14 2. SERVICE DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE 2.1 PERFORMANCE AND IMPACT MEASUREMENT In line with the governance arrangements outlined above our formal reporting is presented for a variety of audiences, reflecting the scheme of integration and delegation of services to the North Lanarkshire Integrated Joint Board (IJB) and the governance of services within several partnership arrangements. Indicators are in place for core aspects of service, such as access, operational performance, workforce, quality, and outcomes, ensuring that we both monitor and demonstrate how we have fulfilled statutory responsibilities, met needs and produced positive outcomes for the supported people and that the work represents best value for the Local Authority. Critically, in addition to quantitative data, a variety of methods are used to measure impact, outcomes and how people experience our service as reflected throughout this report. In addition to these internal arrangements, performance and quality is both monitored and regulated by several external bodies. Social Work Services provide validated performance and demographic data to the Scottish Government and the various agencies who support Social Work development in Scotland. This data supports the creation of national indicator sets, such as the Local Government Benchmarking Framework and the Integration Indicators which can then be used to support benchmarking and self-evaluation. The Scottish Social Services Council, and the Care Inspectorate also have an assurance role with respect to registered staff groups and regulated services respectively, the latter through regular inspections whilst the Care Inspectorate also have an oversight and assurance role with respect to case reviews in the areas of public protection and justice services as well as in scrutiny through strategic and thematic inspections in partnership with other inspection bodies. Key performance information covering the range of social work service delivery is set out within this section of the report alongside highlights of continuous improvement and development activity. 2.2 SUPPORT TO UNPAID CARERS Support for unpaid carers continues to be critical to sustaining our families and communities. During 2024, a tender exercise to procure carer support services was undertaken, in line with legislation. The contract value of the tender was £18 million, over a six-year period, demonstrating the financial commitment to supporting carers locally. Five lots were included in the tender, with the successful bidders being: • Lanarkshire Carers: to provide carer support, carer short breaks and to fulfil the devolved responsibility (from NLC) for progressing Adult Carer Support Plans (ACSP's). • North Lanarkshire Carers Together: to provide carer information, advice, engagement, and campaigning. • Alzheimer's Scotland: to provide information and support specific to dementia related care. • Getting Better Together (GBT): to provide support to carers around hospital discharge Page 197 of 374
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15 • Action For Children Young Carers Project: to support young carers and to fulfil the devolved responsibility (from NLC) for progressing Young Carers Statements (YCS) Other organisations, with either a direct, or indirect focus on supporting carers remain important in ensuring that the local carer support landscape benefits from a diversity of provision. Augmenting the wide range of activities undertaken as part of Carers Week in June 2024, the second North Lanarkshire "Commitment to Carers" event took place in May 2024 and marked the launch of the North Lanarkshire Carers Strategy 2024-2027. The strategy was the culmination of engagement and participation activity with carers and sets out how caring related needs can be best met over this period. The innovative Carer Breather approach in North Lanarkshire, administered by NLCT and provided by University Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire to deliver options that give carers, and people being cared for, a break from the caring routine was expanded in early 2025 with 15 organisations successfully bidding for Carer Breather funding, This, alongside the short breaks’ bureau, overseen by Lanarkshire Carers, continues to ensure that a range of carer break options are available to carers locally. Developments in technology, alongside equipment available through Making Life easier (MLE), the Equipment and Adaptation Service and the Community Alarm Service saw an increasing number of people, including carers, being supported through these options, all of which seek to maximise independence and minimise risk. This is a trend which is expected to increase over time, as the benefits of connected, linked in support and the reassurance that assistance and support can be on hand, if needed, become increasingly apparent. Estimates vary but suggest that there may be around 40,000 to 50,000 unpaid carers in North Lanarkshire currently, with around 11,000 of these currently known to services. Demographic information highlights that there is a considerable number of carers aged over 70 locally, so the focus on preventative and anticipatory planning remains as vital as ever. 2.3 JUSTICE SOCIAL WORK SERVICES Justice Social Work Services have seen demand relating to core statutory responsibilities increase as the justice system continues to address the backlog of COVID impacts. Service delivery continues to be shaped by key priorities set out in both our new Community Justice Outcome and Improvement Plan (2023-2028) and the Scottish Government’s Vision for Justice published in February 2022, and its supporting strategy published in June 2022, with an increased focus on areas such as diversion from prosecution and bail supervision. We continue to promote a holistic approach to working with people with convictions, to ensure that in addition to robust risk management, support is offered to address the range of issues, such as health and employment barriers, which can inhibit rehabilitation and inclusion and, in turn, better lives and safer communities. Page 198 of 374
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16 2.3.1 COMMUNITY PAYBACK ORDER-INCLUDING UNPAID WORK Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, 898 people were made subject to new Community Payback Orders with a condition of supervision attached. Of those, 551 people were also required to complete unpaid work. The Community Payback Order continues to provide Courts with a credible alternative to Custody, with Justice Services continuing to engage individuals in their communities, utilising a proportionate, trauma informed and rights-based approach, supporting individuals address areas of identified risk, needs and seeking to reduce the likelihood of further involvement in the Justice system. Linked to this, communities within North Lanarkshire have benefited from almost 91,000 hours of unpaid work delivered through the service’s Restorative Justice Team. This year’s figures evidence for the second year running that the operational delivery has returned to levels commensurate with pre-pandemic activity. Demand continues to grow and during the period of this report 139,024 hours were imposed by Courts in relation to Unpaid Work and Other Activity, a further rise of more than 5,000 hours imposed over the previous year. The following paragraphs provide an overview of key unpaid work activities: The woodwork workshop teaches joinery skills which enables bespoke items to be made from reclaimed wood pallets which would otherwise be destined for landfill. Working in partnership with family learning centers, nurseries, schools, and communities has allowed those people engaged in unpaid work to be involved in the construction of outdoor classrooms and play equipment helping to promote outdoor play for children throughout our community. In total, 554 items have been constructed and situated within our communities. The bike recycling workshop refurbished bikes, which have been donated by individuals or have been discarded in local recycling centres. The bikes are repaired to a gold standard and are distributed to local community groups, schools, and individuals helping to maximise opportunities for better health and well-being and providing greater transportation access. Service users within the workshop also undertake bike repairs for individuals who are unable to afford the cost of this. During this period purchase of a mobile bike recycling trailer has extended the provision of bike maintenance and repair within the local communities. To support this also a further 5 members of staff have obtained Velatech Training in Level 1,2 & 3 bronze, silver and gold. In total, 1,443 hours of unpaid work were completed through this area of activity resulting in 364 bikes being donated to individuals within our community. Our Home Improvement workshop provides opportunities for service users to gain experience in decorating, painting, and plastering, giving service users skills which can help them in the labour market. Once the individual is proficient in these disciplines, they utilise the skills learned on a project within the local community. This provides more experience to enhance employment pathways. Page 199 of 374
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17 Squad placements are focused on activities such as landscaping. In total 2049 hours have been completed within squad placements ranging from one to two-day pieces of work to larger projects with a duration of four to six months. In partnership with local housing colleagues and school staff, the Restorative Justice unpaid work team has also facilitated learning events at our community allotments in Townhead, Clydeside, and Wishaw enabling children and people in the local community to sow seeds and learn about different growing techniques. Participants can be invited back later in the year to experience the harvest taking place and can also take away some of the produce. In total 2876 hours have been completed within our allotments, with the produce being distributed to local sheltered housing complexes, food banks, and the public. 2.3.2 OTHER ACTIVITY The embedding of Scottish Government Covid-19 recovery funding has enabled the continued commissioning of Third Sector colleagues to assist in the delivery of ‘other activity’ programmes including: • The Wise Group provided one to one mentoring support for 50 service users. Between 1 June 2024 and 31 March 2025 each of these service users were allocated a mentor for an average of one month and received approximately 12 hours of support throughout that period. As part of their agreed action plan service users can have access to a small discretionary fund to help with their social inclusion through participation in community activities. Following review, an extension to the mentoring period can be provided if necessary. • Reel Time Music project provides service users with an opportunity to undertake sessions in developing skills in relation to creating and producing music, podcasts, or videos. These groups accommodate eight to ten service users at a time, and their videos, and songs are publicly featured and celebrated. • SACRO provide practical support to service users which is delivered using a mentoring approach. The workers act as role models and assist individuals to build self-esteem and improve motivation. • Ten for Zen provides service users with options to develop mindfulness techniques and to experience the emotional, mental, psychological, and physical health benefits that can be gained from this. Examples of these sessions include changing unhelpful habits, managing stress, anxiety, or addressing a lack of hope or in managing anger. Justice Services also directly provide a range of opportunities for service users to engage in Other Activity. Utilising the e-learning workbook resource pack provides blended digital learning which can be completed in partnership with staff. Individuals also use the resources of The Centre for Clinical Interventions as well as the NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust to undertake work in the following areas: Page 200 of 374
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18 • Anxiety, Self-Care, Social Anxiety, Bereavement, PTSD, Self-harm, Sleeping Problems, Depression and Low Mood, Obsessions/ Compulsions and Panic. • Alcohol and You, Cannabis and You, Cocaine, Gambling, Anger Management and Procrastination. • Goal Setting, Self-Development, Writing applications and Interview techniques. The service provides opportunities for accredited training in First aid at Work Level 5 SCQF; 23 individuals have successfully completed this award. 2.3.3 DIVERSION FROM PROSECUTION In line with the priority of extending the use of diversion from prosecution, eleven awareness raising sessions were delivered to over 70 social work staff across children and families, older and younger adults over this period complementing a 3-year programme of training developed and delivered by NLC Restorative Justice Services to Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Police Scotland. In 2024-25, 242 Diversion from Prosecution Orders were successfully completed, a 49% increase from the previous year. Following the national Thematic Review of Diversion from Prosecution, aligned to the revised national justice strategy, it is anticipated that more complex cases will be included in the scheme going forward. Preparatory work is underway to ensure local policy and procedures will be in accordance with the revised national guidance once published. 2.3.4 OFFENCE FOCUSED WORK Moving Forward to Change NLC Justice Services have been one of the pilot areas for the new Scottish Government MF2C (Moving Forward to Change) programme which will supersede the MFMC (Moving Forward Making Changes) programme. MF2C is an intensive cognitive behavioural therapy intervention for men over the age of 18 who have committed sexual offences and aims to reduce risk of reoffending and is delivered as part of a Court Order or release License. The new programme has been adapted to incorporate up to date literature and can be delivered within Prison-based establishments as well as the community. The Justice Programme Service has now fully transitioned to the new programme. MF2C has been scaled up during the reporting period and there are now a minimum of two groups being facilitated each week, as well as 2:1 delivery for those with additional needs and risks. The programme has been delivered with relative success in relation to low reoffending rates and Scottish Government are now in the process of fully implementing the new programme across all local authorities. Page 201 of 374
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19 UP2U The UP2U intimate partner violence approach continues to be invested in by Justice Social Work (JSW), with new staff continuing to be trained in this programme and existing staff being given access to refresher training inputs. We are now delivering ‘UP2U – Creating healthy relationships two’ the updated version of the domestic abuse intervention programme to individuals convicted of intimate partner violence and who are subject to a requirement to undertake UP2U. Integral to this intervention is the offer and provision of partner support for those who have been, or are still, victims of intimate partner violence. Our UP2U team has also established partnership arrangements with partner support services such as Aura, Women’s Aid and GBV services and is responsible for representing Justice Social Work as part of the MARAC process reflecting our commitment to preventing domestic homicide and domestic harm. At present the service does not receive funding to support the delivery of the alternative Caledonian Programme however Scottish Government has given an indication of their intention to roll this out to those areas who do not currently receive funding over 2025. Should this progress it would be our intention to enhance our provision by running both programmes. Prison Based Social Work (PBSW) Increasing accessibility to offence focused interventions is also a priority area in our Prison Based Social Work (PBSW) team, based in HMP Shotts. To assist this, PBSW staff continue to maintain their new streamlined system to ensure all individuals are risk assessed within the first five months of entry into HMP Shotts and ahead of their first Integrated Case Management Meeting (ICM). This has had a positive impact on the Risk Management Teams’ ability to make decisions more timeously on an individual’s progression through the prison estate, leading to better outcomes for people serving prison sentences and their families. 2.3.5 WOMEN’S COMMUNITY JUSTICE SERVICE (WCJS) AND BAIL SUPERVISION The Women’s Community Justice Service (WCJS) was established in 2014 in response to the Commission on Women Offenders. Most service users within the service are subject to Community Payback Orders with requirements of supervision and/or unpaid work however the service also works with women subject to parole board licenses, bail supervision and alternatives to prosecution. During the reporting period the service has further developed its Bail Supervision offer and now has an established pathway for early identification of these cases in collaboration with the court team so that timeous support can be provided to maximise engagement and supporting the national priority to reduce the number of women who experience custody. Page 202 of 374
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20 We have also strengthened the management of our Women’s unpaid work service during this reporting period by deploying an existing Senior Social Worker to oversee and manage female only unpaid work activities. Most of the women using the WCJS have experienced trauma and supporting them with their emotional and mental health needs remains a key element of interventions to support positive outcomes. Multi-agency partnership working with Children and Families, Shine Women’s Mentoring Service, Domestic Abuse and Addiction Services, is also crucial to support this service user group. A new intervention resource entitled ‘Managing Emotions and Relationships’ enabling staff to utilise Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to facilitate structured conversations that help Women to develop better coping strategies. It is planned to extend delivery from primarily a 1-1 basis to groupwork over the coming year. 2.3.6 OTHER NEW DEVELOPMENTS Voluntary Throughcare Through the local Community Justice Partnership employability subgroup, additional funding was secured to extend the offer of our current voluntary throughcare service beyond HMP Addiewell. As a result, a Justice Support Worker was recruited, and the Bridges and Beyond initiative now offers person-centered outreach support to individuals serving a short-term sentence- in various prisons across central Scotland. The Bridges and Beyond service supported 46 service users in 2024-25. The service aims to remove barriers to employment and resettlement for those serving short term prison sentences. It is crucial in helping to reintegrate individuals into the community and reduce the prison population. During 2024 a new national commissioning exercise for a voluntary throughcare service was initiated through Community Justice Scotland. A focus over the coming year be to consider how this will interface with current local arrangements. Early Release of Prisoners In May 2024, Scottish Government brought forward plans to invoke the emergency release of prisoners under the new Bail and Release from Custody Act (2023). This meant that up to 66 North Lanarkshire residents serving short term prison sentences would be released early, to help address the emergency prison population crisis. A local multi-agency planning group was established in North Lanarkshire and led by Justice Social Work. The group coordinated activity to ensure all individuals had access to services and were supported back into the community safely. This local multi agency group was again mobilised in January 2025, to manage a further tranche of early release activity following The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill coming into Force in February 2025. This new legislation means that individuals serving four years or less will be Page 203 of 374
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21 automatically released when 40% of their sentence has been served in custody. 31 individuals were supported by Justice Social Work and partner agencies as part of this work, with the local authority's public protection frameworks utilised to ensure any presenting risk was managed safely using a partnership approach. Drug and Alcohol Solutions Court In September 2023, NLC Justice Services recruited two Justice Support Workers, funded by the North Lanarkshire Alcohol & Drug Partnership (NLADP), to support the introduction of a Lanarkshire wide Drug & Alcohol Solutions Court. This is a Structured Deferred Sentence initiative based at Hamilton Sherrif Court which adopts a public health approach to working with people aged 21-55 who are impacted by drug and, or alcohol, and who are in conflict with the law. Impact measurement through the use of outcome star data over this period indicates that all service users who have accessed support through the initiative have reported progress across multiple life domains. Of note service user feedback indicates that those individuals who have previously breached more defined orders such as Drug Treatment and Testing Order find the flexibility and assertive outreach dimension to the support as well as the trauma informed approach within court, to be more effective. DTTO Drug Testing and Treatment Orders (DTTO) are a Court sentencing disposal aimed at supporting individuals whose problematic drug use is contributing to their offending behaviour. This is achieved through intensive support, drug testing and monthly appearances in front of the sentencing Sheriff. NL DTTO service was designed, and is delivered, in partnership with North Lanarkshire’s Addictions Recovery Teams. A recent development has included the adoption of an Addiction Worker within the DTTO team, this has enhanced consistency of service delivery. The team continue to benefit from funding from the Alcohol and Drug Partnership, the additional resource enables the staff to deliver assertive outreach to enhance engagement. 2.3.7 ARREST REFERRAL An Arrest Referral test for change has continued in North Lanarkshire’s Police Custody suites. Significantly, support is delivered by people with lived experience of the justice system and offers opportunity for early partnership working with individuals in Police custody with a focus on early intervention, provision of direct and practical support, together with a pathway for referral to appropriate supports. This service was the subject of independent evaluation in 2024-25. Iconic Consultancy completed this evaluation and detailed that the service had received 458 referrals during the evaluated period, 84 % of these in respect of adult males. Findings included evidence that the service was successful in engaging hard to reach individuals and was successfully doing so during a time of personal crises, highlighting positive evidence of Page 204 of 374
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22 the effectiveness of a Public Health approach. The evaluation calculated the average cost for each referral at £262 against projected overall savings to the wider Justice system as a direct result of the service. Given the positive impact of the service to date, funding has been extended for a further 12 months to provide scope for further development and to enable exploration of how the service can be offered sustainably . 2.4 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SOCIAL WORK SERVICES Children and Families Social Work has continued its focus on creating the conditions and culture that enables practice that is rights-based, trauma informed and built on relationships. To help us achieve this ambition, the service has made good progress in its implementation of Signs of Safety and Healing with all Social Workers, working as lead professionals, trained in the approach. Towards the end of the reporting year, Social Workers began to use the Signs of Safety and Healing approach with families, and the accompanying assessment framework, in all work with children and families in need of care and protection. This was an important step in helping us move away from traditional investigatory approaches to child protection to a way of working which is focused on building safety for children, young people and families by helping people think their way through the issues they are facing and maximising strengths. Whilst Signs of Safety and Healing is now our core approach to practice, it is complemented by other strengths-based ways of working such as Contextual Safeguarding (for children and young people at risk of harm outside the home) and Safe and Together (for families impacted by domestic abuse) to give Social Workers a strong, coherent and value-driven framework for practice. 2.4.1 THE BALANCE OF CARE During 2024-25, the children and families service received 10,279 referrals (requests for assistance and notifications of concern). While this represents a 20% increase in the rate of referrals pre the COVID-19 pandemic, this level of referral rate is just under the average referral rate of 10,713 over the past 4 years. This level of request for a Social Work Service is due to several factors post Covid, including an increase in children with additional support needs, the impact of poverty, young people at risk of significant harm outside the home and enduring social problems such as domestic abuse. The drop-in referral rate of approximately 700 referrals from 23/24 to 24/25, may be attributable to investment in a range of early help services enabled by a range of temporary funding streams including the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, Scottish Equity Fund and Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework, the latter recently mainstreamed, and if so this is a positive shift. We will however continue to monitor how our investments in preventative family support reduce crises for families and impact on the demand for social work support. Whilst more difficult to Page 205 of 374
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23 measure, it is also notable that there appears to be an increase in complexity of need within families who do require social work intervention. The table below illustrates a snapshot of the balance of care in North Lanarkshire over the past 4 years. The overall balance of care is relatively stable with only a slight increase in our care experienced population over the 5 years. The number of care experienced children receiving care in 2024 was 2% of the child population, which is in line with the national average and slightly less than rate for our family group of local authorities (2.5%). The data show a steady increase in the number of children in kinship care which reflects our commitment for children remaining within their families, supported by approaches such as Family Group Decision Making and by our kinship care team. This increased use of kinship is also reflected in a decrease in the use of foster care as the overall numbers of children supported in family placements have remained relatively stable. Despite the increase in the complexity of children with additional support needs, our integrated approach with education has succeeded in supporting most children in North Lanarkshire with their care and education, avoiding an increase in out-of-authority placement. Of the seven children who experienced secure care at some point over the year, four were placed under the authorization of the Chief Social Work Officer on welfare grounds. As in previous years, this has been due to significant risks including those associated with criminal exploitation (CCE), and it was the second time in secure care for three children who had experienced CCE. Balance of Care Placement Type Number As Of 31 March 2021 Number As Of 31 March 2022 Number As Of 31 March 2023 Number As Of 31 March 2024 Number As Of 31 March 2025 Foster care (NLC) 112 94 89** 91** 85 Foster care (Independent) 61 53 51 57 61 Home Supervision 227 188 205 196 203 Formal Kinship Care 321 307 325 358 365 Informal Kinship Care 170 183 191 180 192 Residential (NLC) 27 27 31 32 30 Residential (Independent) 11 11 9 10 9 Secure* 2 6 7 5 7 Continuing Care 53 73 74 77 73 *The number of young people spending time in secure accommodation during the full year. Note there was an average of 3 NL young people in secure care on any given day during 24/25. This figure includes those remanded or sentenced through court processes. Page 206 of 374
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24 ** adjusted from figures reported in previous CSWO report following data quality review. 2.4.2 MOVING ON: SUPPORTING CARE EXPERIENCED YOUNG PEOPLE Increasing the quality and availability of support for care experienced young people who have left care has been, and continues to be, a focus for improvement. Additional investment from the council and NHSL, and use of the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework monies, has supported us to create an ‘Aftercare Hub’ delivered from our intensive services base which provides holistic social, health, counselling, and housing support from one space. The hub complements support from locality Social Workers to provide additional help to young people over seven days a week where required. The increase in the numbers of young people supported is illustrated in the table below: Care Experienced Young People Experiencing After Care Number As Of 31 March 2022 Number As Of 31 March 2023 Number As Of 31 March 2024 Number As Of 31 March 2025 Number of young people eligible for compulsory aftercare (age 16 and 17) 113 98 59 48 Number of young people in receipt of compulsory aftercare (age 16 and 17) 75 77 42 40 Number of young people eligible for discretionary aftercare (18-25) 197 506 521 531 Number of young people in receipt of discretionary aftercare (18-25) 67 257 252 275 The reduction by more than half in 16- and 17-year-olds leaving care reflects our commitment for young people to remain in care or continuing care until ready to move to independence and it is positive that nearly all 16- and 17-year-olds who do leave care (including care at home with parents) for whatever reason accept the support offered. 63% of young people who left care at the age of 16 or 17 were care experienced at home or in kinship care. In 2024, North Lanarkshire was selected by the Care Inspectorate as one of four partnerships to participate in a focused review of experiences of young people and the quality of the services being provided for them, as part of an overall high level national review of throughcare and after care support. In North Lanarkshire, the Care Inspectorate found: • North Lanarkshire had a clear approach and commitment to supporting and improving the participation of care experienced young people and providing effective opportunities for them to influence service design. • Young people had opportunities to establish supportive, compassionate, and responsive relationships with staff and other key people involved in their support. Page 207 of 374
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25 • Leaders ensured there were mechanisms in place for all services to collaborate effectively to meet the needs of care experienced young people. • Overall, young people said they were receiving the right support at the right time across the pillars of the Care Leavers Covenant. However, some stated they were not receiving support with their mental health, housing, and offending behaviour. • Some young people commented on the difficulties they experienced due to not feeling ready or prepared for moving on, nor in the right place for them once they had moved on. The review also highlighted our integrated approach to health and wellbeing as an area of good practice based on listening to the voices of care experienced young people and involving them in service design to remove barriers for young people to access health services. The approach comprises of Social Work staff, NHSL funded Nurses and the Exchange Counselling staff working collaboratively from the After Care Hub, which we have found is crucial to meet needs and avoid young people being lost or excluded from adult orientated systems. Over 2024, the throughcare and after care nurses worked with 82 young people with a higher number of males than females referred, although this ratio is in line with the local number of males/females who are entitled to aftercare support. The highest number of referrals were for those aged 16-18 years and additionally, those 22–23 years. Below are the reasons stated for young people being referred to this element of our service. Feedback from young people about the service has been very positive, with the service receiving a 4.8 out of 5-star rating. What young people have said about the service: • “There is someone to talk to you.” • “They have helped me a lot I wouldn’t be going to dentist/doctors’ appointments without them they are great and really helpful.” • “I felt listened to and helped by the nurse.” • “I think it’s a great service for young people.” • “It is a lot better than most services I have attended.” Page 208 of 374
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26 The Exchange Counselling Service, codesigned and produced with and for care experienced young people increased the number of young people supported from 42 in 2023-24 to 64 young people in 2024-25. 53 young people receiving face-to-face support and 11 alternate methods. The most prevalent reasons for accessing support were Trauma, Bereavement, Anxiety, Family Relationships/ Home issues, and Anger. 81% of young people reported an improved outcome at the conclusion of their intervention, with no requirement for any onward referrals being made to other services. The Aftercare hub is complemented by a bespoke co-designed website, Aftercare Northlan, which went live at the beginning of 24/25. Over the last year there has been over 2100 visits to the site with positive feedback about the content, with the most popular pages visited - Pathway Planning (My Future Planning), Money Matters and Where I Live, a potential reflection of the priority needs of young people. 2.4.3 A LOVING HOME: ADOPTION, FOSTERING AND KINSHIPCARE Family Care The Children’s Carers Service provides support to kinship carers, supported carers of young adults, as well as to adopters and foster carers to achieve loving homes for children and young people into adulthood. Despite a reduction of the overall number of in-house foster carers, our use of foster carers from other agencies has remained relatively stable thanks to the commitment and flexibility of our carers supported by our carers team. Our carers have also worked to keep as many brothers and sisters together as possible. Of the 92 children starting a new placement during the year, 61% were living with at least one brother of sister. This represented a slight increase compared to the previous year. Page 209 of 374
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27 The reduction in foster carers is however an area of concern both locally and nationally. Locally from our data we can see that the number of in-house foster carers continued to decrease. Recruitment therefore has continued to be a high priority. While there was a slight reduction in the number of enquiries we received about fostering over the previous year, the proportion of people who progressed to be assessed as foster carers increased as illustrated in the table below. Despite the challenges in recruitment, the number of foster carers is consistent with previous years: As illustrated in the tables above, our adoption data has remained constant since post-Covid. Adoption approvals have also increased, reflecting the continued interest and enquiries on adoption. This means that we can match children in need of adoption to adoptive parents, mostly Initial Enquiries Initial Inverviews Attended Prep Group Progressed to Full Assessment 2021/22 120 63 21 8 2022/23 128 68 28 10 2023/24 131 57 28 9 2024/25 112 48 21 12 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Initial Enquiries and All Outcomes 2021-2025 Approved Assessments Adoption Foster Care 2021/22 14 7 7 2022/23 11 8 3 2023/24 16 10 6 2024/25 17 11 6 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Approved Assessment by Resource 2024-2025 Page 210 of 374
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28 within North Lanarkshire. We have continued to offer learning and development opportunities to adopters both pre- and post-approval alongside post-adoption support groups and commenced a review of what other supports may be helpful moving forward for adopters, particularly for adopters of teenagers. A short-life working group considered feedback from children, young people, and adopters and will provide the basis for service redesign as part of our wider corporate parenting review. As well as recruitment, retention and support for existing carers has been a priority with access to our training and support programme enhanced to include adopters and kinship carers. Early indications are this has been successful in increasing numbers of participants with positive feedback on the added value to carers understanding of each other's roles and the needs of the children within their care. To support carer wellbeing, sessions in mindfulness and mindful yoga were provided along with a second therapeutic support group for adopters and permanent carers. In response to feedback we also piloted work with a qualified Social Worker to support carers with an understanding of trauma practice, exploring self-regulation in a space which builds from lived experience. As reflected above many children who live away from home, live in kinship care in North Lanarkshire increasing demand for support from the kinship team. Kinship support groups also took place on a fortnightly basis across North Lanarkshire with individual therapeutic and groupwork sessions also introduced involving mindfulness and trauma informed yoga which were well attended by kinship carers at the children’s carers centre. The number of children formally looked after in kinship care has increased over the past three years and in response, we have recruited additional support workers to help carers manage the complexity and emotional demands of their caring role. This has increased our capacity for practical and emotional support going forward. Our Virtual School has also prioritised support to kinship families including in school holiday periods, this has been well attended and evaluated well. Children’s Houses There continued to be significant pressures on the demand for residential childcare and throughout the year our children’s houses have remained at or slightly over capacity. In large part this has been driven by an increase in young people being at risk of harm out with the family home, in line with UK-wide trends. These risks to young people often compound existing pressures and difficulties facing families meaning our children’s houses have continued to look after young people with a high level of complex needs. To support staff and service development in light of these complexities and the needs of young people in our children’s houses, we have recruited a Senior Social Worker with the specific remit to provide quality assurance and oversight to the children’s houses. This post, subject to review at two years is supporting our self-evaluation work and inspection activities; to develop annual Page 211 of 374
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29 improvements plans and work to strengthen children and young peoples’ voices and individual planning. Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children Within North Lanarkshire we have a well-established multi-disciplinary resettlement team, this comprised of colleagues from Social Work, housing and community learning and development. Social Work staff have specific statutory responsibilities for our unaccompanied children and young people who are deemed as care experienced upon arrival with demand growing over time in line with the increasing number of young people arriving through the mandatory National Transfer Scheme (NTS). As at end March 2025 we were supporting 64 unaccompanied children and young people (UASC) including a small number of ‘spontaneous’ arrivals Following self-evaluation activity, the team have developed links with our local college, New College Lanarkshire to ensure our young people had access to full time further education in our local area, The service also introduced trauma informed yoga and grounding support for access by the children and young people who otherwise find it difficult to participate in mainstream talking therapies due to the language barriers. The team have also developed a partnership with a charity who focus on the benefits of nature and outdoor healing to support with the impacts of trauma. These enhancements in our service were well received and evaluated by the children and young people accessing these and strengthens the offer of support from North Lanarkshire Council that already exists through our social work, housing and Community Learning and Development offer. Whilst tariff funding is received through the Home Office to support associated costs the increasing number of young people supported mean that our previous model of supporting all arrivals through our children’s houses or supported carers is no longer sustainable and we are therefore continuing to develop and review wider accommodation and support models in close liaison with housing colleagues. 2.4.4 INTENSIVE FAMILY SUPPORT Social Work intensive services work alongside locality based Social Workers and support staff to provide additional support to children and young people and their families to prevent accommodation and support maintain family care. This area of our service includes Community Alternatives, working mainly with older children and their families and carers; Families First, working with younger children; Youth Bridges supporting young people in conflict with the law with reintegration from prison/secure care to the community; the Aftercare Hub supporting care experienced young people and care leavers (see 2.4.2 above); and Family Group Decision Making / Lifelong Links supporting individuals and families to strengthen important relationships and their natural support networks. Page 212 of 374
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30 Services operate over seven days, providing intensive (sometimes daily) support on an individual, family and groupwork basis, working with between 450 and 500 individual children at any one time over the year. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the service concluded intervention with 360 children and young people (including those involved with Youth Bridges) with the graph below illustrating the range of issues experienced for these children and their families. (Other – physical and emotional health, housing, life story work, relationships, aftercare) At the conclusion of interventions initial outcomes were assessed as being achieved in full for 66% of children and their families and partially for 15%. In large part, this meant keeping children within the parents or extended family and avoiding the financial and human costs of care out with the family. Further analysis of the 12% of children and families whose outcomes were not considered to have been met is taking place to inform learning and future planning. Our Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) service supports and empowers families build on family assets to sustain family care and has supported 107 families referred during this year. Desired outcomes, identified with families, were to prevent accommodation, support rehabilitation, maximise pre-birth supports, mediate and agree a family contact plan or to mobilise family support. Over the same period 85 families have been supported to agree a plan, concluding through a Family Group Decision Making Meeting or with this being scheduled whilst 22 families have completed a significant piece of work, whereby a plan has been achieved without the requirement for a formal meeting. There were 30 families referred to the service where work did not progress due to a change in the child’s plan, withdrawal of consent or non- engagement. Page 213 of 374
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31 Lifelong Links engaged in new work with 15 young people during April 2024 – March 2025 with an average age of 19 Years. This work is long-term requiring patience and reliability to build a trusting relationship to work with young people in a trauma informed way. All young people who received support have sought an understanding of their care journey having key questions, such as information on their birth family, their experiences, why they became care experienced, or on specific decisions and events in their life, often requiring time to reflect and understand their care journey, in addition to considering who they want to connect or re-connect with and who they want to have as part of their ongoing support network. Of the young people who chase to make connections/reconnect with significant people, 16 young people were supported to make direct contact and 4 made non-direct contact, with plans to sustain contact moving forward. The most connections a young person was supported to make was 13 people and another young person contacted 10 people, with the average being three people. These connections were from a wide range of family members and professionals from their childhood network of support. In September 2024, the FGDM and Lifelong Links Team successfully gained full accreditation from the Family Right Group (FRG), a long-established national organisation with a clear focus on the welfare and family justice, supporting children to live safely and thrive within their family. The Intensive Services Summer Programme targeted 47 families of children under 12 and 30 young people (12-18) where there was a risk of children coming into care recognising the additional pressures of this period for families. The Families First summer activities focused on whole family activities to encourage play and learning as well as building resilience in the children and confidence in the parents. This included Messy play, Tye-Dye Day, Making Music Day, and Canvas painting and finished off with a ‘Grand finale’ fun day and Strathclyde Park. The Families First Newsletter highlights some of the fun had by all involved. 2.4.5 YOUNG PEOPLE IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW Early and Effective Intervention Over the year 115 young people were referred for Early and Effective Intervention (EEI) which seeks to divert young people who have become involved in offending away from statutory measures through tailored early support. Of these, social work led the planning and support for 49 young people whilst the named person/pupil support staff in school were responsible for the Page 214 of 374
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32 other 65 young people through the planning for children’s wellbeing process within the GIRFEC pathway. To support continuous improvement we evaluated work with 19 of the young people involved with social work finding that workers felt confident using their relationship with the young person to understand their context and good examples of collaborative working with education and youth work to improve the wellbeing of young people and reducing further conflict with the law. The evaluation also, however, highlighted a need to ensure there is a greater focus on wider needs and that the voice of the young people is clear within the plan for them. In January 2024, we launched the Compass Project to offer a youth work approach to young people referred for EEI using asset-based approaches to empower young people to identify their own needs and strengths. 77 young people have been involved with the Compass Project to date with around 300 group sessions and 130 individual sessions delivered. Ten mainstream secondary schools and the We Aspire Colleges have taken part in EEI/Preventative group work programmes, with 14 young people having the opportunity to take part in two blocks of Fire Skills at Fire Reach with a 95% pass rate for the participants. Youth Bridges Youth Bridges provides intensive, individualised support to young people aged 16-21 who have either been remanded within HMPYOI Polmont or are serving custodial sentences. The focus of this support is the immediate assessment and information sharing for young people upon their arrival to custody, ensuring their wellbeing whilst within custody and supporting in their rehabilitation back to the community, and beyond, aiming to prevent further contact with the adult justice system. Following the implementation of the new Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024, all young people aged 16-17 who are remanded or sentenced to custodial sentences at court are now placed within secure care accommodation. The role of Youth Bridges is therefore developing alongside these legislative changes and assisting in the support of 16-17 years olds placed within secure care accommodation, supporting, where required, subsequent transitions to HMPYOI Polmont. Youth Bridges staff also carry out Diversion from Prosecution assessments and intervention as part of the wider Intensive Services team to help divert young people out of the adult justice system through early intervention. In the period April 2024–March 2025, Youth Bridges staff undertook 23 Diversion from Prosecution assessments of which 19 were completed successfully in diverting the young people involved from the criminal justice system. During the same period, there were 26 young people remanded or sentenced to custody within HMPYOI Polmont who were supported by the Youth Bridges Service. Furthermore, following the changes within the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 outlined above, two young people were supported within secure care accommodation following being remanded at court. With this support both young people made a successful transition to the community, including work/training and avoided further conflict with the law. Page 215 of 374
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33 Peer Mentors With CORRA funding, the service established a peer mentoring scheme, following consultation with young people who had been in conflict with the law. The aim of the service was for care experienced peer mentors to work closely with young people and offer flexible support whilst being supported in their roles to work out their own pathways for future careers. This has been a real journey for all the mentors with exceptional emotional and personal growth noted. The peer mentors have co-produced this service, including all processes and how the service is delivered. Initially the peer mentors focussed on providing 1:1 mentoring for young people in conflict with the law, but as time and learning has developed the service is now more geared towards flexible group work in the community and within schools; working closely with young people to develop their confidence as this is what our young people requested when working with the mentors. The peer mentors have also worked with the Compass Project. To support their own development peer mentors have worked closely with CLD colleagues completing a range of SQA accredited courses and First Steps to Youth Work whilst also supported by workers from our After Care Hub in relation to their own specific needs. All the peer mentors now have clear pathway in terms of the next steps for the own career. 2.4.6 CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS (ASN) Following an increase in demand for ASN related support and rising levels of children in education with additional support needs, mapping work was undertaken both within the children and families service and across the partnership, to scope the landscape of support for families. It was identified that there is a wealth of strategy, support, expertise, and resources in this area, both within Social Work and across all partners; however, the connectivity and integration of support could be improved to take account of need. Mapping identified a need for specific community based, intensive early intervention approaches focusing on ASN, particularly where needs are complex, to complement the support already available. Whole Family Funding has therefore been used to enhance support for children affected by neurodiversity and to provide support to families of children attending ASN schools. An ASN Children with Disabilities Oversight group was established to connect developments in ASN, to take forward a response to gaps identified, to review these regularly and to provide a coordinated and timely response. 2.5 ADULT SOCIAL WORK SERVICES Over the past year within Adult Health & Social Care Services, we have been working on the development of an enabling approach which supports the move from our work on back-to- basics to getting it right for everyone, as we recognise the landscape of health and social care is changing and services, supports and responses need to change to continue to improve the lives Page 216 of 374
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34 of people we support. We have sought to adopt a human learning approach by trying different ways to focus more on people and less on systems and processes, using resources to their best effect to make the most positive impact on peoples’ lives. Through the learning as management strategy (also known as Human Learning System), we have been working with academic and national partners including Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Centre for Public Impact to make learning and experimentation a key driver in our work. A key element of the learning approach has been the development of a Whole System Enabling Approach strongly embedded within each of the six localities, which supports a place-based model. Overarching this work has been our aim to ensure that when people contact our services the response is quick and effective, with a focus on helping people to help themselves first. Our approach is to work to principles, rather than rules that continue to support people to thrive by providing targeted services that are tailored to reflect their diverse needs. Keeping people central to the decisions that affect them is key and has helped us plan actions that support positive outcomes for those who access our services. Over the coming year we will further develop specific plans and service developments: as this is a whole system approach, we anticipate there will be a lot to focus on and much change across services, supports and responses that are needed to achieve and sustain change. 2.6 EARLY AND PREVENTATIVE INTERVENTIONS – RIGHT SUPPORT, RIGHT TIME 2.6.1 GETTING IT RIGHT FOR EVERYONE (GIRFE) Page 217 of 374
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35 Getting It Right for Everyone is a Scottish Government led, multi-agency approach to Health and Social Care support and services. Building on existing best practice, it is aligned with the Getting It Right for Every Child approach within children’s services. The Getting It Right for Everyone approach was developed in North Lanarkshire and across 8 other Health and Social Care Partnership areas across Scotland following a process of co-design with people who use services, carers, professionals, and those who may use services in future. The co-design process established that many people accessing Health and Social Care were frustrated by: • having to tell their story multiple times • information that is too complex • multiple appointments with different people The Getting It Right for Everyone approach aims to ensure that: • it is easier for people to get the help they need • people are at the centre of decision making • everyone works together to provide consistent support, no matter what kind of help is needed at different times in a person's life Getting It Right for Everyone is focused on providing a more personalised way to access help and support at the time when people need it. It has clear principles in place to guide the Health and Social Care workforce and confirm the service and outcomes people in North Lanarkshire should expect to receive. The Getting It Right for Everyone principles developed for all professionals to use are: • I have the information I need to make decisions about my life, in a way that works for me, and I am supported to understand what options are available to me, and trusted to know what is right for me • the people who support me take the time to listen and understand me as a person and we consider my whole life when making decisions about my life • I know that I can be clear about what matters to me, and I trust that my choices will be respected and understood by the people who support me • if I need to access services or support, I am treated with kindness, dignity, and respect at all times. • the people I am involved with work together with me and each other to share information, in a way that is accessible to me and develop a clear understanding of how to support my wellbeing The Scottish Government have recently made a Getting It Right for Everyone tool kit available online and within North Lanarkshire, the Getting It Right for Everyone Programme Board will ensure that Getting It Right for Everyone is embedded into all work in Health and Social Care. Page 218 of 374
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36 2.6.2 MAKING LIFE EASIER (MLE) The Making Life Easier and Disability Information Team is a small team with one Resource Worker and two Disability Information Officers providing a comprehensive information, advice, and support service for people with disabilities, their family, friends, and carers. Making Life Easier (MLE), our online resource, offers all North Lanarkshire residents the tools to support people to live active and healthy lives, self-manage their health conditions. MLE also provides pathways to direct supports and services if required. The team have had a successful year, actively promoting Making Life Easier by attending over 70 events, working with our partners and local organisations whilst in 2024-25, 15,396 people in North Lanarkshire used MLE, an 89% increase on the previous year with 490 people completing a self-assessment and a further 170 people completed a LifeCurve™ assessment. Making Life Easier will be refreshed in the coming year in line with the hub operating model and supporting localities with their multi-disciplinary enabling approach. 2.6.3 ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TEAM Over the past year, the assistive technology team has firmly embedded itself in every stage of care planning. An ongoing presence in the new enabling approach meetings and the consistent prompts integrated into MOSAIC, our new social work database encourages staff to "think tech first", thus ensuring technology is considered as a means of achieving positive outcomes. Our focus remains on reducing carer stress, empowering individuals, supporting independence, and reducing social isolation. Additionally, we continue to collaborate with other services to help alleviate their increasing pressures and demands. Page 219 of 374
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37 The last year has seen a strong emphasis on integrating assistive technology into the MLE self- assessment platform. Additionally, work is progressing on the "No Need to Fall" project, funded by the Tech for Better Care programme. This initiative, in collaboration with Scotland's Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre and NHS Lanarkshire, aims to develop a technology-enabled approach to relational and proactive falls prevention. A new test of change is currently also in progress for younger adults transitioning from school to post-education placements. This I initiative arose from the realisation that our previous test of change, which focused on Komp, was not likely to benefit this age group. It highlighted the need to implement technology which supports cognitive function that will ensure that individuals of all ages can benefit from the team's input and support. The team are also immensely proud of their recent shortlisting for a Local Government Chronicle award for best medium sized team. Across 2024/2025, 1,364 people were referred to the team. Most of the referrals continued to be for older adults, with 40% of people accessing the service being over 80 years of age and 40% between 61-80. Referrals resulted in 988 assessments of need, informing the allocation of council provided technology, and/or self-purchase items. 2.6.4 COMMUNITY ALARMS AND ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL The Community Alarm Service (CAS) supports vulnerable individuals to remain safely in their own homes using discrete and unobtrusive technology and working closely with the Technology Team. The service gives both the person accessing the service, and their family, reassurance that help is always available if required. The service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and supporting people living within their own homes across North Lanarkshire. Whilst a community alarm most commonly consists of a standard alarm base unit and pendant alarm, dependent upon the person’s level of need, 118 85 112114 131121 136130 77 117129 94 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 Referrals by Month 2024- 2025 3% 5% 12% 39% 41% Age Range of Referrals 2024-2025 0-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 Page 220 of 374
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38 additional devices such as bed or epilepsy sensors, fall detectors and GPS devices can be used to ensure any safety concerns are satisfied. The Community Alarm Service provides a full call monitoring service assessing each contact and to establish what the issue is. Responses can include dispatching a home support worker, contacting family/friends to respond, or contacting emergency services. On average, the response teams attend more than 460 uninjured fall visits each month. This is of significant benefit to the Scottish Ambulance Service and the individual, as it minimises the time someone waits for assistance while easing resource requirements for ambulance staff to attend quickly. The service is currently undergoing a significant transition to a digital model as the UK moves toward digital telecommunication systems. Within the coming months the service will transition from its current Analogue Alarm Receiving Centre to a New Digital Alarm Receiving Centre, in partnership with other councils and organisations across Scotland. The service received positive feedback from its previous inspection and is graded as good and very good across all areas of inspection activity. Activity: As of 31 March 2024, Community Alarm Service supported approximately 7,700 people with 6,150 individuals supported in individual homes and a further 1,550 people in housing with support. The community alarm service also supports around 1,000 pieces of assistive technology equipment, programmed through the alarm receiving centre, with equipment ranging from door contacts to hard-wired smoke detectors for individuals with a cognitive impairment. Response Advisors also provide support to out-of-hours Home Support and takes Social Work emergency service calls from 01.30am. The average call volume each month received within Community Alarm is around 48,000 with around 2,180 of these leading to a visit from a Community Alarm Home Support worker (HSW) for face-to-face support to be provided. The replacement of analogue alarms commenced in January 2023. To date, 6,600 units have been procured, with 3,000 units installed. This rollout is being carried out with the support of staff from the Equipment and Adaptation Service and the Assistive Technology Team, with completion targeted for the end of 2025. Staffing levels within the Community Alarm service have remained unchanged since the service was established and a priority over the next period is to review this in the light of both digital system developments, high call levels and the diversity of needs supported by the service. 2.6.5 EQUIPMENT AND ADAPTATION SERVICE (EAS) The equipment and adaptation service has gone through a transformational change with the implementation of Elms 2, the new online ordering system. There have also been internal process changes to enable and improve the service whilst the quantitative data that the service can now collate allows for more accurate reporting. The service uses a prioritisation framework to enable Page 221 of 374
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39 resources to get to the right people at the right time. This helps with prioritising equipment and adaptations based on the person's functional needs. With these fundamentals in place a wider service redesign is being progressed building on feedback from staff and service users. 2.6.6 SOCIAL WORK TRANSITION TEAM We have seen an incremental increase in the number of school leavers with a range of additional support needs being referred for enhanced Transition planning. As of 31 March 2025, we had 235 summer leavers actively working with the Social Work Transition Team, a 26% increase on last year’s number of 186 school leavers. 2025 School Leavers 18% - Have been assessed as requiring an individual budget and support package 30 % - Require lower level supports from Locality Support Services 52 % - Have been supported throughout transition process and assessed as not requiring ongoing Social Work supports or signposted to universal services There has been a change in complexity of need, resulting in an increase in numbers of young people with life limiting conditions. We have also seen an increase in requests for support with Mental Health. Development Work • As referenced in 2.6.3 above work continues alongside the Assistive Technology team to explore solutions to enhance confidence, independence and potentially eliminate the need for some elements of ongoing support. Tech will be trialled, within young people’s homes and within the college setting. • The team have been liaising with other neighbouring council services to explore provisions for young people with severe and complex physical health needs. Most young people in this cohort benefit from therapies to support mobility and sensory regulation. However, within North Lanarkshire there is an identified gap with families currently travelling to other local authority areas to access Hydrotherapy and Rebound therapy. 2.6.7 LOCALITY SUPPORT SERVICES (LSS) Enabling individuals with additional needs to live the lives they choose—independently, within their own homes and communities—remains a core priority for staff across the six Locality Support Services (LSS) within Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire. These services play a critical role in delivering longer-term reablement and rehabilitation, through consistent and skilled teams ensuring that individuals receive the right support, at the right time, Page 222 of 374
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40 and in the right way. Over time, LSS has evolved a highly effective model for delivering flexible, short- to medium-term support working with individuals in developing key life skills, including community engagement, independent travel, and daily living. While originally established to support people with learning disabilities, LSS now provides support to individuals with a broader range of needs, including sensory impairments, neurodiversity, physical disabilities, and addiction. This often results in a reduced or eliminated need for ongoing social work involvement. In September 2024, management of the LSS transitioned from an area-wide structure to a locality-based model. This shift has enabled localities to deploy resources more responsively in line with local needs. To maintain consistency and coherence in service delivery across North Lanarkshire, area-wide colleagues continue to play a key role in supporting the services. Regular cross-locality meetings are held to oversee the strategic direction, role, and remit of LSS across the partnership. CORE SERVICES: CONTNUING SUPPORT 2.6.8 INTEGRATED DAY SERVICES (IDS) FOR OLDER ADULTS: OVERVIEW AND DEVELOPMENT Integrated Day Services (IDS) for older adults continue to provide essential support for individuals with complex needs, enabling them to live safely in their own homes and often preventing hospital admissions. The service operates across all six localities in North Lanarkshire. During the COVID-19 pandemic, IDS nursing staff were redeployed to older adult community mental health teams in all, but one locality and this model persists. An ongoing service review will address key considerations such as the model of delivery, compliance with safer staffing legislation, transport, and facility requirements with the aim to establish a post-COVID service model that ensures enhanced support for older adults in North Lanarkshire, aligning with the objectives of the Dementia Strategy. Dependency levels and complexity of needs among individuals requiring IDS support have increased. IDS staff remain dedicated to providing comprehensive support, not only to service users but also to unpaid carers. Community outreach through IDS-organized groups also continues in all localities and enjoys strong attendance however transport and community venues can be a constraint. Locality Link Workers are actively collaborating with local partners to address and mitigate these barriers, ensuring accessibility to this alternative, low-level support. These community groups complement the core IDS services, which primarily cater to individuals at more advanced stages of their dementia journey. 2.6.9 HOME ASSESSMENT TEAM (HAT) Page 223 of 374
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41 The Home Assessment Team (HAT) has continued to have a positive impact. Over the last budget year 2024- 2025, HAT received 342 referrals for support, and of these referrals, following a two- week period of assessment, 158 people did not require any further service or support. Discharge planning at both University Hospital Monklands and University Hospital Wishaw has noted an improved picture. This has been supported by the Whole System Change with robust assessments being undertaken at the first point of contact. The aim is to ensure that all assessments are undertaken in people’s own homes, improving outcomes and supporting quicker recovery. More broadly the service remains committed to finalising implementation of the operating model initially approved by IJB in 2018m the Home First approach, which will focus on supporting people through multidisciplinary intervention to be assessed and supported at home, avoiding unnecessary admissions and helping people home from hospital at the earliest opportunity. The Home Support Service will be integral to this approach by facilitating discharges and assessing people at home rather than in hospital. Assessing people in their home environment is more effective in understanding what is needed to help people live within their local communities. Following a period of assessment at home, it may be necessary to provide further support through reablement. The service has been focusing on restoring a fully functioning Reablement Service whilst promoting the use of assistive technology. This will further support the ambition to ensure that people receive support and care which aids recovery and maximises independence in their own homes, thereby reducing the reliance on long term Home Support services and ensure service capacity in the wider service can be focused on those with longer-term needs, The service is also making the changes required to be more responsive and flexible, in line with Self- directed Support, and moving away from time and task to outcome focused service delivery. 2.6.10 HOME SUPPORT SERVICE – LIVING WELL AT HOME Over the last budget year, the service received 3,800 requests for assistance from people not previously known to the service. The number of care hours delivered has risen steadily since the pandemic and remains significantly higher than the hours delivered pre-covid. The service currently supports 2,235 individuals. Data gathered and used to inform planning highlights the significant growth in multi-worker visits whereby 33.5% of all visits require two or more workers to support service users. Despite the increase in the hours provided, the number of service users has fallen in the corresponding period reflecting that those supported present with more complex health and social care needs. As of the end of year there are 1045 Home support workers employed by the service, 977 female and 68 male. 270 of these workers are aged over 60. The service has a rolling recruitment programme to fill vacancies as turnover has been higher due to workers leaving the service through retirals, ill health and other factors. Page 224 of 374
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42 The service continues to work closely with the Care Inspectorate to meet requirements and make improvements which have been identified through the inspection process. Challenges related to staffing have previously impacted on direct delivery and inspection gradings, however, the service is starting to see an improving picture with grades of 3s, 4s, and 5s in all localities. A key aspect of service efficiency and improvement is the implementation of a dynamic scheduling tool to benefit Home Support Workers in the community and for those who schedule and plan work. It is an essential development to aid back-office staff in scheduling support and to adapt quickly to changing needs efficiently and effectively. There is a detailed roll out plan for the implementation of the new system which commenced with the Bellshill Home Support Team in March 2025. It is anticipated that the system will be operational across all teams by August 2025. To ensure efficiencies are realised, frontline worker shift patterns have also been reviewed as worker availability does not always match demand for service delivery. 2.6.11 TRANSFORMATIONAL SELF-DIRECTED SUPPORT (SDS) AGENDA AND INDIVIDUAL BUDGETS The Self-Directed Support (SDS) Transformation Agenda in North Lanarkshire aims to support and empower people living in North Lanarkshire to lead full and meaningful lives by achieving outcomes, whilst being connected to the people and things that are important to them. As we progress on this agenda, we continue to involve a diverse range of leaders and stakeholders from across our whole system, partner agencies, and third sector organisations in the development of an SDS implementation plan. Over the past 12 months, we have commenced a self-evaluation in relation to the national SDS Framework of standards to consider how well we are implementing this and what the impact of this is on people. We will continue to engage with people with lived and living experience, their carers and those around them, to understand in more detail the impact we have on people's lives and to inform both an improvement plan and our implementation plan. In line with the implementation of Getting it Right for Everyone and our new information management system, a new Guided Self-Assessment (GSA) was developed - to reflect unmet need and risk, using a whole system and strength-based approach, ensuring a fair and equitable resource allocation. This is a key feature of enhanced local autonomy and accountability and ensuring that decisions are made closest to people. The vision is that one Guided Self- Assessment for adults will align with the principles of one assessment and one review. We have also worked in partnership with ILF Scotland following the re-opening of the fund in April 2024. Through this collaboration and proactive work across locality teams, we have enabled 113 people living in North Lanarkshire to access additional funding which will contribute towards achieving their identified outcomes. Our engagement and approach to using this funding for people living across our communities has been lauded by the ILF. Page 225 of 374
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43 Activity: In 2024/2025 we supported 2,971 people with an individual budget, delivered across the four options as shown with a financial resource of £106.7M. This includes NHSL contributions of £2.2 million and ILF contributions of £4.1 million. The breakdown across the four options is set out below: • Option 1 – Direct payment – 395 • Option 2 – Budget managed by support provider – 2,371 • Option 3 – Budget managed by local authority - 185 • Option 4 – Budget managed by a mixture of first three options – 20 The focus for the year ahead is to complete the self-evaluation and develop our implementation plan. 2.6.12 COMMUNITY LIVING CHANGE FUND/COMING HOME The Coming Home team, established in 2023 and funded through the Scottish Government’s Community Change Fund, has been central to identifying and supporting individuals who have experienced prolonged and unnecessary hospital stays or out-of-area placements. In partnership with NHS Lanarkshire and advocacy colleagues, the team has successfully implemented Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire’s Dynamic Support Register (DSR), in line with national policy direction. Although the Community Change Fund concluded in March 2025, the work continues through the Multidisciplinary Complex Care Review Group and the Coming Home Implementation Group. These structures remain focused on reducing the need for individuals to leave North Lanarkshire for care or treatment. The Area-Wide Adult Team continues to collaborate closely with allocated social workers for all individuals recorded on the DSR, with a particular focus on those categorised as Red or Amber. Progress is actively monitored through bi-weekly prompts, ensuring timely updates and accurate case recording. In parallel, work is progressing to identify bespoke housing solutions for individuals with complex needs. Strengthened collaboration with housing colleagues supports the early identification of specialist housing requirements, enabling these to be incorporated into local planning and development frameworks. Provider engagement also remains a strategic priority to ensure the availability of appropriate and sustainable care options. A key element of the programme is the prevention of hospital admissions through early identification of individuals at risk of support breakdown. Work is underway to develop a more detailed understanding of this at-risk population, with the aim of ensuring individuals remain safe, well-supported, and able to live within their communities. To strengthen oversight and resource alignment, plans are in place to extend the remit of financial governance meetings to include DSR monitoring. Page 226 of 374
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44 With the conclusion of the Change Fund and no further funding anticipated, the focus has now shifted to embedding and sustaining this work within existing structures and resources. The overarching objective remains to deliver on the core ambitions of the Coming Home agenda, ensuring that individuals with complex needs are supported to live in the right place, with the right support, at the right time. 2.7 DIGITAL SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION During 2024-25, there has been significant progress and investment in digital solutions to support the management of social work and social care services. In addition to developments in Assistive Technology and those linked to the Community Alarm Service reference above these have included: Mosaic Case Management System As part of the North Lanarkshire Council’s Digital NL programme of work and Digital and IT Strategy 2019-24, the council carried out a cloud readiness assessment to determine which line of business system would be suitable for transitioning to a range of cloud-based solutions. This reinforced existing service concerns around the functionality of our SWIS case management system and led to a tender for a new system. Mosaic, the new Social Care Case management system, will be used across all social work services and the tackling poverty team presenting significant opportunities to improve worker access to relevant information, provide a single source for data on the people we support, improve data analytics and reporting to inform service improvement, and better opportunities for data sharing across the partnership. Reflecting the scale of work required to safely and effectively support this transition the development and implementation of Mosaic is supported by a project team, which has led the design and configuration of the systems throughout 2025-25. Work has progressed with teams from across all care groups and the wider system to configure the system to reflect our streamlined processes and workflows. Training for staff commenced in early 2025, with a range of online and in-person training available to staff and tailored to their roles. Focus throughout 2024-25 has been on preparing for the go live of the new system and assessing and testing the system and staff’s readiness for a significant change in working practice. At the time of writing, we are on track for our new system to go live in the early part of 2025-26 (June 2025). Dynamic Scheduling System for Care at Home Services (CM 2000) As reflected above, the Home Support Service is currently engaged in a service redesign exercise and within the context of the wider redesign activity, has procured a digital solution to ensure staff capacity is optimally utilised supporting the provision of over 6,000 visits per day by the approximately 750 home support workers on shift daily and importantly also supporting Page 227 of 374
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45 improvement in continuity of service and the matching of the right staff with the right skills to people at the right time, essential to the provision of quality care and services. ELMS 2 – Equipment Management System (Integrated Equipment & Adaptation Service) The Integrated Equipment & Adaptation Service has for many years used a software platform which is no longer supported. During 2024-25, a newly procured software solution, ELMS 2, has been implemented to better support service requirements including: • Direct ordering and tracking of orders technology providing delivery routes and times • Linking directly to the stock control process • Use on handheld devices reducing the reliance on printed paperwork and providing real- time delivery information to the prescribers and route management • Improved monitoring of equipment due for review and maintenance • Direct access to equipment catalogues stock levels and service users equipment history ELMS 2 also offers interoperability and integration with Mosaic Implementing these systems presents not just a shift from legacy systems, some of which are end of life, but also a cultural shift in using digital platforms which allow the service to function differently. The ability to access and generate accurate and real time information to support practitioners, the ability for supported people to access their own data and the enhanced data quality and integration offered by these products will continue to support the service across a range of settings. 3. STATUTORY INTERVENTIONS 3.1 MENTAL HEALTH OFFICERS SERVICE AND ADULTS WITH INCAPACITY ACT (SCOTLAND) 2000 The Mental Health Officer (MHO) Service continued to experience significant demand in relation to interventions under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 (AWI) across the year. Whilst there appeared to have been a drop in Local Authority applications – likely owing to orders previously being sought as part of Large-Scale Investigation related activity - there was an increase in the number of new requests being made from ‘Private’ Solicitors which placed pressure on the service. The reasons for this increase are unclear, although demographics of an ageing population are likely to be one contributing factor. Figure 1 – Details number of Guardianship Orders & Intervention orders across the 6 Locality areas of North Lanarkshire. Page 228 of 374
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46 Figure 1 above illustrates the spread of orders under AWI across the 6 Localities. There has been a very modest reduction in the total number of active Guardianship Orders – both ‘Local Authority’ and ‘private’ orders - in place for individuals’ resident in North Lanarkshire, falling very slightly from 1,008 to 1,006. Of the 1,006 current orders, 783 (77.8%) are ‘private’ orders and 223 (22.2%) are ‘Local Authority’ orders where the CSWO is the appointed Guardian. Figure 2 – Outlines the number of new and renewed orders in 2024-25 by Locality. The total number of new and renewed Guardianship Orders granted in 2023-24 was 340 and in 2024-25, this total was 382 a 10% increase on the previous year. Figure 3 below shows the increase in new AWI requests from 2021-22 to 2024-25. This is a 195.6% increase over the past 4 years. 32 57 37 26 29 42 133 114 218 101 81 136 5 6 3 4 11 7 0 50 100 150 200 250 Airdrie Coatbridge Cumbernauld Bellshill Motherwell Wishaw AWI Orders by Locality 2024-25 L.A. Guardianship Private Guardianship Intervention Orders 39 24 30 83 25 44 12 11 15 21 12 24 6 5 8 3 8 7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Airdrie Bellshill Coatbridge Cumbernauld Motherwell Wishaw New Orders by Locality 2024-25 Private Local Auth. Intervention Order Page 229 of 374
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47 Figure 3 – Compares new AWI requests made over a 4-year period. The statistics are indicative of a general upward trend in AWI requests. This trend is also reflected in Scotland-wide statistics where in 2014-15 there were 9,333 Guardianship Orders and by 2023- 24 a total of 19,078 – a 104.4% increase nationally (Mental Welfare Commission, 2024). This increased demand in relation to Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 will inevitably cause further pressures on an already strained MHO resource. These pressures leave the MHO service in a position where AWI applications which are deemed as less urgent being required to await MHO allocation for periods significantly longer than the statutory timeframe of 21 days, within which, following request from a ‘private’ Solicitor, the Local Authority has a legal duty to provide a MHO report creating a level of organisational vulnerability and concern from families despite a proactive approach to management of this pressure. In cases where powers under AWI are required to facilitate discharge from hospital, Sessional MHOs are generally allocated prior to a formal request being received in order that preliminary MHO work can be undertaken. This is in accordance with recommendations made by the Scottish Government in its ‘Authority to Discharge’ report in 2021. 3.2 MENTAL HEALTH (CARE AND TREATMENT) ACT 2003 AND MENTAL HEALTH (SCOTLAND ACT 2015) The past year has seen an increasing number of civil detentions under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 within North Lanarkshire. Whilst there has been a 28.6% decrease in the use of Emergency Detention Certificates (EDC) with MHO consent over the past year there has been a 72.3% increase in the use of EDC without MHO consent. The latter is a concerning trend which both NHS Lanarkshire and the Mental Welfare Commission are monitoring. Notably there has been significant increase of 34% in the number of Short-Term Detention Certificates (STDC) and, in turn, a 26.3% increase in Compulsory Treatment Orders (CTOs) over the same period. The past year has also seen a further 10% increase in ‘forensic’ requests for 135 223 362 399 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 New AWI requests 2021-22 to 2024-25 Page 230 of 374
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48 MHO input although the total number of Compulsion Orders (CO) and Compulsion Order with Restriction Orders (CORO) requiring MHO allocation has seen no change. Overall is apparent that there has been significant increase in demand placed upon the MHO Service in relation to measures under the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Criminal Procedure (Scotland)(Act) 1995. Compulsory measures used under Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 and Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. Total Emergency Detention consents [203] 145 28.6% decrease Total Emergency Detentions where no consent was sought [47] 81 72.3% increase Consent refused by MHO – Emergency Detentions [0] 0 No change Total Short Term Detentions consents [258] 346 34.0% increase Consent refused by MHO – Short Term Detentions [6] 6 No change Total Compulsory Treatment Orders [186] 235 26.3% increase Total Forensic Report requests [30] 33 10% increase Total Forensic orders supervised (CORO/CO) * [29] 29 No change 2023-24 data highlighted in red *Compulsion Order with Restriction Order/Compulsion Order 3.3 DEVELOPMENT OF MHO SERVICE TO MEET NEEDS During Summer 2023, an agreement was reached to move back toward a ‘Locality Model’ structure within the MHO Service aligned to the 6 Social Work Localities. Strategy Meetings have been held on a 6-weekly basis over the past 12 months to support the transition. Feedback has been largely positive, particularly in terms of re-establishing and strengthening links with Social Work and Community Mental Health Teams already operating within Localities. Since 2023, North Lanarkshire Council has enrolled 5 Social Workers to the Postgraduate Certificate in Social Work for Mental Health as external recruitment of MHO’s remains a challenge due to national shortages of qualified MHOs. The MHO Service is supported by x 6 Sessional MHO’s, whose work primarily consists of cases where intervention(s) under Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 is required to enable lawful discharge from hospital to nursing home placements. This has had a positive impact on reducing delays in discharging patients from hospital, although other aspects of the legal process out with the control of the MHO service does remain a barrier to further progress in this area. Page 231 of 374
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49 NLC has played an active part in consultation processes relating to this area of practice with notable consultations to proposals for overhauling incapacity law in Scotland; responses in terms of the use of and review of AWI; use of community-based measures under Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 and policy developments by Social Security Scotland. 3.4 APPROPRIATE ADULT SERVICES Within the reporting period, there were 64 referrals for the Appropriate Adult service, demonstrating a decrease of 16.8% (-13 referrals). There has been an identified trend of decreasing referral numbers both nationally and locally; noting an approximate decline of 50% in referral numbers since 2015 (see chart below). Concern that this may not reflect true need remains on the National Agenda, within Scottish Appropriate Adult Network (SAAN), and is being actively discussed at the Appropriate Adult National Oversight Group. Within North Lanarkshire, this has been discussed with Police Scotland, who have recirculated AA guidance within the Lanarkshire Division. At national level, the Appropriate Adult Guidance for Local Authorities is being reviewed by COSLA, and any update will be shared in due course. 118 140 99 108 92 71 69 77 64 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Annual AA Requests –North Lanarkshire NLC 4790 4600 3987 3474 2807 2865 2393 2334 2199 2488 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Annual AA Requests -Scotland SAAN Page 232 of 374
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50 Within North Lanarkshire Council, there are 39 employees who are trained Appropriate Adults (AA). 14 of the 39 undertake the AA role within Social Work Emergency Services (SWES) and 26 undertake their role as AA as part of the in-hours duty rota. Refresher training is available for AAs to attend every 6 months with uptake monitored. Discussions are taking place with SWES in relation to all SWES staff being trained to meet the demand of the Out of Hours AA service. 3.5 PUBLIC PROTECTION 3.5.1 ADULT SUPPORT AND PROTECTION INVESTIGATIONS/CASE CONFERENCES AND STATUTORY ORDERS/FUNCTIONS For the reporting period there were a total of 2916 ASP referrals to North Lanarkshire Social Work services. This represents a 12% decrease in referrals in comparison to 2023/24 (3, 314). For 2024-25, the primary source of ASP referrals was colleagues from NHSL (including the Scottish Ambulance Service, with a total of 772 referrals). This marks a shift from the previous five years, where care homes were the main referrers. Due to collaborative efforts with care homes and key stakeholders to both address risks and ensure appropriateness and consistency in referral practice, referrals from this sector have steadily decreased, to 644 for the period, a 42% drop from the 1,124 referrals in 2023/24. In addition, there have been smaller declines in referral numbers from other public sector partners: - compared to 23/24; internal Social Work referrals dropped 11% (from 400 to 356). Police Scotland referrals dropped 2% (from 410 to 403) and Scottish Fire and Rescue referrals fell 2% (from 116 to 114). Whilst Police ASP referrals have slightly decreased, Police ‘Adult Concern reports’ remain stable at a high level with a total of 4,294 Police ‘Adult Concern’ Reports received during the period, an 400 116 410 646 1123 3314 356 114 403 772 644 2916 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 Social Work Fire and Rescue Police Scotland NHS/L Care Homes Total ASP referrals ASP referral source 2023-24 2024-25 Page 233 of 374
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51 increase of 14 on last year. Taken together the number of ASP referrals and Police Adult Concern reports reflect the significant activity undertaken to keep adults in our communities safe. Physical harm remains the most common harm type referral with 1,137 referrals received, an absolute and proportionate decrease compared with last year (1,594 referrals) which can be linked to the decrease in referrals from the care home sector, where a number of referrals from care homes related to witnesses/unwitnessed falls. Practitioners within the care home sector have recognised that not every fall should result in an ASP referral, with good practice evident in some care homes supported by robust recording and defensible decision making. Cases featuring self-neglect can be some of the most difficult and complex for practitioners to manage as they often span ethical, legal, and practical considerations. For the period, there were 335 ASP referrals relating to self-neglect, an 8% increase in comparison to the previous year. Supporting good practice in these circumstances is a priority and a new self-neglect and hoarding toolkit has been made available for practitioners working with this harm type, there remains a specific focus on defensible decision making and professional curiosity in this area. ASP Inquiry with investigatory activity April 2025 marks one year since NLC’s revised ASP Policy and Procedures were implemented. It was anticipated that inquiries involving investigatory activities would increase, as the revised guidelines clarified the use of investigatory functions under the Act. Data indicates that this increase has indeed occurred. There were total of 872 inquiries with investigatory activity in the reporting period reflecting that 30% of all referrals moved to inquiry with investigatory activity. This is a significant and appropriate increase compared to last year when 15% (490) of referrals were recorded as having progressed to investigatory activity. This sits above the previous average conversion rate in Scotland from referral to inquiry with investigatory activity of 18%, however this is anticipated to increase when the Scottish Government publish its annual report for this period. ASP Case Conferences A total of 82 initial case conferences and 94 review case conference are recorded for the period an increase on the 77 initial case conferences and 88 review case conferences the previous year. Whilst this is considered positive, the overall conversion rate from investigatory activity to case conference has dropped compared to last year from 14% to 9% in part due to the sharp increase in the number of investigatory activities taking place. Ongoing monitoring and audit activity will ensure appropriate decision-making underpins changes in this rate. Statutory Order issues in 2024-25 Page 234 of 374
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52 Type of Protection Orders Number of Protection Orders Granted Assessment Order 0 Removal Order 0 Temporary Banning Order 0 Banning Order 0 Temporary Banning Order with Power of Arrest 4 Banning Order with Powers of Arrest 2 Total 6 The use of protection orders fell by one compared to last year (seven to six). It is recognised that where “adults at risk” are subject to protection planning measures, and a range of actions have been implemented to mitigate risk of harm, this can reduce the requirement for an ASP Protection Order. 3.5.2 MAPPA (MULTI-AGENCY PUBLIC PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS) Justice Social Work continues to work within MAPPA arrangements to promote community safety and engage with people convicted of sexual offences and those considered to present a risk of serious harm, to maximise public protection, whilst maintaining a proportionate and individualised approach to risk and need. The number of individuals managed under MAPPA has continued to grow, in part, due to the rise in online offences contributing to increased demand pressures. Moving forward, demand will further increase through the inclusion of Terrorist Offenders within the MAPPA process. Preparatory work continues in this area to ensure that North Lanarkshire is well placed to manage relevant individuals effectively and safely. The increase in the number of individuals managed under the MAPPA process with no corresponding increase in resources continues to put pressure on the service. This is a situation which shows no signs of diminishing in the coming years. This reporting year has witnessed an 8.5% increase in MAPPA activity from the previous year. Overall, the number of individuals managed under MAPPA has grown significantly since arrangements were established 18 years ago. MAPPA arrangements interface often with other public protection processes including child and adult protection, and with adult Social Work more broadly, due to the increasing number of individuals managed through MAPPA who have care needs relating to frailty or disability. MAPPA awareness sessions for wider staff groups are therefore held regularly. More specific details of MAPPA related activity are published annually within the Lanarkshire MAPPA report. available on the council website. Page 235 of 374
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53 North Lanarkshire Justice Service continues to contribute to national discussion and preparation for the introduction of MAPPS an updated information sharing platform with key partners including Police Scotland. 3.5.3 CHILD PROTECTION INCLUDING CONTEXTUAL SAFEGUARDING A substantial increase in the number of notifications of child protection concerns was seen coming out of the COVID pandemic, but this number reduced by 16% over 24/25. While it is too early to draw firm conclusions, we think this reflects our additional investments in whole family support and strengthened integrated working across the partnership. Year Number of Referrals by Child Child Protection Assessments (Investigations) Percentage Of Referrals Proceeding to Assessment Number of Assessments That Proceeded to Child Protection Planning Meeting Number Of Registrations from Child Protection Planning Meeting 2024-25 1960 674 34% 201 153 2023-24 2326 768 33% 254 179 2022-23 1895 775 41% 264 198 2021-22 1714 754 44% 229 177 2020-21 1482 831 56% 261 199 Work has continued across the partnership to improve our GIRFEC planning to ensure that children’s needs were addressed collectively and ensure children were not unnecessarily referred into a child protection process. We also note that child poverty rates increased over this period and while this does not cause child protection concerns, it is, as the Promise sets out, a critical factor in increasing stress for families. Neglect (as shown below) continues to be the concern type most frequently recorded at child protection planning meetings Income maximisation and other tackling poverty measures remain critical to our work with families more broadly and all families whose children’s names are on the child protection register are supported Page 236 of 374
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54 to engage with our financial inclusion team where this is appropriate. In my previous report, we highlighted the need to improve consistency in the quality of reports and plans for children and young people at risk of harm along with the quality of engagement with some families. To this end, we have now trained all social workers as lead professionals in the Signs of Safety Healing model as referenced in 2.4 above. In recognition that protecting children is a partnership responsibility, partners from health, education and other services have also been trained. This is strengthening relationship-based practice in both child protection and our broader work with families. Contextual Safeguarding Over the past year we continued to work to tackle ongoing concerns regarding the exploitation of young people into criminal activity, most notably, over this period, involving the theft of high value alcohol to order. Addressing this issue has required coordinated activity across local authority boundaries as well as within the partnership as young people were being pulled towards Glasgow and particularly the city centre. Data from Glasgow indicated that between May 25 and Feb 25, 19% of the young people accused of crime in the city centre were from North Lanarkshire. Of the 21 young people discussed at our multi-agency Young Person’s Safeguarding Panel over this period, 17 were identified as the victims of criminal exploitation leading to young people coming into frequent conflict with the law (charges of theft and altercations with retailers) with the risk of subsequent measures such as exclusion orders and curfews further criminalising young people, as they struggle to comply with these. Within social work various strategies have been used to support the young people including group work, outreach to the city centre, joint work with other authorities, police and youth work colleagues and diversionary activity from intensive services, residential staff and social workers, Page 237 of 374
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55 including activities/time outside the area. Within the past year, three young people have had time in secure care linked to the risks around CCE. The case study below illustrates this work. Bairns Hoose The Bairns Hoose model promotes a child-centred, trauma-informed and multi-agency approach that supports children recover from abuse with roll out across Scotland a commitment made within the national programme for government. Whilst not a pathfinder area our pan-Lanarkshire partnership was awarded a Development Fund budget of £102,640.00 from Scottish Government to support planning and the development of a business case for a Lanarkshire Bairns Hoose. The model aims to • Minimise re-traumatisation of children • Improve access to specialised support services • Enhance the effectiveness of our justice system for young people • Foster faster recovery and healing for affected children and families and is designed with children's needs at the forefront by engaging with children, young people and their families who have experienced the child protection system. One of the core elements of this model, a trauma informed joint investigative interview model has operated successfully in Lanarkshire for the past five years. A Steering Group supported by a commissioned consultancy has over this period undertaken extensive planning and consultation work which will now underpin decisions on next steps to take forward the wider model in Lanarkshire. Page 238 of 374
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56 3.5.4 GENDER BASED VIOLENCE The strategic vehicle for work to tackle gender based violence in North Lanarkshire is through the local VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls Structures) with social work staff playing a key role in both preventative and safeguarding activity including delivery of the UP2U programme referenced in section 2.3.4 above. MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferencing) Pan-Lanarkshire MARAC arrangements are a key mechanism to facilitate a joint approach from partners where incidents of domestic violence suggest a high future risk of harm and are now supported through a formal joint funding arrangement in place with Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire to support the management and co-ordination of MARAC in the area. The MARAC annual report 2024/ 2025 highlighted: • 77 MARAC locality meetings took place in the year • 500 referrals were received for North Lanarkshire • 87% of all referrals received were allocated to a MARAC meeting • 26% were repeat referrals • 98% of victims discussed were female There was a reduction of 113 referrals being received for MARAC in 2024/5 to 2023/4. This is considered likely to be due to Police Scotland Q Division bringing in a quality assurance process to ensure that appropriate referrals were progressed to MARAC. Safe and Together Safe and Together is an approach to working with families where domestic abuse is a concern. It aims to overcome the gender bias in parenting by holding to account the parent perpetrating domestic abuse (usually fathers) to the same high parenting standards as the parent being abused (usually mothers). Over the summer of 2024, the Improvement Service supported North Lanarkshire Safe and Together Steering Group to evaluate the impact of the roll-out of Safe and Together so far, with a particular focus on generating learning around what has supported practitioners to put the training into practice, what the challenges are and the impact that the Safe and Together is having for families experiencing domestic abuse who are coming into contact with social work and other services across North Lanarkshire. The findings of the report have been drawn from nine 1:1 interviews with Safe and Together trained Social Workers and one Children’s Reporter, two multi-agency focus groups and a small case file audit. The Improvement Service found there was clear and consistent evidence of increased understanding of and recognition of the impact of domestic abuse, and examples of domestic abuse informed practice by individual social workers and other practitioners. Key findings included: Page 239 of 374
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57 • Practitioners expressed feeling more confident engaging with parents who perpetrate domestic abuse, recognising their patterns of behaviour and the links to child wellbeing, the survivors’ safety and wellbeing and framing this as a parenting choice; • Practitioners also shared examples of increased positive engagement as a result of using the Safe and Together model in their work with families experiencing domestic abuse, and emphasised the strengths of the model in developing relationships of trust with survivors as well as supporting survivors to understand the full impact of perpetrators’ patterns of abuse on their lives and the lives of their children; • Practitioners also expressed that the commitment to the roll-out of Safe and Together across North Lanarkshire is supporting them to challenge practice not aligned with domestic-abuse informed systems, services, and workforce; • The support from the Safe and Together Co-ordinator was highlighted as key to embedding the training into their practice, and practitioners consistently noted the need for ongoing training and practice support to sustain and embed change. Funding, through the national Equally Safe fund has been made available to support on-going implementation of Safe and Together across North Lanarkshire until March 2026 with the position beyond this subject to wider national review. 4. RESOURCES To support Social Work service delivery, North Lanarkshire Council had a gross expenditure budget of approximately £327m in the 2024-25 budget year (£310m Financial Year 2023/24). More specifically, this budget comprised Adult Social Care (c. £272m) and Children & Families and Justice (c. £55m) respectively. Children, Families & Justice -Gross Expenditure Budget 2024-25 -£55.19m All Support Functions (£5.27m) CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (£31.54m) JUSTICE SERVICES (£9.34m) Children & Families A&P (£9.04m) Page 240 of 374
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58 In total, Social Work activity during the 2024-25 budget year was delivered within the overall budget resource allocations and resulted in an underspend position. Within Adult Social Care, the underspend position was predominantly the result of the non- recurring underspend relating to pension costs (reduced contribution rate to the Strathclyde Pension Fund), coupled with underspends due to vacancies. This underspend position was offset by overspends contained within the service including overtime within employee costs, transport costs, and Payments to Other Bodies. The overspend within 'Payments to Other Bodies' was related to cost pressures within the care-at-home sector as well as independent care home providers. The overall underspend across Children & Families and Justice consisted of an underspend within employee costs because of the non-recurring reduced pension rates (as above) as well as establishment of vacancies across various service delivery functions. In addition, following the receipt of an additional £1.162m Scottish Government funding in relation to the Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA) in the 2024-25 budget year, an underspend within Family Placements (Payments to Other Bodies) occurred, which reflected the level of demand compared to overall resources currently available. Proposals are however being developed for further investment in this area to support address challenges in respect of carer support and foster care recruitment and retention as outlined in 2.4.3 above. Adult Social Care -Gross Expenditure Budget 2024/25 - £272.233m Support Functions (£19.588m) Self Directed Support (£107.431m) Mental Health & Adult Protection (£1.654m) Carers Support (£3.011m) Access Social Work (£1.108m) IEAS (£6.397m) Home Support (including Com Alarms) (£58.198m) Care Homes (£47.093m) Registered Social Landlords (£0.779m) Assistive Technology (£1.523m) Page 241 of 374
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59 4.1 FINANCIAL MODELLING FOR SERVICE DELIVERY Financial planning and monitoring continue to be key responsibilities for the Management Team. The Council’s Financial Strategy includes Service input into four key processes as follows: • Preparation of detailed single year budget • In–year budget monitoring and projections • Preparation of rolling three-year budgets • Preparation of a Medium-Term Financial Plan Alongside these processes, the Council’s Finance Team works closely with the IJB Chief Finance Officer to prepare a medium-term financial plan for the Health and Social Care Partnership. In terms of financial modelling, the Management Team increasingly takes a whole systems approach in delivering new and more efficient operating models which often requires joint working with other Council Services and key external partners. With respect to Children’s Services, the Council and local partnership is continuing to work with the national Promise Team on ‘Human and Economic Cost Modelling.’ This work is intended to support longer term change both nationally and locally, by identifying how resources are currently spent and what system changes are required to move the balance of spend toward early intervention and family support, in line with the aspirations of the Christie Report. ‘Investing in Prevention’ is a key strand of the Resilient People programme of work and a key focus within both adult and children’s services as a vehicle for cost avoidance as well as improving outcomes in the face of wider budget pressures, new legislative duties and growing demand. To this end as demonstrated throughout this report social work services are working creatively across service boundaries and in partnership with the community and voluntary sector. The reliance on multiple short-term, often ring-fenced funding streams to support innovation continues however to challenge capacity for more fundamental and sustainable change despite emerging evidence of positive impacts in areas such as family support. 5. WORKFORCE Workforce planning within Social Work is overseen by the Social Work Workforce Planning Group, which both informs and is informed by the Council’s corporate ‘Workforce for the Future Strategy’ and the wider UHSCPNL workplan. 5.1 WORKFORCE PLANNING Considering continued public sector savings requirements and unrelenting demands on local authorities and HSCPs, workforce planning has a crucial part to play to ensure current and future service demands are met. These pressures, coupled with recruitment challenges in areas such as the Home Care sector, can clearly also have an impact on current staff, enhancing the importance of staff welfare. Page 242 of 374
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60 Positively, both the council and HSCP have committed to the implementation of a Trauma Informed Workforce, and we maintain a strong range of HR policies and other supports which continue to support staff to work flexibly whilst recognising that despite digital developments effective social work and relationship-based practice continues to require significant levels of face-to-face contact reflected in limited percentage of fully hybrid roles within the service. 5.2 SOCIAL WORK RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION Enhanced whole career support and development, allied to the wider ambitions of Workforce for the Future and the Scottish Government ambition to create a strategic framework from qualification though to enhanced practice, remains at the forefront of NLC’s commitment to Social Workers. Our Social Work Trainee Scheme has supported both enhanced career pathways for NLC employees and internal social work recruitment planning. Eight employees joined the current scheme with four graduating and moving into social work posts this year and others scheduled to complete within the next two years. Work is also ongoing with HR and Training & Organisational Development to develop the Social Work Graduate Apprenticeship Scheme, which is likely to go live in September. In addition to internal pathways, we continue to recruit externally with a reduction in vacancies and turnover likely to be linked to the re-evaluation of social worker and first line manager post two years ago leading to more competitive salaries and recruitment although a balance of experience levels in some teams remains a challenge, with the need identified also for more focussed support for first line managers. Work is ongoing with Training and Organisational Development (TOD) colleagues to address this. Immediate access to our Senior Practitioner scheme for eligible Social Workers is an option if the criteria, as set out in the scheme, are met. Our Senior Practitioner Scheme has also recently been reviewed. Updated guidance and a review of the process has ensured that the requirements of the scheme are clearer for Social Workers and Community Occupational Therapists, and that the additional responsibilities carried out by Senior Practitioners also meet service needs. With over 60 practitioners holding the status, the scheme facilitates further support for Social Work services whilst rewarding practitioners, for their experience and effort, with an enhanced salary. Challenges around temporary cover requirements remain with temporary vacancies not automatically filled due to the financial implications and often difficult to recruit to, impacting the team’s capacity. For this reason, temporary vacancies are being closely monitored in terms of numbers and locations with a number of longer-term cover requirements advertised recently with some success. Where specialist experience has been deemed essential, for example, in Social Work Emergency Services (out-of-hour service), the hospitals and the Home Assessment Team (HAT), role-specific Social Worker and Senior Social Worker adverts have been used. This approach has continued to produce positive results. Page 243 of 374
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61 One area that has remained a challenge is appointment to our Community Mental Health Teams. Qualified Mental Health Officer vacancies in the past year have impacted service provision across localities. Continuous advertising has now resulted in appointments, but the challenge of supporting new appointees and retaining staff continues. We continue to be committed to promoting the MHO programme to existing Social Workers within the service. Work is also ongoing to prepare interested Social Workers for future courses. Two funded MHO Traineeship Scheme places are currently within the structure, with a recent review agreeing to an increase to this number in future years. Our Practice Assessor continues to work with MHO students and those who express an interest in attending the postgraduate course, supporting the development of Social Workers in Community Mental Health Teams across the localities. As reflected in section 3.3 above six sessional MHOs also provide support for the service. 5.3 SOCIAL CARE As was the case last year, a significant focus remains on the recruitment of Home Support Workers and other social care roles. Continuous recruitment to the post of Home Support Worker has been ongoing for several months with new Home Support Workers now onboarding, however high numbers of leavers continue to impact on the staffing overall. The Home Support Service review continues to review current and project future service demands, with employee age and skill profiles being considered when future staffing considerations are being made. 5.4 OTHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION CHALLENGES A review and redesign of Social Work business support and administration has taken place over this period with a view to modernising roles and responsibilities and is anticipated to conclude in summer 2025. The aim is not only to update the structure and roles in line with current business needs but to improve career pathways for staff and address retention challenges in an area which remains critical to the effective delivery of social work services. Challenges remain also within our Locality Support Services, as turnover can be high across the mix of grades supporting direct delivery, which makes it difficult to maintain stable staffing levels across the six localities. Overall, the service has benefited from the support provided by the Summer Placement Programme and the opportunities that have arisen for students following placements. Following an initial intake of 18 summer placements in 2023, and building on the success of that, across the reporting period 52 summer placements were taken up across the service. For summer 2025 planning is at an advanced stage for further expansion of the scheme, to 64 placements. This programme offers paid work to NLC pupils for seven weeks of the school summer holidays within Social Work services in roles such as Home Support Worker, Locality Support Worker and in various roles within the Integrated Equipment and Adaptation Store promoting also interest in the field of social work and social care amongst school leavers and subsequent interest in both Page 244 of 374
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62 sessional and substantive opportunities, a key priority in the light of both recruitment challenges and the age profile of our workforce. 5.5 SOCIAL WORK DEGREE PATHWAY Since the disbanding of Learning Network West, we have been working hard to establish and create new partnerships with Universities and Further Education providers across Central Scotland. These partnerships will also enable students to have access to more sustainable and achievable placement opportunities within their own locale. These links have further enabled us to also address some of the concerns raised post-covid regarding the learning and realistic expectations of students with respect to roles within Social Work. The Practice Learning Team has been invited to universities to present input and learning events for students to enhance their knowledge and understanding and our links support them in preparing students for placement by fully aligning their learning needs resulting in a more meaningful placement for both them and the Council. We have developed our links with South Lanarkshire Council and are working on the implementation of a local placement pathway agreement allowing students to gain two statutory placements during their studies with us. It is anticipated this will better prepare them for their supported year as a Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW), making them more confident and competent in their role. Since August 2024 we have hosted 51 external students on placement from four different universities We continue to operate a student hub based within Motherwell Social Work Locality offices with our students and trainee social workers working together as a team under the supervision of a Senior Practice Learning Officer. Work is sourced and allocated from across all Social Work Service in NLC. Graduate Apprenticeships Route and Internal Pathway Developments As referenced above we are currently a working with Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland, UWS Paisley campus, the Open University, SASW and with two Local Authorities - Fife and Edinburgh, to develop a Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) in Social Work with the proposal for the GA programme currently with SSSC for approval. If successful, we predict this pathway to commence in late 2025. In preparation of this we are currently developing a process that will enable internal staff already on the Social Work pathway to apply and envisage supporting six GA placements in the first year, with a rolling programme every year thereafter. In addition to our trainee posts we are also supporting 38 members of staff with individual learning plans; all of whom are undertaking Open University modules and working towards a degree in Social Work. Twelve from this pathway have progressed as far as independently Page 245 of 374
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63 possible without the agreement of sponsorship from the service, therefore we are looking at ways to further progress this route. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT 5.6 FOCUS ON HOMECARE SSSC – registration process We have engaged with SSSC to enable a smoother process for Home Support Workers who have a qualification to achieve their registration. The Talent and Organisation Development (TOD) team have been collaborating with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) to ensure staff are well- informed about their responsibilities regarding registration. Care Management 2000 (CM2000), our new scheduling system is critical to significantly enhancing efficiency for both our employees and service users. In September 2024, priority was given to the roll out of training to Home Support Workers introducing them to CM Mobile, the new app that they will be using to access their schedules. By December 2024 sessions 1,129 workers had been fully trained, and as of April 2025 we have now delivered training to 1,264 members of staff in total. Moving and Positioning Training In partnership with a range of stakeholders, we have conducted a robust review of the Service's "moving and positioning" training requirements. As a result, we have updated and enhanced our training offerings to better align with the needs of the Service. We have also been engaged in discussions regarding the rebranding and renaming of the current "Moving and Positioning" training programme to align with North Lanarkshire Council's commitment to person-centred language and Trauma-Informed Practice. As part of this update, we have replaced the previous course title with ‘Supporting Individuals with Moving and Positioning.’ This training is also important for our staff in other settings including Integrated Day and Locality Support Services. In addition to the broader role of our care academy two significant projects have also supported the development of the homecare workforce over the past year: Upskilling for Home Care Workers In line with the qualification agenda, we continue to utilise the monies available from the UK Prosperity Fund to develop a training pathway for our Home Support staff. Our partnership with New College Lanarkshire has enabled us to procure access to ongoing spaces for the programme over the next year with another 60 workers currently undertaking qualification from our Aug 2024, Nov 2024, and March 2025 cohorts. The success of this programme has also allowed us the opportunity to extend this relationship with New College Lanarkshire with us recognising the ongoing staffing difficulties within the service and the level of new recruits requiring access to qualifications within a shorter timescale. Page 246 of 374
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64 Home Care Support Officers We are continuing to identify opportunities to support this group of staff to access suitable qualifications and opportunities for future employment pathways. However, this work will now be aligned with the redesign of the home support service. 5.7 NEWLY QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORK PROGRAMME The practice learning team has inherited additional duties and pressures following the decision from SSSC not to extend the funding for Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW) supported year programmes. In response to this we have now linked each of our three full-time Practice Educators with two Locality teams to ensure that we can support all six localities and the current 65 NQSW across the services. The Practice Learning team facilitate Early Professional Development sessions monthly as well as individual and group learning sessions. The team also supports all Senior Social Workers and managers who currently have a NQSW in their team. Expectations of the NQSW in terms of demonstrating achievement of multiple learning requirements required for registration have created a level of anxiety amongst this cohort of our workforce and challenge for line managers. In response to this, the practice learning team are working in collaboration with the Clyde Valley consortium to develop a more streamlined NQSW pathway by developing a workbook that will be easier to navigate to support NQSW and managers when gathering evidence and validating work, whilst ensuring that we are working and following the same principles. 5.8 OTHER KEY TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES Development of a Social Work learning dashboard on Learn NL December 2024 saw the launch of our newly designed and developed Social Work Learning dashboard which was a key driver in enabling staff across the service to have easy access to training and development opportunities, also providing a space to share and promote resources that are specific and relevant to services. To date, the feedback and response has shown that staff are now more able to navigate and find training in relation to their service and role and also becoming more active in relation to self-booking and securing training dates and attendance at both online and face-to-face opportunities. The dashboard also allows managers to readily monitor the uptake of training. Training Needs Analysis As part of the development of the Learn NL Social Work dashboard, substantial training needs analysis has been completed across all Social Work and Social Care services. The findings from these TNAs have been used to identify and prioritise learning and development opportunities over the coming year. Below are examples both of core training delivery and the development of training offers to address specific service needs, developments and improvement priorities: Page 247 of 374
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65 Provision of Getting it Right in Child Protection training We continue to work alongside our colleagues on the Child Protection Committee to offer a range of multi-agency training opportunities across the partnership. These are made up of in-person training, online training sessions as well as e-Learning modules. Since April 2024, we have delivered a range of learning including: Core five day training Getting it Right in Child Protection, Introduction to Contextual Safeguarding, CEOP Child Exploitation and Online Protection Training, Presenting Your Evidence Training as well as inputs on Child Criminal Exploitation and Parental Substance Misuse. We have also seen a steady increase in the use of Learn NL for eLearning modules and learning materials including on: Child Protection Awareness, Contextual Safeguarding, Child Sexual Exploitation, Understanding Child Neglect, Equal Protection, Age of Criminal Responsibility and Assessment and Planning for Children and Young People Safe & Together We have been supporting the commissioning of specialist eLearning modules and materials from the Safe and Together Institute. We are now working alongside our Digital Lead colleagues and legal advisers to ensure copyright, compliance and programme integrity issues are addressed so that we can bring these materials to North Lanarkshire; as potentially the first local authority in the UK to gain access to these materials. United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) We are also working together on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) training framework, looking at ways to implement this aligning with the standards and identifying any gaps or areas for improvement that need to be addressed. Adult Support and Protection Training We continue to work alongside our colleagues from the Adult Protection Committee and Senior Officers within Adult Health and Social Care to refresh and align our Adult Support Level 1 training, offered to all Home Support Workers and admin staff, to that offered through multi agency settings Assessment, Planning and Recording Practice training Working alongside our colleagues in Senior Social Work Management, we have developed a new, refreshed and rebranding of the above training to ‘Getting it right for everyone: Person centred; outcome focused training’ which is aligned to the current focus on our Back 2 Basics agenda, enabling hubs and strengths-based approaches. This training has been delivered to all Senior Social Workers, and work is ongoing to cascade this across the Social Work workforce. Page 248 of 374
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66 There will be an emphasis on this training being delivered to our colleagues in Adults Health and Social Care in the first instance with this then being adapted to also include colleagues in Children & Families and Justice. Sensory Impairment Awareness Training We continue to work with our Rehabilitation and Mobility Officers who deliver Sensory Impairment Training throughout the year extending access to third sector colleagues and refreshing content including working with our colleagues from Corporate Communications and the Civic Centre Ancillary staff to develop interactive video and accompanying resources. Subject Access Request Social work leads have worked with TOD and Legal Information Governance and Standards services to support staff to develop a more tailored offer for social work staff with respect to Subject Access Requests (SARs). Incorporating learning from our work on historical abuse a key focus has been not only to ensure compliance with statutory responsibilities but to ensure requests are managed in a way which is trauma- informed and sensitive to individual needs. We have delivered two sessions so far which were well received, having achieved an attendance of 238. Unpaid Work Learning Clusters In partnership with Community Justice Scotland, South Lanarkshire and Glasgow City Council, the Restorative Justice team has developed Unpaid Work Learning Clusters. This specific learning relates to the unique role of an Unpaid Work Supervisor and is aimed at improving the knowledge, understanding, skills, and values of paraprofessionals working within unpaid work teams. Nine ‘taster modules’ in various aspects of Social Work theory and practice that are highly relevant to the role, particularly to Placement Managers and Supervisors, were delivered. Restorative Justice hosted 10 events from May 2024 until November 2024 involving local authorities from across the West of Scotland. Social Work Induction Working alongside our Colleagues across Social Work Services and Quality Assurance; work is ongoing in the development of a digital Social Work Induction which will be available for all members of Social Work Staff and a useful resource for service information. It is also envisaged that work will continue in this area to further develop in-house induction to complement the suite of opportunities and information being made available as well as the National Induction Framework being made available through SSSC Practice learning pathway for link workers We currently have a practice learning pathway for Social Workers with two years post qualifying experience and interested in becoming link workers. At present we have 140 Link Workers, and 22 Practice Educators based in service throughout NLC. We also have a number of Link Workers Page 249 of 374
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67 applying to undertake the Practice Development Award in Learning, which will start later this year use partnership links to access four places on the Glasgow City Council PDA in Practice Learning (PDAPL) route and two places at Napier University starting January 2026. Over the coming year, the TOD team exploring the potential to bring this qualification in-house through our Assessment Centre. Policies and Procedures Resource We are working alongside our colleagues in Quality Assurance and our HR Transformations Team via short-life working group to look at updating and improving access to all resources relating to live Social Work policies and procedures. This follows on from a growing number of requests from staff asking to access such information and being unsure if the information is still relevant and up to date Continued provision of qualifications through the Assessment Centre The Assessment Centre continues to support SVQ and PDA qualifications required to meet registration, role, and CPD requirements. This is achieved through both in-house assessment and access to SVQs through external providers. Provision of post-graduate qualifications The team also continues to provide access to Post Graduate Certificate opportunities through the Learning and Development budget. The numbers undertaking some forms of qualification are detailed below: • Postgraduate in Child Welfare and Protection – three • Postgraduate in Adult Support and Protection – one • Postgraduate in Dementia Studies – one • Postgraduate in Contemporary Drug & Alcohol Studies – one • Mental Health Officer - two • Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership Pathways – one 5.9 TRAUMA INFORMED PRACTICE The development of the council’s Trauma Plan is led within social work supported by a multi- service Steering Group. Since the introduction of the Trauma Informed Practice eLearning modules on Learn NL in March 2024 over 5,000 staff have accessed these. Supporting information and videos are also available relating to specific service areas including Justice Services, Dementia Care and Learning Disabilities whilst a successful Train the Trainer event also identified 11 in-house facilitators who can support the roll out of Transforming Connections, our skilled level of the face-to-face training programme. Critically we are working to ensure trauma- informed practice is embedded across our training and learning offers. Page 250 of 374
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68 5.10 SUPPORT FOR STAFF WELLBEING Staff Health and Wellbeing (HWB) is a key element of our approach to workforce, recognising alongside wider needs the particular factors which can cause pressure within social work and social care settings. During this time, a dedicated staff HWB worker has supported the activity across locality teams. Elements of the work undertaken include leadership wellbeing workshops, the continued role out of the ‘Stay Conversation’ project, delivery of bespoke wellbeing sessions for individual teams and the development of wider initiatives which include a peer support network in conjunction with voluntary sector partners. In addition, there has been work undertaken to identify leadership focused wellbeing approaches across teams that promote good practice including embedding HWB in staff supervision and CPD. 6. LOOKING FORWARD – PRIORITIES FOR 2025-2026 AND BEYOND A number of national and local priorities reflected in this report will carry forward into the next year and beyond as underpinning many of these priorities remains the need for longer term system change which cannot be taken forward in single year. Critical amongst these are the drive to shift our focus to prevention and the whole system work required to address the poverty and health inequalities which impact significantly on the demand for social work services and critically on the outcomes and life chances of those we support. In these areas North Lanarkshire’s Programme of Work alongside that of the HSCP will continue to provide a framework for the social work contribution. We are pleased also to have the opportunity to undertake new work with SHERU (Scottish Health Equity Research Unit) and as part of our new Fairer Futures Partnership (FFP) to drive progress in this area whilst also continuing our work with Promise Scotland. Continuing to embed and promote trauma-informed, relational, strengths based practice and enabling approaches is also fundamental to transforming our services Across Adult Health & Social Care Services, we will align the work developed through our pathfinder as we progress from our Back-to-Basics approach to Getting it Right for Everyone to ensure that meaningful outcomes are realised, with people accessing the right support at the right time, whilst also minimising pressure on services. Whilst in Children’s Services we will continue to progress our Signs of Safety and Healing and Contextual Safeguarding approaches. We will also progress our multi-agency review of family support alongside a stocktake of progress as we move beyond the half-way point of the national Promise transformation programme. The further strengthening of integrated working both within social work and across partner services and agencies will also remain critical in areas such as transitional safeguarding, child criminal exploitation and in supporting the growing cohort of children and young people with additional support needs, the focus to for our FFP work. Work around the strategic intent set out in the North Lanarkshire Carers Strategy 2024 -2027 will continue, with a specific focus around parent carers, an area identified where further engagement would be beneficial. 2024 saw the formal adoption, within Scotland, of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Alongside this, a Child Friendly Complaints Handling Procedure was introduced by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). As we progress into 2025, we will seek to continue to implement learning from complaints to improve practice. Page 251 of 374
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69 A range of additional legislation will also place new duties and demands on social work as these are rolled out including the Children (Care and Justice Act) 2024, Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, Prison (Early Rease) (Scotland) Act 2025 and the Children (Care, Care Experience and Service Planning) (Scotland) Bill which is progressing through the parliamentary process. Despite the relatively healthy outturn position reported in Section 4 of this report there remain substantial financial pressures across the sector as demand for services outweighs capacity as well as a range of workforce challenges outlined above, within a context where the service’s core social worker staffing per head of population is lower than the national average and the lowest in our family group. The establishment of the New National Social Work Agency and National Social Work Partnership should support progress with respect to core areas in scope including social work education and learning, workforce planning and leadership and governance of the profession, building also on the findings of the recent national thematic review of social work governance. Capacity to invest to resource improvement in these areas however remains uncertain. In this context local partnership working to drive and support change and gain best value from our joint resource will remain key, as will building on our learning on how we can best support and develop our staff. Alongside this the embedding of new digital systems should support both greater efficiency as well as improved data on which to plan although there is need also for active consideration of the potential opportunities (and limitations) of AI applications to support staff in areas such as recording and analysis As we move forward to take on some of these challenges and opportunities this report demonstrates that we have a solid base of good practice on which to build. Page 252 of 374
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1 North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref Date 18/11/25 Quality Assurance Annual Report From Morag Dendy, Chief Officer (Planning, Performance, and Quality Assurance) E-mail DendyM@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Executive Summary The role of Quality Assurance includes a broad spectrum of activity both internally across social work services, and, in partnership with our commissioned services. Assurance and Governance underpins our key functions whilst aligning our work to the Council’s Plan for North Lanarkshire and the five-year Programme of Work 2023-2028. Throughout 2024/2025, the Quality Assurance Team have participated in Strategic Planning meetings, influencing and shaping future priorities and approaches aligned with the University Health & Social Care (UHSCNL) Strategic Commissioning Plan 2023 – 2026 and the priorities outlined within the associated Programme of Work. The health and social care environment in which we operate remains challenging and sharing of best practice and solution focused ideas are integral to ensure the people of North Lanarkshire receive good quality support to help meet their outcomes. Our commitment is to provide an annual report on activity carried out in the preceding year. The purpose of this report is to update Committee on our Quality Assurance activity over the annual period of 1 April 24 to 31 March 25. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: (1) Note and endorse the contents of the report. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (12) Ensure our residents are able to achieve, maintain, and recover their independence through appropriate supports at home and in their communities Programme of Work Resilient People Item 9 Page 253 of 374
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2 1. Background 1.1 This report highlights Quality Assurance activity over the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. It outlines how work has progressed in areas which includes Contracts & Contract Management Framework, Procurement, Back to Basics – Getting it Right for Everyone, Safe Staffing, Market Facilitation, Review of Registered Social Landlords, Duty of Candour, In House Monitoring, Social Work Risk Management, ASW Governance Subgroup for Registered Managers, Participation & Engagement and Carers. 1.2 Full detail of these activities is included in Appendix One. 2. Report Contracts 2.1 The Quality Assurance Team are responsible for coordinating and facilitating all procurement activity across social work. This is in partnership with our corporate procurement colleagues, who provide the framework and legal basis to ensuring that decisions taken are in line with legislation including the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. 2.2 Over the past year, Quality Assurance have continued to ensure consistency across purchased services and that contractual arrangements have clearly defined terms and conditions. This has ensured that expectations are clearly outlined and there is a basis for contract monitoring to take place. This enables the quality of services being provided to people to be evaluated. Arrangements range from national frameworks to Individual Placement Agreements which balance quality against cost to achieve overall best value for services purchased to support people. Contract Management Framework 2.3 Adherence with the contract management framework is an integral component of the processes in place to demonstrate commissioned services are adhering to terms and conditions and that outcomes and best value are achieved. Contract monitoring is a means to identify unmet need and inform future strategic planning and commissioning. 2.4 The Contract Management Framework was also the focus of a recent internal audit of Quality Assurance. Findings were positive, with only minor recommendations for improvement. As a result of the audit, feedback from stakeholders and new legislation, further enhancements have been made: • Contract Management Framework process has been made clearer with roles & responsibilities outlined for both QA staff and providers • Monitoring prioritisation assessment (MPA) modified to more clearly identify service-related risk • Analysis of quarterly return submission documented, and feedback is now given to providers • Closure date introduced for acceptance of quarterly & annual return submissions to enhance compliance • Information added to capture the principles of safe staffing legislation Page 254 of 374
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3 2.4.1 We reported last year that we planned to produce a Quarterly Commissioned Services Performance Report. This was implemented as of 1st April 2024, to provide useful information to operational colleagues to assist in supporting people to make a choice of care provider based on the available intelligence. The report also enables the Quality Assurance Team to monitor performance, patterns, themes and trends in relation to areas such as notifications of concern, engagement & participation, Care Inspectorate Grades, Tier Ratings and compliance with annual/quarterly provider returns. 2.4.2 During the reporting period we started to provide information which assists Locality Teams in supporting people to identify their choice of care provider. All providers on the SDS Framework are included within the Performance Benchmark Tool, as are up to date contact details. Alongside each provider on the SDS Framework, we have included performance information which gives indicators to the quality of care being provided to people. We strive to ensure information is up to date. Benchmarks include Care Inspectorate grades, contract monitoring Tier indicating associated risk level and evaluation score at the time of entering the framework. Procurement 2.5 Quality Assurance continued to lead on procurement activity for all social work services in collaboration with colleagues within Corporate Procurement, Service Leads and Locality Social Work Teams, to ensure joined up planning, clear procurement processes and subsequent contract monitoring arrangements. This ensured that all commissioned contract work delivered best value, in accordance with Procurement Reform Scotland Act 2014 and the Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016. In House Monitoring Framework 2.6 Throughout 2024 a Test of Change for the newly developed In House Monitoring Framework continued within Home Support (Living Well at Home). The review and evaluation of the In-House Monitoring Framework commenced in December 2024 and those who had been involved in the development of this, and the participants of the Test of Change provided feedback on what worked well and what further developments could be embedded within the approach. Feedback consisted of individual meetings and group workshops. 2.7 The Senior Management Team have agreed the roll out of the revised In-House Monitoring Framework and a programme of activity will commence in April 2025. Market Facilitation 2.8 The health and social care sector continued to experience a variety of challenges. These challenges are expected to continue for some time. The Quality Assurance team continues to promote, stimulate and support market facilitation, and our approach is based on strategic intervention, relationship building, light touch intervention and supporting beneficial new relationships and activities that lead to resilient and sustainable approaches. In turn this leads to continuous improvement, improved ways of working and an active learning cycle, whereby planning impacts on delivery, review and learning. Engagement & Participation 2.9 In September 2024 the University Health and Social Care Engagement and Participation Strategy was launched alongside the Growth Pot Fund. Quality Assurance were involved in both the drafting of, and raising awareness of, the strategy Page 255 of 374
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4 and its ambitions. During the year work to collate examples of best practice to support staff across the service to further engage with those involved in services, was undertaken by Quality Assurance, in partnership with Planning and Performance colleagues. Back-to-basics to getting it right for everyone 2.10 Over the past year within Adult Health & Social Care Services, we have been working on the development of an enabling approach that supports the move from our work on back-to-basics to getting it right for everyone, as we recognise the landscape of health and social care is changing and services, supports and responses need to change to continue to improve the lives of people who live and work in North Lanarkshire. We have sought to adopt a human learning approach by trying different ways to focus more on people and less on systems and processes, and use resources to their best effect, to make the most positive impact on peoples’ lives. 2.11 Over the coming year we will further develop specific plans and service developments: as this is a whole system approach, we anticipate there will be a lot to focus on and much change across services, supports and responses that are needed to achieve and sustain change. Safe Staffing 2.12 The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 (HCSA) came into effect on 1st April 2024. The purpose of this legislation is to establish a statutory framework to ensure appropriate staffing levels in health and care settings. North Lanarkshire Council have responsibilities as a provider of care and support and as a placing authority. 2.13 Quality Assurance supported both commissioned and in-house services with the implementation of the Act throughout the reporting period, by facilitating two dedicated working groups. 2.14 Quality Assurance have devised the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 Annual Report for Social Work Services. Duty of Candour 2.15 All health and social care services in Scotland have an organisational duty of candour. This is a legal requirement which means that when certain types of incidents happen, the people affected understand what has happened, receive an apology, and the organisation learns how to improve for the future. 2.16 North Lanarkshire Council reviewed and modified its Duty of Candour reporting procedures during 2024/25. Throughout January, February & March 2025 Locality Social Work Managers, Senior Social Workers and Registered Managers participated in awareness raising sessions to enhance understanding of the circumstances when Duty of Candour would be considered; and the stages involved in the procedure. 2.17 The Duty of Candour notification procedure now includes two stages, which are: • Part 1 Possible Duty of Candour incident (Initial Notification) • Part 2 Managing the Duty of Candour Process Page 256 of 374
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5 2.18 The intention underlying the introduction of the two-stage process is to enable internal monitoring and analysis of when Duty of Candour has been considered but not activated. It is envisaged that this data will contribute to organisational learning. Review of Registered Social Landlords 2.19 Since the summer of 2023, Quality Assurance has been leading on the review of five Registered Social Landlords who provided thirteen sheltered & very sheltered developments across North Lanarkshire. These services were funded to provide housing support, using Supporting People funding. This funding stream was discontinued around 2016/17, leading to mainstream social work funding being accessed pending review. This review has now concluded, and North Lanarkshire Council no longer commission or fund these Registered Social Landlords. Adult Social Work Subgroup – Registered Managers 2.20 An Adult Social Work Subgroup for Registered Managers was established in 2025. This group meet eight weekly, and the chair is the Quality Assurance Service Manager or delegated person. This group reports through the ASW Governance Group and its purpose is to ensure robust governance and oversight across Registered Services. Social Work Risk Management 2.21 Quality Assurance have oversight of the social work risk register and are responsible for quarterly & annual reporting, compliance audits and for the facilitation and coordination of the Social Work Risk Forums. Quality Assurance participate in Corporate Risk Management Team meetings, and cascade appropriate information through the correct forums. 2.22 Risk Champions and Facilitators act as points of contact for risk management matters within social work and promote risk awareness across the service. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Measures of success are contained within Appendix One of this report. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1: Quality Assurance Annual Report 2024/25 Morag Dendy Chief Officer (Planning, Performance, and Quality Assurance) Page 257 of 374
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6 5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 258 of 374
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7 If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 259 of 374
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Quality Assurance Annual Report 2024/2025 APPENDIX 1 Page 260 of 374
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1 1. Introduction The role of Quality Assurance includes a broad spectrum of activity both internally across social work services, and, in partnership with our commissioned services. Assurance and Governance underpins our key functions whilst aligning our work to the Council’s Plan for North Lanarkshire and the five-year Programme of Work 2023-2028. Throughout 2024/2025, the Quality Assurance Team have participated in Strategic Planning meetings, influencing and shaping future priorities and approaches aligned with the University Health & Social Care (UHSCNL) Strategic Commissioning Plan 2023 – 2026 and the priorities outlined within the associated Programme of Work. Quality Assurance have strengthened the governance structure and reporting arrangements around the Strategic Commissioning Plan Programme of Work. These sit alongside and compliment structures already in place across UHSCNL. The purpose of the structure is to ensure oversight of inter-related programmes, projects and activities. Last year we reported on the expanded remit of Quality Assurance and the additional staffing resource that had been aligned. We believe that we met our key deliverables. Our achievements include the evaluation of the In-House Monitoring Framework and subsequent roll out; a review of Duty of Candour Procedures and delivery of training across Locality Teams; completion of a review of Registered Social Landlords, collation of information for inclusion in the CSWO report; development of a care opinion newsletter; the launch of the Engagement & Participation Strategy; and the organisation of the annual Committed to Carers Event. The bigger part of our work focuses on social work procurement and contract monitoring. The range of contracts that have been procured, and further development of our contract management framework are detailed within this report. Some key functions of the Quality Assurance Team were subject to audit and the findings shared. We are delighted to report that the areas of work audited reflected compliance with good practice principles and defined expectations. Much of the focus of Quality Assurance during this reporting period has been supporting our Registered Services and an Adult Social Work Subgroup for Registered Managers commenced. A safe staffing working group continues to explore best practice and develop standardised tools to evidence compliance with the Guiding Principles of the newly implemented Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019. The Quality Assurance Team supported Home Support (Living Well at Home) to introduce a performance monitoring framework to ensure accountability across all grades of staff. The team also facilitated workshops and briefings to assist in expanding the knowledge of Care Inspectorate Quality Frameworks and self-evaluation tools. In line with the principles of self-directed support, people can exercise as much choice and control as they wish, around their support arrangements. Quality Assurance support this through ensuring that teams are equipped to facilitate discussions around choice of support options. Performance is now being captured through the introduction of a Quarterly Performance Report and Benchmark Tool for commissioned services. We have progressed new social work induction processes, social work self-evaluation, the reframing of risks and policy development has commenced. Test of change sites have been identified for social work self-evaluation, prior to roll out. Page 261 of 374
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2 Extensive work was carried out in relation to new legislation around reporting requirements under the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 Act. We also supported Housing and Early Years colleagues with the aim of ensuring a consistent approach across North Lanarkshire Council to safe staffing reporting. Over the past year Quality Assurance have supported the work around our transformational change programme, Phase One Back to Basics, which is now embedded across our locality teams. As we enter Phase 2 Getting it Right for Everyone, we remain engaged and connected to the principles underlying the approach. The activities reported in this annual report reflect our commitment to on-going improvement and that people can influence and shape decision making. 2. Contracts The Quality Assurance Team are responsible for coordinating and facilitating all procurement activity across social work. This is in partnership with our corporate procurement colleagues, who provide the framework and legal basis to ensuring that decisions taken are in line with legislation including the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. Our approach to procurement activity reflects Scottish Government best practice guidance including Procurement of Care and Support Services, and the Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland 2023 to 2028. We seek to ensure that we are acting in accordance with the principles of ethical commissioning. As a learning organisation, we continue to modify and adapt our procurement journeys to inform and secure best value, to provide care and support to people across North Lanarkshire. Following the awarding of contracts throughout 2024/2025, our internal procurement end to end process has been revised and modified to reflect what worked well and what improvements and enhancements could be made to ensure that future services are influenced, shaped and aligned to the Plan for North Lanarkshire, the Strategic Commissioning Plan and other key health and social care priorities and ambitions. The Quality Assurance Team have participated in additional procurement awareness training during this reporting period and more bespoke training is planned for August 2025. An invite will be extended to operational colleagues to take part in this training, in response to feedback from previous tendering activity. It is envisaged that the modifications made to the end-to-end procurement journey and the involvement in bespoke procurement training will assist operational colleagues to devise service specifications, which describe the service required and the outcomes to be achieved. We continued to work closely with our partners at Scotland Excel. Through Scotland Excel, we operate the National Care Home Contract, the Children's Residential Care and Education including Short Break, Services and Fostering & Continuing Care contracts from Scotland Excel. Scotland Excel have committed to redesigning the National Care Home Contract, as since its development in 2013 there have been significant changes to the social care environment. It is envisaged that redesign will be more reflective of the current social care landscape, which includes challenges such as the inexperience of the workforce, staff recruitment and retention, cost of living impacts and changing demographics/more complex needs of the care home population at the time of admission. Page 262 of 374
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3 Over the past year, Quality Assurance have continued to try and ensure consistency across purchased services and that contractual arrangements have clearly defined terms and conditions. This has ensured that expectations are clearly outlined and there is a basis for contract monitoring to take place. This enables the quality of services being provided to people to be evaluated. Arrangements range from national frameworks to Individual Placement Agreements which balance quality against cost to achieve overall best value for services purchased to support people. Tables 2a and 2b below illustrate that as of 31 March 25, 98% of all social work spend had a formal contracting arrangement in place. This figure remained consistent with 2023/2024, when we reported 98%. Two organisations are currently out of contract and subject to review during the reporting period. The review findings are under consideration and previous funding agreements are being honoured during this time. Quality Assurance continue to progress with arrangements to ensure all spend has contractual and legal agreements in place; however, it should be noted that due to the fluidity of contracting and commissioning, achievement of 100% compliance may not always be possible. Table 2a 98% 2% No of Contracts 2024/2025 Contracts in Place In Development 98% 2% No of Contracts 2023/2024 Contracts in Place In Development Page 263 of 374
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4 Table 2b There are currently 310 contracted provider organisations, a decrease of seven from the figure reported last year and as highlighted above. The number of out of authority care homes being utilised has increased by 7 and it can be determined that this is not due to lack of availability within North Lanarkshire, as there have been no capacity issues throughout the reporting period. People accessing care homes out of authority are doing so due to their choice to locate close to family. There has been a reduction in the cross-border provider organisations we contract with. It can be seen from the graphs above that non framework self-directed support has increased, and non-traditional respite packages have decreased. 3rd sector and voluntary providers have increased by 1. We encourage these providers to join our SDS Framework. The number of care homes within North Lanarkshire we contract with remains unchanged since last year and this is also the case with Self Directed Support (SDS Framework). 10 4 27 12 141 3 10 2 7 4 9 9 4 61 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 3rd Sector / Voluntary Advocacy Care Home (NLC) Care Home Cross Border Care Home Out of Authority Carers Network Fostering & Continuing Care Mental Health Misc Non Framework Self Directed Support Non Traditional Respite Residential Schools Secure Services Self Directed Support Spread of Providers 2023/2024 11 4 27 3 148 10 10 2 7 5 8 10 4 61 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 3rd Sector / Voluntary Advocacy Care Home (NLC) Carers Network Care Home (Out of Authority) Care Home (Cross Border) Fostering & Continuing Care Mental Health Misc Non Framework Self Directed Support Non Traditional Respite Residential Schools Secure Services Self Directed Support Spread of Providers -2024/2025 Page 264 of 374
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5 3. Contract Management Framework (CMF) The two most recent Quality Assurance Annual Reports (2022/23 & 2023/2024) provided updates on developments and enhancements to the contract management framework. From the cyclical changes implemented, and throughout the 2023/24 reporting period, the Quality Assurance team evaluated the impact of the changes. Various methods of evaluation were utilised, including an on-line meeting with commissioned services. Other methods included a Quality Assurance presentation at one of the SDS Provider Development Sessions, feedback from Internal Audit, on-going discussions at team meetings and through the findings of senior officers’ use of the framework, findings from service manager sampling and compliance checks. This approach reflects one of a learning organisation and focuses on our overarching aims, which include monitoring our commissioned services to enable effective partnership working, early intervention and the targeting of resources to improve the experience of people. Adherence with the contract management framework is an integral component of the processes in place to demonstrate commissioned services are adhering to terms and conditions and that outcomes and best value are achieved. Contract monitoring is a means to identify unmet need and inform future strategic planning and commissioning. The main changes made to the contract management framework and as highlighted in 2022/2023 & 2023/2024 annual reports are as follows: - - Introduction of an Engagement & Participation Toolkit - Quarterly & annual returns being specific to the model of service - Monitoring Visit report template introduced to improve on consistency and the impact from monitoring In January 2025 Quality Assurance arranged a feedback session focusing on the changes made to the contract management framework. Over 40 providers attended. Feedback was used to further build on developments to avoid duplication of reporting or collation of unnecessary information. The outcome was an improved and more relevant framework. In March 2025 Quality Assurance facilitated a further session on the contract management framework at one of the SDS Provider Development Days. Feedback was positive and promoted enhanced understanding and awareness. The Contract Management Framework was also the focus of a recent internal audit of Quality Assurance. Findings were positive, with only minor recommendations for improvement. As a result of the audit, feedback from stakeholders and new legislation, further enhancements have been made: • Contract Management Framework process has been made clearer with roles & responsibilities outlined for both QA staff and providers • Monitoring prioritisation assessment (MPA) modified to more clearly identify service-related risk • Analysis of quarterly return submission documented, and feedback is now given to providers • Closure date introduced for acceptance of quarterly & annual return submissions to enhance compliance • Information added to capture the principles of safe staffing legislation The revised MPA can be seen below in two parts (Table 3a & 3B) It is based on a confidence rating and focuses on assessment areas which indicate the potential risk of lower-than- Page 265 of 374
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6 expected standards of care and support being provided. Outcomes are nuanced and determined based on narrative provided by Senior Officers who have additional context as to circumstances, as well as established relationships with providers. This approach is balanced with an element of standardisation. Table 3a Table 3b Page 266 of 374
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7 The MPA outcome indicates the tier level and associated frequency of monitoring required by Quality Assurance Senior Officers. See below: - Each Tier suggests a minimum monitoring frequency as set out in Table 3c below Table 3c STATUS INDICATED MONITORING LEVEL Red Significant concerns in relation to service performance, contract compliance. TIER 4 Contract monitoring visit frequency – 1 to 4 weekly. Amber Moderate concerns in relation to service performance, contract Compliance TIER 3 Contract monitoring visit frequency – variable, at least quarterly but no more than monthly. Yellow Minor concerns identified in relation to service performance and contract compliance TIER 2 Contract monitoring visit frequency – variable, at least bi-annually but no more than quarterly. Green Service performance, contract compliance and engagement are satisfactory. TIER 1 Contract monitoring visit frequency – annually in most cases. Page 267 of 374
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8 Table 3c The on-going improvements to our contract management framework ensure that due diligence is consistently and clearly documented and decisions are based on facts and evidence. This safeguards North Lanarkshire Council from potential reputational or financial consequences. Table 3c highlights Tier Levels as reported at the end of 2023/2024 and for the same time in 2024/2025. Tier 4 services have increased in this reporting period from 0% to 5%. However, it is positive that the risks are known to the team, as this ensures these can be mitigated with the appropriate interventions. When comparing the lower tier ratings (1 & 2) across both reporting periods, there was a 3% reduction from 2023/2024 and for Tiers 3&4 there was a 2% increase from 2023/2024. Overall, most providers were tiered within the lower Tier rating categories. This is positive as the intensity and frequency of Care Inspections, and our monitoring activity has been enhanced. Quality Assurance are mindful of the challenges being experienced within the sector and are pleased to report that in spite of the challenges evidence highlights an improved quality of care from 2023/24. Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4 Q4 2024 to 2025 74% 16% 5% 5% Q4 2023 to 2024 68% 25% 8% 0% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Commissioned Services Q4 Tier Ratings 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Q4 2024 to 2025 Q4 2023 to 2024 Page 268 of 374
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9 Commissioned Services Quarterly Performance Report – We reported last year that we planned to produce a Quarterly Commissioned Services Performance Report. This was implemented as of 1st April 2024, and it is intended to provide useful information to operational colleagues to assist in supporting people to make a choice of care provider based on the available intelligence. The report also enables the Quality Assurance Team to monitor performance, patterns, themes and trends in relation to areas such as notifications of concern, engagement & participation, Care Inspectorate Grades, Tier Ratings and compliance with annual/quarterly provider returns. The format of the Commissioned Services Quarterly Performance Report has continued to change and develop in response to feedback from Localities. Feedback indicated it would be helpful for Localities to receive updates following submission of Notifications of Concern about provider performance. We introduced a feedback section within the Notification of Concern Form. We also track the timescales for feedback to be provided. Levels of Engagement and Participation have continuously increased. Over the reporting period we engaged with the following: Table 3d Supported people Staff Relatives/ carers Other Amount 146 276 134 48 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 No of people engaged with as at 31/03/2025 Supported people Staff Relatives/ carers Other Q1 3 11 2 0 Q2 43 80 32 18 Q3 68 109 60 20 Q4 32 76 40 10 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 No of people engaged with during each quarter 2024/2025 Page 269 of 374
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10 We continue to measure the impact of this engagement. Some examples are shown below: - Table 3e GP is now based within the Care Home one day a week. Provider ensured consistency and improvement in staffing arrangements. Manager arranged a meeting with the family to outline the staffing arrangements and to provide reassurance around their concerns The need to provide information about people’s likes and dislikes in Agency staff induction and handovers was agreed. This has been added to the service development plan. Previous concerns around prearranged GP appointments. Discussed concerns with the management team Concerns around inadequate staffing levels at night raised by family Discussion took place with the manager who confirmed safe staffing levels were in place Some carers are better than others Senior Officer discussed with manager and asked for follow up Agency staff who do not know the residents Information relayed to the manager Page 270 of 374
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11 Performance Benchmark Tool – During the reporting period we started to provide information which we hope will assist Locality Teams in supporting people to identify their choice of care provider. All providers on the SDS Framework are included within the Performance Benchmark Tool, as are up to date contact details. Alongside each provider on the SDS Framework, we have included performance information which gives indicators to the quality of care being provided to people. We strive to ensure information is up to date. Benchmarks include Care Inspectorate grades, contract monitoring Tier indicating associated risk level and evaluation score at the time of entering the framework. 4. Regulatory Activity Table 4a below details an analysis of the key question “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?”. The data has been extracted from Tables 4b and 4c below. North Lanarkshire Care Homes performance measures lower than Scotland wide care homes, in that 72% of grades of 4 and above were awarded. Scotland wide care homes achieved 76.6% of grades of 4 and above. From the figures below it would appear that North Lanarkshire care homes seem to have an overall average of grades ranging between adequate and good. An improvement area would be to start to focus on why very few care homes are achieving good or above grades. 132 Scotland wide care inspections are reported below for the period 1st April 2024 – 31st March 2025. Please note some care homes have not been inspected or have not been inspected under this key question. Table 4a - Please note North Lanarkshire care homes are not included in the overall Scotland wide figures. How well do we support people’s wellbeing Number of Care Homes Assessed Grades Awarded Percentage North Lanarkshire Care Homes (Table 4b) 25 0 x Excellent 5 x Very Good 13 x Good 4 x Adequate 0 x Weak 0 x Unsatisfactory 3 x Not Assessed 0% 20% 52% 16% 0% 0% 12% Scotland Wide Care Homes (Table 4c) 107 3 x Excellent 38 x Very Good 41 x Good 17 x Adequate 1 x Weak 0 x Unsatisfactory 3% 35% 38% 16% 1% 0% Page 271 of 374
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12 7 x Not Assessed 7% Table 4b As of 31st March 2025, there were 27 care homes within North Lanarkshire. 24 of the care homes had been assessed by the Care Inspectorate against their key question of, ‘How well do we support people’s wellbeing?’. None of the care homes assessed achieved the highest grade of ‘Excellent’, however 29.1% of care homes achieved ‘Very Good’. How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Very Good 3 2 1 2 0 Good 15 13 9 6 9 Adequate 5 7 3 5 2 Weak 4 3 0 3 2 Unsatisfactory 0 1 1 0 0 0246810121416 Care Inspectorate Grades -North Lanarkshire based Care Home as at 31/03/2024 How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Very Good 7 4 4 1 0 Good 13 7 14 13 11 Adequate 4 7 3 2 4 Not assessed 3 9 6 11 12 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Care Inspectorate Grades -North Lanarkshire based Care Home as at 31/03/2025 Page 272 of 374
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13 The majority of care homes were assessed as ‘Good’ or better against this question, totalling 54.1%. It is positive to note that the number of care homes assessed as Very Good has increased from 11.1% in 2023/2024. The care homes who were assessed as ‘Very Good’ were Blair House, Carrickstone, Darroch, Highgate, Kirknowe, Rosepark and Summerlee. Of the 27 care homes within North Lanarkshire, 15 were assessed under key question ‘How well is care and support planned?’ Of the 15 assessed, 73% received a grade of ‘Good’. During the reporting period, no care homes within North Lanarkshire were subject to Large Scale Investigations. From 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025 there were a total of six care homes within North Lanarkshire, who at periods, had a voluntary moratorium applied to all new admissions. These were Avondale, Darroch, Carrickstone, Milbrae, Parksprings and Woodside. Out with Avondale, whose moratorium was applied due to a change in contract, the remaining five care homes were for reasons of weak Care Inspectorate grades and the findings from monitoring carried out by Quality Assurance. The duration of these moratoriums was a maximum of three months with some being removed with one or two months. Cumbernauld Care Home had an enforced moratorium due to weak Care Inspectorate grades. Improvements were quickly embedded by the Provider and the moratorium to new admissions was removed within three months. It is important to note the application of a moratorium to new admissions is to enable the care homes to focus on progressing identified improvement areas. Page 273 of 374
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14 Table 4c Care Homes in Scotland (excluding North Lanarkshire): North Lanarkshire Council currently has 313 people placed within 122 care homes that are located elsewhere in Scotland. Contract Monitoring activity is carried out by the host authority where the care home is geographically located, although care management responsibilities remain with North Lanarkshire Council for the individuals placed. Individual Placement Agreements are implemented for individuals and these agreements detail the basis for care and support. North Lanarkshire Council are notified of any Large-Scale Investigation activity or potential scenarios which may lead to the closure of the home e.g. Care Inspection Enforcement Action, Liquidation etc. How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Excellent 0 1 0 1 0 Very Good 39 40 15 9 13 Good 56 44 34 37 38 Adequate 30 27 19 12 25 Weak 2 2 1 2 1 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Care Inspectorate Grades -Care Home as at 31/03/2024 (excluding NLC) How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Excellent 4 2 0 1 0 Very Good 58 36 45 20 22 Good 58 44 50 49 41 Adequate 18 25 17 15 23 Weak 1 2 2 0 0 Not assessed 9 39 34 63 62 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Care Inspectorate Grades -Care Home as at 31/03/2025 (excluding NLC) Page 274 of 374
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15 Table 4d How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? How well do we support Children and Young People's Rights and Well-Being Care and Support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership Excellent 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Very Good 32 21 21 1 12 1 2 0 2 1 Good 12 15 10 1 10 1 0 0 0 1 Adequate 7 6 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 Weak 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Not assessed 6 18 20 59 32 0 0 2 0 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Care Inspectorate Grades -Self Directed Support including Care at Home as at 31/03/2025 Page 275 of 374
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16 Table 4e Self-Directed Support (SDS) including Care at Home: Across the services on the SDS Framework a total of 38 Care Inspections took place using the current inspection methodology. There remain two services whose last inspections were carried out in accordance with a previous inspection approach. How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Excellent 1 0 0 0 0 Very Good 27 16 7 1 7 Good 16 20 9 2 9 Adequate 3 8 1 0 3 Weak 2 2 2 0 2 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Care Inspectorate Grades -Self Directed Support including Care at Home as at 31/03/2024 Page 276 of 374
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17 The table above outlines 61 services with their current grades under each Key Questions as of 31st March 2025. This table highlights that for Key Question 1 ‘How well do we support people’s wellbeing?’ Three services received a grade of ‘Excellent’. These services were Active Care and Support Services, Potential Living (VAMW) and Support for Ordinary Living (SOL). A grade of ‘Very Good’ was received by 58.1% of services and 21.8% of services inspected received grades of ‘Good’ or above. For the key question ‘How well do we support people’s wellbeing?’, one service received a grade of ‘Weak’. This service was Aspire West Support Service Care at Home. Of the 61 services, 29 were inspected by the Care Inspectorate against the key question ‘How well is care and support planned?’. Of these, 41.3% received grades of ‘Very Good’ and 34.5% received grades of ‘Good’, or above. It should however be taken into consideration that a further two services have grades of ‘Very Good’ under Quality of Care and Support from the previous Care Inspectorate approach. This means that 45.1% of services inspected received grades of ‘Very Good’. During the reporting period no SDS Framework services were subject to Large Scale Investigations. From 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025 there were a total of six SDS Framework services within North Lanarkshire, at periods, that had a voluntary moratorium applied to supporting any new people. These were Aspire, Ayrshire Children’s Service, Cera Care, Enable, Invercare and Home Instead. Out with Home Instead, whose moratorium was applied due to a change in contract, the remaining five SDS Framework services were for reasons of weak Care Inspectorate grades and findings from monitoring carried out by Quality Assurance. Care 1 Professional had an enforced moratorium due to weak Care Inspectorate grades. When taking into consideration timescales for moratoriums being applied, SDS Framework services were in place for considerably longer than care homes with an average period being approximately six months. Page 277 of 374
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18 5. In-house Monitoring Framework Throughout 2024 a Test of Change for the newly developed In House Monitoring Framework continued within Home Support (Living Well at Home). The review and evaluation of the In-House Monitoring Framework commenced in December 2024 and those who had been involved in the development of this, and the participants of the Test of Change provided feedback on what worked well and what further developments could be embedded within the approach. Feedback consisted of individual meetings and group workshops. The evaluation highlighted the need for a greater focus on engaging with people to inform self-evaluation improvement plans during Stage One of the process. Furthermore, the timescales and documentation/tools have benefited from slight modifications in response to what people told us during the engagement and evaluation. The Senior Management Team have agreed the roll out of the revised In-House Monitoring Framework and a programme of activity will commence in April 2025. Prior to roll out, briefing sessions will be facilitated by Quality Assurance for Registered Managers and Service Managers/Locality Social Work Managers, who are scheduled to participate in the process throughout 2025/26. Services in scope are Locality Support Services, Integrated Day Services and the Children’s Residential Houses. Two localities from Home Support (Living Well at Home) will recommence the cycle as of April 2025 as they achieved Tier 1 status. The remaining four localities continue to engage with Quality Assurance six weekly, to monitor progress of improvement plans, due to them being assessed as Tier 2 status. Prior to roll out of the In-House Monitoring Framework, the Quality Assurance Team will facilitate Improvement workshops for Registered Page 278 of 374
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19 Managers and their teams, which will focus on self-evaluation, quality frameworks and the tools to assist in this process. Page 279 of 374
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20 6. Market Facilitation The health and social care sector continued to experience a variety of challenges, which have been mentioned throughout this report. These challenges are expected to continue for some time. The Quality Assurance team continues to promote, stimulate and support market facilitation, and our approach is based on strategic intervention, relationship building, light touch intervention and supporting beneficial new relationships and activities that lead to resilient and sustainable approaches. In turn this leads to continuous improvement, improved ways of working and an active learning cycle, whereby planning impacts on delivery, review and learning. Work with Enterprise & Communities Team - The Quality Assurance Team continued to liaise with colleagues across the council to identify and support initiatives to assist providers to flourish, remain sustainable and deliver excellent care and support to people across North Lanarkshire. There is a plan for Quality Assurance and Enterprise & Communities to jointly visit a variety of care homes and SDS Framework providers supporting people at home. The aim of these visits will be to hear directly from providers what the challenges are and to identify ways in which the council can support long term sustainability and growth. A report will be made available following the programme of visits which will take place throughout 2025/26. Care Academy - Quality Assurance continued to participate in the work activity of the Care Academy which consists of representatives from North Lanarkshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire. The overall vision for the Care Academy is to: Develop a robust, sustained, vibrant Care Academy attracting and developing a diverse workforce for health and care services in Lanarkshire and promoting the sector as a rewarding choice for careers. Increase awareness and engagement about the Care Academy across all partners and organisations, to support people from our communities, working in our communities. The aims of the Care Academy are to: 1. Create the health and social care workforce for the future that best serves the needs of people living in Lanarkshire. 2. Contribute to addressing deprivation and inequalities across Lanarkshire to help people live their lives to the fullest. 3. Provide pathways to fair work, meaningful employment, and progression across the breadth of health and social care. Page 280 of 374
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21 4. Build a strong talent pipeline to meet future demand and reduce skills shortages within the health and social care sector across Lanarkshire. Further Roll Out of Funding to Support Workplace Scheme- Quality Assurance are currently planning, through the Care Academy to further build on an initiative whereby funding was provided by North Lanarkshire Council to Lanarkshire Care Partners, who deliver care at home services to people across North Lanarkshire. This workplace scheme has already achieved the following: - • 8 North Lanarkshire jobseekers secured paid work. • Over 500 hours of work were paid at a rate above SLW. • Approx.152 CPD points accrued. • SCQF level 5 qualifications gained in Emergency First Aid at Work and Moving and Assisting People. • 7 people finished the placement scheme and are qualified to fill gaps in the Health and Social Care workforce. • 5 offers of employment were made by us to people who would not have been on our recruitment radar without the work-placement scheme. • Approximately £1000 increase in revenue to local businesses contracted to deliver some of the scheme training. Other Care Academy Priorities - Quality Assurance have also been involved in a variety of other deliverables identified by the Care Academy, including the development of micro businesses within Adult Health & Social Care, development of local market facilitation plans, engagement with the principles of the Community Wealth Building and exploring options for funding to support training and wellbeing across the sector Impact of Increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions - Adult service colleagues liaised with providers to consider individual, unique and collaborative ways of minimising the impact of the increase in employer national insurance contributions. Meetings have taken place to ensure a solution focused approach to this. Provider Capacity Portal – Last year we reported that we would be rolling out a new portal whereby SDS Framework Providers would be able to report their capacity to deliver work. This roll out took place following an initial test of change. Feedback has been positive from providers and locality teams, in that the original aim to minimise the time impact for all, has been achieved through this reporting system. 7. Carer and carer focused organisations The Quality Assurance team participated in a range of carer focused work over the year, including a large-scale procurement exercise, monitoring of the commissioned carer focused organisations, engagement and participation focused activity, involvement in Carers Week and development work with the wider carer support network. The second annual Commitment to Carers event in North Lanarkshire was also organised and Page 281 of 374
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22 facilitated by Quality Assurance and supported by the commissioned carer organisations, again demonstrating the excellent partnership ethos to support carers locally. The Quality Assurance team continued to be influential in ensuring that North Lanarkshire maintained and further developed the long-standing positive record of engagement and participation and strong relationships with carers, and carer focused organisations. Over the reporting year Quality Assurance continued to engage with unpaid carers and carer focused organisations, to build on progress to date, and upon the intent set out in both the national Carers Strategy and the North Lanarkshire Carers Strategy 2024-2027. Quality Assurance led in certain areas of this work, offered support and guidance in other areas, and had an assurance overview throughout. Carers in North Lanarkshire are subject to the many challenges faced by unpaid carers nationally – around accessing breaks from caring, the hidden costs of caring, and issues with accessing replacement care are widely known and recognised, but solutions can be harder to identify. National Census information confirms that more people are having to provide unpaid care. In North Lanarkshire there is an ageing population of unpaid carers, and resources remain limited, whilst needs are infinite. Quality Assurance were involved in influencing and shaping how to best meet these challenges in a sustainable and innovative way, and the local carer experience over the past year continues to be significantly more positive than the findings and statistics reported nationally. This was evidenced through Quality Assurance monitoring and engagement with carers. In line with legislative requirements, a Procurement Exercise, led by Quality Assurance took place in late 2024 to identify carer focused organisations who would work in close partnership with UHSCNL to meet the needs and outcomes of unpaid carers locally. The UHSCNL financial commitment to support carers within this Tender was £18 million and involved significant engagement with carers and other stakeholders, resulting in key areas identified as being: • Adult Carer Support and Adult Carer Support Plans • Carer Information, Advice, Campaigning, Engagement and Participation • Dementia specific caring • Hospital Discharge related caring. • Support for Young Carers The successful bidders were: • Lanarkshire Carers • North Lanarkshire Carers Together (NLCT) Page 282 of 374
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23 • Alzheimer’s Scotland • Getting Better Together • Action for Children Young Carers Support Project Funding was also provided for: PAMIS – to offer a Family Support Service for families caring for individuals with profound, complex, and multiple disabilities, where specialist knowledge was required. HOPE for Autism - to support children, adults, and family carers, where Autism or Neurodivergence is a feature. Quality Assurance monitoring ensured continued strategic fit, best value, positive impact, and an outcome focused approach. Quality Assurance were also involved in the commissioning of North Lanarkshire Disability Forum (NLDF) - to deliver on the Engagement and Participation Strategy 2024 -2027. Engagement across seldom heard communities and organisations resulted in the voices of previously “hidden” carers also coming to the fore. Through a separate Tender led by Quality Assurance, the Adult Carer Advocacy remit was re-aligned to an Advocacy provider organisation, having previously been hosted by NLCT. Quality Assurance continued to be involved in both governance and operational activity around the Community Solutions programme, facilitated by Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL). A range of engagement and participation activities aimed at all carers, but with a focus on underrepresented individuals, groups, or communities, including carers from minority ethnic communities and LGBTQI+ communities and involving Quality Assurance, was progressed throughout the year. Funding was made available by Quality Assurance, for an Equalities post within NLCT, and this augmented a similar existing post within Lanarkshire Carers. Quality Assurance were involved in assessing funding applications across a variety of funding streams, including Carer Breather, VANL Community Mental and Well Being Fund, NLDF Growth Pot, and NLC Grant Awards Programme. The range of CVS organisations, including those with an age-related, or condition specific focus, continue to have a role in direct, or indirect, support to carers as well as supported people. Monitoring and quality evaluation regarding carer support across these organisations took place throughout the year to ensure that we continue to have a strong focus on approaches that are carer and supported people led. Page 283 of 374
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24 Quality Assurance continued to be involved in governance structures and strategic forums, involvement in improvement areas, consultation, and co- production, with identified actions that further engagement and participation in our day-to-day practice. 8. Commitment to Carers Event The 2nd annual Commitment to Carers Event took place in Motherwell in May 2024, following on from the inaugural event in Bellshill in 2023. The event saw a number of carers and young carers delivering keynote addresses on various caring related topics. The event, hosted by UHSCNL also served as the official launch of the North Lanarkshire Carers Strategy 2024 -2027. As part of the movement towards ever greater carer engagement and participation, responsibility for the annual Commitment to Carers Event has now passed from UHSCNL to NLCT, with the 3rd annual event continuing to have a focus on celebrating the impact of caring and carer focused activity, and is scheduled for November 2025, at the Chryston Community Hub. 9. Participation and Engagement Quality Assurance were instrumental in the progress made over the year to increase the capacity to enhance engagement and participation, across our communities, and amongst supported people and unpaid carers. This work continued over the year, in line with Ambition Statement 19, in the Plan for North Lanarkshire (Improve engagement with communities and develop their capacity to help themselves.) This is also priority within UHSCNL Strategic Commissioning Plan and is critical to ensuring: • We involve people in the decisions that affect their wellbeing. • Improvement comes from feedback on the experiences of services and supports. • Our services and supports continue to be based on what matters to people. • We have a continued focus on person centred approaches to embed the wider approach to Getting it Right for Everyone. The key ambitions of our continued investment to engage supported people, unpaid carers and communities is to: • Improve communication and increase connections • Increase awareness of what matters to people Page 284 of 374
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25 • Increase capacity for early intervention and prevention During 2024-25 the investment and focus to ensure that the voices of supported people were strengthened, gathered pace. The consortium of North Lanarkshire Disability Forum (NLDF), Lanarkshire Links (LL) and Voice of Experience Forum (VoEF), worked together to engage with supported people and support active participation. To help facilitate this, Quality Assurance provided a Growth Pot managed by NLDF. Across 2024-25 there were two rounds of Growth Pot funding that generated 55 applications and 20 awards totalling just over £80,000 to community organisations. The fund reached minority ethnic groups, rural communities and those who experience disability, mental health issues and addictions. The North Public Partnership Forum comprises 3 local forums in North Lanarkshire: Cumbernauld; Kilsyth and Villages; Northern Corridor. During the calendar year the forum decided to change their name to Lanarkshire North Partnership Forum to better represent the areas in North Lanarkshire in which they operate and as part of a review of their core functions. Over the last 12 months the forum’s views have been sought on a range of topics from health colleagues including Effective Prescribing, Pharmacotherapy and Treatment Escalation Plans. Quality Assurance participated in the forum and acted as a conduit to help facilitate progress, resolve issues and link to operational colleagues. In September 2024 the University Health and Social Care Engagement and Participation Strategy was launched alongside the Growth Pot Fund mentioned above. Quality Assurance were involved in both the drafting of, and raising awareness of, the strategy and its ambitions. During the year work to collate examples of best practice to support staff across the service to further engagement with those involved in services and supports was undertaken by Quality Assurance, in partnership with Planning and Performance colleagues. The Strategy for Carers 2024 – 27 was developed with carers and carer organisations and led by Quality Assurance. Carer related work is reported on in a previous section. Similarly, Quality Assurance support to Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire, (VANL) who oversee the Community Solutions programme, and the Children, Young People and Family Network is contained in another section of this report. Quality Assurance helps facilitate a broader reach within communities and supports opportunities for people to engage in what matters to them in North Lanarkshire. Engagement with localities builds community capacity, through anchor organisations and Community Consortia provide leadership and co-ordination of activities. The commissioning of Care Opinion in adult health and social care sought to ensure that there were opportunities online for adults, children and young people to feedback on their experiences and raise any concerns across the commissioned and funded services in North Lanarkshire. Quality Assurance has a coordination role in relation to Care Opinion. Page 285 of 374
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26 Care Opinion - Care Opinion is an independent, non-profit, web-based feedback platform where people can submit their experiences of health and social care services whether positive or negative. Comments are moderated and forwarded to the relevant service who can respond directly. 2024/2025 saw the introduction of a Care Opinion Newsletter produced by Quality Assurance. This has enabled feedback to be shared across networks and promotes the use of Care Opinion. The Care Opinion Newsletter celebrates positive feedback, highlights any lessons learned and is published quarterly. 10. Communications Quality Assurance have a key function within the area of communication. This includes the following responsibilities: - • Overseeing and updating North Lanarkshire Council (Social Work) and UHSCNL websites • Governing social work resources, policies and procedures held on our SharePoint site • Owners and administrators of Viva Engage – which includes responding to queries and sharing updates in relation to Subject Access Requests and Resources, Policies & Procedures • Quality Assurance Newsletter • Care Opinion Newsletter and administration of the stories received by UHSCNL Quality Assurance Newsletter During the reporting period the newsletter was refreshed and published three times. Having reviewed our Quality Assurance communications and the number of views from social work staff it was decided that a Quarterly Commissioned Services Report would be published. More information is available about this report under Contract Management Framework. Social Work Induction Talent and Organisational Development (TOD) initially developed a Social Work Induction Platform. Quality Assurance have continued to expand this with a specific focus on how we practice within North Lanarkshire. Various social work representatives have contributed to the development of this. Quality Assurance will continue to host a forum for ensuring on-going review. The current Social Work Induction Platform has been shared with IT Leads who will update accordingly. This work will progress during 2025/26. The focus from Quality Assurance will be to develop a standardised and localised induction programme which will concentrate on learning, development and reflective practice at key points, following commencement in a new post. Page 286 of 374
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27 11. Information Governance Quality Assurance had oversight to ensure that information was dealt with to the highest standards, ensuring fairness, consistency, and security. The Information Governance Framework supports in fulfilling these responsibilities. The team coordinate: • Subject Access Requests (SARs), including reviews, complaints from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). • Quarterly SAR statistics. • Freedom of Information (FOISA) requests, including reviews and complaints from the Scottish Information Commissioner. • Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs). • Data Protection Act (DPA) or Schedule 2 requests. • Annual ICO statistics. • Quarterly Corporate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The benefits of Information Governance for the council includes but is not limited to, enhanced data security, regulatory compliance, improved data quality, risk management, cost reduction, efficiency and accountability. Quality Assurance consult with the Freedom of Information Team and Data Protection Team, who guide internal processes in accordance with legislation. There was a continued focus on coaching, mentoring and training of locality administrative staff and field workers, in relation to SARs and SARs recording. This followed from the review and update of SAR’s recording systems. SARS statistics 2024/2025 The upcoming focus and development within Social Work Information Governance will focus on monitoring and tracking across all social work teams. 114 63 290 341 208 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 CASES AT START OF APRIL 2024 CASES AT END OF FEBRUARY 2025 TOTAL NUMBER OF SARS RECEIVED: TOTAL NUMBER OF SARS CLOSED: TOTAL NUMBER CLOSED ON TIME: SAR Information as at 31/03/2025 Page 287 of 374
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28 12. Procurement Quality Assurance continued to lead on procurement activity for all social work services in collaboration with colleagues within Corporate Procurement, Service Leads and Locality Social Work Teams, to ensure joined up planning, clear procurement processes and subsequent contract monitoring arrangements. This ensured that all commissioned contract work delivered best value, in accordance with Procurement Reform Scotland Act 2014 and the Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016. Quality Assurance support individual’s rights to determine the way they receive support, and this includes the right to select a provider who is not on any of our contract frameworks. On these occasions, and following due diligence checks of the preferred provider, Individual Placement Agreements (IPA’s) are created to ensure there is a shared basis between North Lanarkshire Council and the Provider for the delivery and manner of support. In the past year, 56 citizens of North Lanarkshire chose this route for support. Table 12a - Procurement activity for contracts under £50,000 undertaken in 2024/2025. Provider Contract Overview Service Area / Procurement Category Total Value of Contract (Excl VAT) Contract Start Date Contract End Date Commercial Strategy Sourcing Route Disabled Enabled Ltd: Access Panel North Lanarkshire Provision of advice and guidance in supporting and ensuring accessibility across North Lanarkshire buildings and the built environments Adult Social Work Services £4,684 01/04/2024 31/04/25 Re-Procurement Proposal for Funding SACRO Provision of an individual service using a mentoring Children, Families and Justice Social £49,995.00 01/06/2024 30/06/2025 Re-Procurement Proposal for Funding Page 288 of 374
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29 approach, which is a way of helping and supporting individuals with issues they might be facing both practically and emotionally. Work Services Ten for Zen Provision of the mindfulness sessions online and in person service users could develop skills, which is a way of helping and supporting individuals with issues they might be facing both practically and emotionally Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services £32,850.00 01/04/2024 31/03/2026 Re-Procurement Proposal for Funding Lanarkshire Counselling &CBT Centre (LCCC Scotland Ltd) Provision of counselling services, in person, virtually and by telephone, service users have the opportunity to Adult Social Work Services £33,600.00 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 New Requirement Proposal for Funding Page 289 of 374
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30 address problematic areas in their lives with a trained counselling professional. Yoga Through the provision of the yoga and breath work in person sessions, service users have the opportunity to reduce stress, improve mental and physical health and improve coping skills. Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services £5,190 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 New Requirement Proposal for Funding Wise Group An on-line service that assists people to develop life skills. It is a secure flexible service for people being supported by a range of Justice Services and can count Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services £31,506 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 Re-Procurement Proposal for Funding Page 290 of 374
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31 towards the other activity element of a community payback order Families Outside A support service for families in North Lanarkshire who are affected by imprisonment Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services £56,188 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 New Requirement Proposal for Funding PAMIS Family information, advice, and support service for families in situations where a family member has a significant level of disability - profound and multiple learning disability (PMLD). Adult Social Work Services £36,500.00 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 Re-Procurement Proposal for Funding Shelter Scotland Provision of Specialist Housing Advocacy Service Adult Social Work Services £25,000.00 01/07/2024 31/03/2025 Re-Procurement Proposal for Funding Page 291 of 374
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32 Improvement Service Provision of independent support from the improvement service to offer workshops, consultation and engagement to help direct a review of family support. Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services £5,000.00 09/09/2024 01/06/2026 New Requirement Proposal for Funding Deaf Services Lanarkshire Provision of support to reduce inequalities for people with a sensory impairment Adult Social Work Services £10,000 01/02/2025 31/07/2025 Re-Procurement Proposal for Funding Barnardo’s Scotland To provide a Missing Persons Service across the North Lanarkshire to children and young people who have been reported missing to Police Scotland. Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services £50,000 16/02/2024 15/02/2025 Re-Procurement Proposal for Funding Page 292 of 374
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33 Care Opinion The purpose of the Care Opinion Subscription is to: • Provide an innovative model which assists and enables the Subscriber to fulfil their public engagement involvement responsibilities; • Enables the Subscriber to compare feedback on the Care Opinion website across local services using alerts and push reporting to provide access to performance management information for staff, managers, partnership, elected officials and key Social Work £35,936 01/11/2024 31/10/2027 Re-Procurement SLA Page 293 of 374
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34 stakeholders including public partners; • Provide evidence about the quality of services provision which can be used to support relevant standards in relation to quality and participation of people who use services. Table 12b - Procurement activity for Contracts over £50,000 undertaken in 2024/2025. Contract Title Contract Overview Total Value of Contract (Excl VAT) Service Area Contract Start Date Contract End Date (Excl Extensions) Advocacy Services for Children & Young People Due to new legislation to be introduced by Scottish Government during the early part of 2025, it is necessary to grant a direct award for 12 months to the current provider. This will enable the service to develop and take cognisance of the new legislation. A subsequent open tender will take place in 2025/2026. Provision of advocacy services to children and young people is in support of their rights as individuals as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which aims to support children in all areas of their lives. £241,000.00 Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services 03/03/2025 28/02/2026 Page 294 of 374
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35 Befriending Service The aim of this support is to provide additional resource to Children’s Services Planning Partnerships to provide the right support at the earliest time to children, young people and families. This also supports the ambitions of the Promise; to provide flexible and responsive support, enabling more children to remain loved and supported within their own families and develop resilience, self-esteem, address isolation and build effective relationships. £361,591.80 Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services 01/10/2024 30/09/2025 plus 2 one- year extensions available Community Alarm replacement - Analogue to Digital UHSCNL and NLC have invested significantly in early intervention and supported self-management for over a decade, with support for change and investment across all sectors which focus on wellbeing. The Community Alarm Service is a key part of supporting self-management with technological advancements creating the opportunity to move from a crisis response service to being more proactive and preventative. Telephone lines in the UK are being upgraded to digital technology. The process of migrating to digital telephone lines has already started. The rollout was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025, when analogue telephone services in the UK will be switched off and replaced by digital systems using internet protocol (IP) technology £495,000.00 Social Work 17/02/2025 31/03/2025 Community Alarms Individuals who have been provided with telecare equipment from NLC, Social Work, such as community alarm and assistive technology must have their equipment updated to continue to receive a safe and reliable service. £249,970.00 Adult Social Work Services 20/05/2024 16/11/2024 Community Living Support The service helps to ensure those residents of North Lanarkshire, who require support to maintain their tenancy, are enabled to do so. The low-level support available contributes to good health and wellbeing and can reduce any need for higher level support. £1,209,960.00 Adult Social Work Services 01/06/2024 31/05/2027 Page 295 of 374
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36 Direct Payment Support Services The service will provide independent support and advice for people wishing to consider or actively employ staff directly to meet their social work budget using a direct payment option 1. £415,788.00 Adult Social Work Services 06/01/2025 05/01/2028 Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) The overarching aim of the DBI service is to provide a framework for improved inter-agency co-ordination, collaboration and co-operation across a wide range of care, settings, interventions and community supports, towards the shared goal of providing a compassionate and effective response to people in distress improving experience and outcomes for those experiencing distress and those providing support. Pan Lanarkshire with North Lanarkshire as the lead procuring partner. £1,917,960.00 Adult Social Work Services 01/04/2024 31/03/2026 Domestic Abuse An inclusive domestic abuse service for any person affected by abuse aligned too Equally Safe £1,384,492.00 Social Work 01/06/2025 30/05/2029 Early Help & Family Support To provide early help and take a preventative approach to providing support to families who need it. This is an opportunity to connect services locally and improve access to family support through earlier and more effective response to need. £4,080,000.00 Education 01/04/2024 31/03/2026 plus 1 year extension available Flexible Framework for Self-Directed Support - Entry Point 4 Flexible Framework with Providers to support the critical Service Delivery to Children, Young People and Adults who have been assessed as requiring support to design, develop and achieve real lives in line with the Social Care (Self Directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 £820,000,000.00 Adult Social Work Services 01/04/2025 31/03/2031 Independent Advocacy Services (Adults) Independent advocacy supports people to have their voices heard and their rights and interests protected. Independent advocacy is a positive force in influencing social change, with the work and ethos of advocacy underpinned by a person-focused and human rights framework. The importance and benefits of independent advocacy are now widely recognised and woven into the fabric of health and social care provision and legislation in Scotland. Advocacy for carers and for people affected by drug and alcohol £3,507,405 Adult Social Work Services 01/03/2025 28/02/2028 plus 2 one- year extensions available Page 296 of 374
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37 misuse are now also incorporated into the requirements of the contract. Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) Provision of effective management, co-ordination and administration of Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC), on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council and North Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership £253,325.00 Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services 01/07/2024 30/06/2026 plus 2 one- year extensions available Mental Health Peer Support and Short-Term Mental Health Support Service Mental health and wellbeing service that provides support to residents of North Lanarkshire experiencing mental health challenges. Lot 1 – Peer Support Service with Info Service Lot 2 – Short-Term Support Service. £3,081,204 Adult Social Work Services 01/03/2025 28/02/2029 Support for Unpaid Carers and Young Carers To provide support to unpaid adult carers and \ or young carers, across North Lanarkshire. The service(s) procured will be instrumental in helping North Lanarkshire Council meet statutory requirements and duties as outlines in the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 and Self-Directed Support (Scotland) Act 2013, specifically around support to carers. Lot 1: Direct Carer Support and breaks from caring, Lot 2: Carer Information, Advice and Campaigning Services and breaks from routine from routine, Lot 3: Condition specific Carer support (Dementia), Lot 4: Post Discharge Carer Support, Lot 5: Young Carers £16,380,000.00 Adult Social Work Services 01/03/2025 28/02/2028 plus 3 one- year extensions available. National Shared Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) Framework is a single supplier framework and will provide the participating members a mechanism to procure a technology solution to contribute to a smooth transition from the current analogue connections to digital connections within their Alarm Receiving Centres. £412,183.00 03/03/2025 02/03/2027 plus 2 one- year extensions available Page 297 of 374
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38 Bairns Hoose Underpinned by the UNCRC, Bairns Hoose promotes a child-centred, trauma-informed and multi-agency approach that supports children recover from abuse. £102,640.00 Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services 01/10/2024 30/09/2025 Missing Persons To provide a Missing Persons Service across the North Lanarkshire to children and young people who have been reported missing to Police Scotland. £290,000 Children, Families and Justice Social Work Services 15/02/2025 14/02/2027 plus 2 one- year extensions available Provision of information and advice service for (Autism) To provide a bespoke service to persons, families, communities and professionals who are affected by or work with Autism. £62,500.00 Adult Social Work Services 01/04/2025 30/09/2025 Provision of support for people affected by Huntington’s Disease A bespoke service to persons, families, communities and professionals who are affected by or work with Huntington’s Disease. Tripartite agreement with North Lanarkshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire. North Lanarkshire Council is the lead. £398,898 Adult Social Work Services 01/04/2025 31/03/2028 Page 298 of 374
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39 13. Ethical Commissioning The Scottish Government’s Adult Social Care Ethical Commissioning policy team commissioned the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (Iriss) to work with a range of partners, on developing an implementation plan with priorities, to ensure that ethical commissioning and procurement principles became a reality. One of the priorities identified by the group was for better support for commissioners and to work on developing training and a qualification for commissioners. As part of the project, Iriss ran an Action Learning Set for commissioners. The aim was to develop support for commissioners and others involved in implementing ethical commissioning and procurement. A group of 15 local authority commissioners were invited to meet monthly from August 2024 to January 2025 for discussions with input from expert speakers. Quality Assurance were part of this group. Local commissioners shared their experiences, challenges and priorities for support and any training needs. The group provided a space for learning, development and support with the move to ethical commissioning, and for commissioners to hear about current developments and improvements in commissioning policy and practice, working together on identifying priorities for future support. The outcomes were: • Commissioners have increased knowledge, skills and confidence in their commissioning practice. • The Scottish Government Adult Social Care Ethical Commissioning team and partners have a clearer sense of commissioning as a distinct profession and the skills and knowledge required to commission ethically. • Scottish Government and partners have a foundation on which to build future and more formalised training in partnership with larger training focussed organisations. Scottish Living Wage Last year we reported that most Providers had indicated they were either already accredited as or were willing to become Scottish Living Wage employers. This trend continues, with 96% of 96% 4% Providers Paying Scottish Living Wage at at 31/03/2025 YES % N/A % 96% 4% Providers Paying Scottish Living Wage as at 31/03/2024 YES % N/A % Page 299 of 374
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40 Providers who deliver a direct care & support service paying the Scottish Living Wage. The remaining 4% of Providers provide non-care related services (such as domestic & catering staff) or are within the cross-border category, whereby the Scottish Living Wage does not apply. 14. Adult Support & Protection (ASP) Quality Assurance have a remit across social work in supporting commissioned services to respond in accordance with Adult Support & Protection legislation and North Lanarkshire Council policies and procedures. Quality Assurance also have a role in the identification of any patterns and themes which may indicate wider systemic concern. As a direct link to commissioned services, Quality Assurance promote best practice in relation to Adult Support & Protection. Over the reporting period, Quality Assurance continued to maintain links with adult services colleagues to ensure ASP activity was considered in day-to-day practice. Quality Assurance continue to have representation in the following ASP forums and contribute to: • Learning & Development • Monitoring & Reporting • Lanarkshire Wide Care Home Task Force Group • Weekly Care Home ASP Review Quality Assurance were also involved in a National Learning Review involving the closure of a Care Home. Representation will continue within a focus group driving forward local recommendations that arose from the Learning Review. 15. Social Work Risk Management Quality Assurance have oversight of the social work risk register and are responsible for quarterly & annual reporting, compliance audits and for the facilitation and coordination of the Social Work Risk Forums. Quality Assurance participate in Corporate Risk Management Team meetings, and cascade appropriate information through the correct forums. Risk Champions and Facilitators act as points of contact for risk management matters within social work and promote risk awareness across the service. Representatives from the Quality Assurance Team participated in a two-day accredited Institute of Risk Management (IRM), Essentials of Enterprise Risk Management Course. Participation assisted Quality Assurance to continue to progress the reframing of social work risks, to ensure that these are fluid, dynamic, specific and relevant to the current environmental context. Risk Champions and Facilitators continue to engage with risk owners to provide awareness and support to reframe risks. This approach ensures that our work priorities are focused on the correct areas. Risk continues as a standing agenda item at the ASW Governance and Social Work Leadership meetings and there is a plan for live risks to be discussed and reviewed by leadership teams within these forums. 16. Registered Social Landlords Since the summer of 2023, Quality Assurance has been leading on the review of five Registered Social Landlords who provided thirteen sheltered & very sheltered developments across North Lanarkshire. These services were funded to provide housing support, using Supporting People Page 300 of 374
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41 funding. This funding stream was discontinued around 2016/17, leading to mainstream social work funding being accessed pending review. Quality Assurance engaged with all stakeholders during 2024/2025 to hear their views in relation to the proposal to discontinue housing support services and move to Retirement Housing. Advocacy were involved to ensure representation for those who required this. Following the engagement sessions, it was agreed that NLC would no longer commission or fund the staffing associated with the legacy model. This was to ensure that all those living within the services under consideration could have choice and control over who delivered their care and support in line with SDS principles. Two of the five Registered Social Landlords (RSL’s) involved transitioned from sheltered/very sheltered housing to other models in April and July 2024 respectively, and positive outcomes were reported following the change. The remaining three RSL’s continued to finalise their transition plans and in early 2025 one moved to a new model. For the remaining two RSL’s direct funding from NLC has ceased. However, one of these RSL’s elected to join NLC’s Self-Directed Support including Care at Home Framework to enable them to provide care and support utilising individual budgets should people chose them as a provider. We will continue to engage through monitoring activity. Following the conclusion of this review there is confidence that individuals are receiving the right support at the right time. 17. Care Home Governance & Assurance Following review of the enhanced clinical and care oversight arrangements for care homes reported last year, there has been continued support commissioned through the Care Home Assurance and Support Board and the Care Home Collaborative Group. The Collaborative Group combined what was previously two separate subgroups - the Care Home Governance Group and the Care Home Healthcare Framework Implementation Group. An initial gap analysis of the implementation of the Healthcare Framework and follow up review have been progressed meaning that the separate Implementation Group was disbanded. The Safety Huddle Multi-Disciplinary Forum which has continued to build on good practice embedded during the pandemic, has been further stepped down to fortnightly meetings. The focus of work has been reviewed and refined to include the ratings for each Care Home within North Lanarkshire. Adult Support and Protection escalations have also been included in discussions. These further enhancements maximise the effectiveness of the arrangements in place, to ensure systems and processes enable intelligence to be shared between agencies, to identify and allow support to be provided to care homes at risk. Actions are agreed collaboratively to provide an immediate response to safeguard residents. Quality Assurance participate in the Collaborative Group and the Safety Huddle and play a part in influencing the assurance and governance arrangements through a social work lens. Quality Assurance have been involved in the on-going review of the Healthcare Framework Gap Analysis, and it is envisaged that enhanced awareness raising across care homes of the framework and what providers and people can expect, will be a focus of activity throughout 2025/26. Quality Assurance introduced a working group with providers, to understand the Healthcare Framework. The meetings were initially beneficial, as historically Care home managers did not always engage with opportunities to participate in formal governance meetings. However, with consensus, these meetings have since been disbanded as the group felt it had achieved its purpose. Page 301 of 374
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42 18. Care Home Managers Meeting Quality Assurance continued to co-ordinate Care Home Managers Meetings as a support for Care Home Managers. Meetings, hosted in a local care home setting, have continued, with the aim to have them quarterly. The meetings give the opportunity to share ideas, good practice initiatives and common provider concerns. There is an ongoing input and update from a range of professionals involved in supporting care homes. Meetings over the reporting period have included topics such as Adult Support & Protection, promoting continence care, promotion and use of care opinion, pharmaceutical updates, the healthcare framework and safe staffing legislation. The Associate Medical Director, attended the meeting in August 2024 to brief the group on the Serious Adverse Event Review (SAER) 19. Complaints Quality Assurance retains an overview role in terms of complaints regarding Social Work service provision. Quarterly reports on complaints activity are reported through our governance structures. The annual summary and analysis of complaints received over the period 2024/2025 is attached as Appendix 1. 20. Duty of Candour All health and social care services in Scotland have an organisational duty of candour. This is a legal requirement which means that when certain types of incidents happen, the people affected understand what has happened, receive an apology, and the organisation learns how to improve for the future. An annual report capturing Duty of Candour activity is a requirement of the Council and the report for 2024/2025 is attached as Appendix 2. 21. Safe Staffing The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 (HCSA) came into effect on 1st April 2024. The purpose of this legislation is to establish a statutory framework to ensure appropriate staffing levels in health and care settings. A review of procurement, contracts and contract monitoring processes took place prior to the implementation of the Act. There has been recognition from Scottish Government, Care Inspectorate and all Local Authorities that the reporting requirements for Local Authorities are currently vague and therefore in the lead up to the first annual report, there remained new and emerging guidance being shared. Reassurance has been provided, that due to the lack of clarity, the Care Inspectorate on behalf of the Scottish Government, will carry out an analysis of reports following receipt, with clearer guidance and a reporting template to be made available for annual reports due in 2026. Quality Assurance worked collaboratively with the Care Inspectorate throughout the year, participating in the HCSA Implementation Group, which is facilitated by the Safe Staffing Programme and was launched in August 2024. This group meets every two months and provides a forum for stakeholders to share experiences, good practices, and areas for improvement. Whilst the group is ongoing, discussions are underway about its future direction after the current reporting period. Page 302 of 374
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43 Quality Assurance continued to support both commissioned and in-house services with the implementation of the Act throughout the reporting period, by facilitating two dedicated working groups. North Lanarkshire Council have responsibilities as a provider of care and support and as a placing authority. • Commissioned Services Working Group This group was established prior to the Act’s implementation. Its aim was to share best practices and discuss potential risks. Feedback from participants indicated that attending the group was beneficial and helped them feel more prepared. Following the implementation of the Act, the group continued to meet for several months, creating a collaborative platform where services could share experiences, including examples of good practice and areas for improvement. • In-House Registered Services Working Group This group was formed in November 2024 and initially met monthly, before transitioning to a bi-monthly schedule. It continues to be well attended by registered managers, and feedback indicates that the group is valuable in supporting ongoing learning, knowledge exchange, and the sharing of best practices. • The group has developed an assurance tool which is based on the guiding principles of the Act, and it is intended to document evidence of how the principles of the Act influence staffing arrangements. This tool is being used across all NLC registered services. • Throughout 2025/2026 staffing contingency plans and staffing level tools will continue to be developed. The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019: Annual Report for Social Work Services is attached as Appendix 3. 22. North Lanarkshire Registered Services Care Inspectorate Activity: Annual Report 2024/2025 Quality Assurance have oversight of Care Inspectorate activity, and this enables the monitoring of individual services and organisational patterns, themes and trends. An annual report has been produced capturing findings over the reporting period see Appendix 4. 23. Getting it Right for Everyone (GIRFE) Quality Assurance were represented on the GIRFE Facilitation Group, which is tasked with ensuring that the wider principles of the national approach to GIRFE were embedded within day-to-day practice across North Lanarkshire. GIRFE is about providing a more personalised way to access help and support when it is needed. GIRFE places the person at the centre of all the decision making that affects them, with a joined-up consistent approach, regardless of the support needed at any stage of life. GIRFE is intended to inform the future practice model of all health, social care and public sector professionals, and shape the design and delivery of services, ensuring that people’s needs are met. Work to embed the 5 GIRFE principles, as noted below is ongoing and the GIRFE Facilitation Group had a lead role in raising awareness of these and seeking to ensure that these are reflected in operation day to day. Page 303 of 374
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44 • I have the information I need to make decisions about my life, in a way that works for me, and I am supported to understand what options are available to me, and trusted to know what is right for me • the people who support me take the time to listen and understand me as a person and we consider my whole life when making decisions about my life • I know that I can be clear about what matters to me, and I trust that my choices will be respected and understood by the people who support me • if I need to access services or support, I am treated with kindness, dignity and respect at all times. • the people I am involved with work together with me and each other to share information, in a way that is accessible to me and develop a clear understanding of how to support my wellbeing The GIRFE approach applies equally to existing supports and services, as well as to innovation, with some exciting innovations underway. A Getting it Right for Everyone Approach has now been embedded within North Lanarkshire as our local means of meeting the aspirations of the national approach. 24. Back-to-basics to getting it right for everyone Over the past year within Adult Health & Social Care Services, we have been working on the development of an enabling approach that supports the move from our work on back-to-basics to getting it right for everyone, as we recognise the landscape of health and social care is changing and services, supports and responses need to change to continue to improve the lives of people who live and work in North Lanarkshire. We have sought to adopt a human learning approach by trying different ways to focus more on people and less on systems and processes, and use resources to their best effect, to make the most positive impact on peoples’ lives. Through the learning as management strategy (also known as Human Learning System) approach, we have been working with academic and national partners, including Healthcare Improvement Scotland, to make learning and experimentation a key driver in our work. A key element of the learning approach has been the development of a Whole System Enabling Approach strongly embedded within each of the six localities, which supports a place-based model. Overarching this work has been making sure that when people contact our services the response is quick and effective, with a focus on helping people to help themselves first. Our Enabling Approach has helped us understand and consider how all parts of the Health & Social Care system interact and influence each other. Our desire is to continue to support people to thrive by providing targeted services that are tailored to reflect their diverse needs. Keeping people central to the decisions that affect them is key and has helped us plan actions that support positive outcomes for those who access our services. Over the coming year we will further develop specific plans and service developments: as this is a whole system approach, we anticipate there will be a lot to focus on and much change across services, supports and responses that are needed to achieve and sustain change. 25. Trauma Informed Practice There is a Scotland wide vision of a trauma informed and responsive workforce and services. This approach recognises the impact of trauma and adversity on individuals and seeks to prevent further harm, support recovery, address inequalities and improve life chances. Within Page 304 of 374
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45 North Lanarkshire, a Trauma Informed Practice Oversight Group was established, with representatives drawn from across the wider Health and Social Care service, including Quality Assurance. The remit of the group is focused on ensuring that the principles of Trauma Informed Practice are embedded in day-to-day practice, and that our buildings and spaces also reflect and support a Trauma informed approach. Examples of the role of Quality Assurance in supporting this approach include, but are not limited to: Three recently concluded adult Tenders (Adult Advocacy, Support for unpaid Carers, and Peer Support, Mental Health) were all developed in line with Trauma Informed Practice. The services commissioned through these Tenders, as well as other local CVS organisations who provide information\ advice \ support to citizens of North Lanarkshire, were, for the most part, involved in an initial Trauma Informed Awareness session, facilitated by the Trauma informed Practice Lead. The overall intention is that Trauma Informed Practice becomes embedded into everyday practice, not just within Health and Social Care, but across partner organisations also. The next step in this process will be to link with framework support provider organisations and promote the opportunity to participate in Trauma Informed Practice awareness raising sessions, again with the expectation, that Trauma Informed Practice is further embedded within these organisations also. Work will also continue to embed Trauma Informed Practice across the services delivered by UHSCNL. 26. Policies and Procedures Work has continued to progress in relation to Social Work Policies and Procedures. Quality Assurance are the SharePoint site owners for these, and editing rights are restricted to the team. During the reporting period there has been a Policies & Procedures Working Group established with representatives from across social work. The aim of this group was to agree the file path for central storage and easy access. Furthermore, policy control documents would be attached to ensure that policy owners, review dates and version control were available and up to date. Thereafter the plan was for Quality Assurance to host a Policy Review Group to ensure social work policies remain consistent with changes in legislation and practice. This work was paused due to a variety of findings which made it difficult to establish a suitable file path due to use of language and gaps and duplication in policies and procedures. Several discussions and presentations have taken place with the Senior Leadership Team and colleagues in Legal Services and Corporate and there is now a plan to progress with the devising and implementing of policy statements, rather than working directly from National Guidance. These policy statements will guide and govern all safe operating procedures for local services. This work will be carried out in phases commencing with Registered Services. 27. Care Home Physical Activity Initiative UHSCNL funded an initiative with the Burns Gym which has meant that over the reporting period, Burns Gym has successfully expanded and enhanced its virtual fitness programme, delivered weekly via Zoom, for care homes across North Lanarkshire. 23 out of 27 homes participated in this imitative. Joe and Tony Burns have effectively engaged residents, significantly improving their physical, social, and mental well-being. Participation has increased, and feedback continues to highlight the programme’s positive impact. Page 305 of 374
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46 From the latest evaluation report some of the key Statistics have been identified and these include: Physical Health Improvements: Mobility improved in 50% of participating homes. Strength and balance improved in 40% of homes. Falls reduced in 20% of homes. Social Engagement: 72% of homes reported increased social interactions. Emotional Well-being: Improved mood reported in 80% of homes. The link to the report is below for more information. NLC 12 Month Evaluation Report.docx 28. Adult Social Work Subgroup – Registered Managers An Adult Social Work Subgroup for Registered Managers was established in 2025. This group meet 8 weekly, and the chair is the Quality Assurance Service Manager or delegated person. This group reports through the ASW Governance Group and its purpose is to ensure robust governance and oversight across Registered Services. The group aims are to: • Ensure good governance and oversight across service delivery • Work collaboratively as registered managers team • Source/agree solutions that promote good outcomes • Identify and agree actions that improve the quality of care and support and reduce the risk of harm • Ensure robust systems and processes are in place to reporting through various governance routes • Support a culture of self-evaluation; refection; shared learning; improved practice • Plan and support the inspection process through the development of improvement plans Initial feedback is that this forum is well received and Registered Managers feels that it gives them focused time to discuss and plan improvement work with their peers. There are plans in place for Duty of Candour, Engagement & Participation & Infection Control to be future focus sessions. 29. Social Work Scotland Contracts & Commissioning Practice Network Quality Assurance participate in quarterly Social Work Scotland Contracts & Commissioning Practice Network. The team lead on a Care Home subgroup which explores some of the national issues, initiatives and best practice. This group feed back to the main membership. Page 306 of 374
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47 Quality Assurance also facilitated a session on VAT Holding Companies as requested by the Chair. 30. Quality Assurance Planned Developments This report has covered Quality Assurance activity undertaken during the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 and highlights progress made in key activities noted in the last reporting period. Several developments outlined below are in progress or planned for the period 2025/2026 and we will provide updates in future reports. Quality Assurance Planned Developments • Work with operational colleagues to influence and shape future procurement and service specifications • Establish clearer end to end procurement processes • Revamp contract mobilisation procedures • Working with commissioned services to support/mitigate the impact of the NI changes. • Finalise Social Work Induction • Further develop support for Carers • Progress with Policy Statements/ Policy Review Group/File Path • Roll out of Social Work Self Evaluation following test of change • Complete programme of In-House Monitoring • Build on engagement and participation toolkit to embed throughout all aspects of our work • Embed Programme of Work Governance Structure & Reporting Procedures • Oversight and support in relation to Care Inspectorate complaints for registered services • Sampling/Quality check/Feedback relating to Elected Members/Parliamentary enquiries • Complete reframing of risks on social work risk register. Change the ethos of review. • Participate in National Care Home Learning Review/Progress Recommendations for Quality Assurance • Establish quarterly reporting structure for expressions of dissatisfaction & Care Inspectorate activity for Registered Services • Progress Care Academy deliverables Page 307 of 374
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48 Annual Complaints Report 2024-2025 Social Work [Adults and Education, Families & Justice] Introduction This report provides an overview of Social Work’s performance in terms of handling complaints received between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 which covers both Adults and Education, Families & Justice services. This report describes how complaints have been managed by social work services, details the number and nature of complaints received during the year and demonstrates our commitment to learning and improvement. Complaint Process We always aim to provide the highest possible quality of service to all members of our communities and are committed to ensuring accountability and transparency. We recognise there are times when we get things wrong and fail to meet the expectations of those who use our services. We welcome feedback as it provides information that helps us to learn from complaints and shape and improve the way services are delivered. Complaints are viewed as a positive communication tool and are actively encouraged. As per the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman [SPSO] definition, we regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction, by one or more members of the public, about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf. Anyone can make a complaint, either verbally or in writing, face to-face, by phone, letter or email. People are directed and encouraged to use the North Lanarkshire Council online portal to make a complaint but retain the right to use any of the aforesaid options. A two-stage statutory social work complaints process was introduced on 1 April 2017, which harmonised complaint handling processes across all council services. The process is as follows: • Stage one – ‘frontline resolution’: we will always try to resolve complaints quickly, within five working days, and in exceptional circumstances extend for a further five days. • Stage two – ‘investigation’: if people remain dissatisfied with our stage one response, they can escalate their complaint to stage two. Complaints that are complex or need detailed investigation from the outset can be looked at immediately at stage two. These complaints will be acknowledged within three working days and a written response provided within twenty working days; this can be extended in exceptional circumstances. Appendix 1 Page 308 of 374
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49 Following completion of the complaints process, if the person remains dissatisfied, they can ask the SPSO to consider their complaint further. We always advise of this entitlement and provide contact details. Complaint activity [overall] Overall, 263 complaints were received in the reporting period, an increase of 58 [28%] from 2023-2024 when 205 complaints were recorded. Notably, 34% of all adult services complaints were in relation to home support services. A breakdown of locality complaints is undernoted: Education, Families & Justice 103 complaints were received in relation to Education, Families and Justice services across 2024-25, an increase of five [6%] from last year. The undernoted summarises locality complaint activity for Education, Families and Justice services across 2024-2025. Adult Social Work Services 160 complaints were received in relation to adult services across 2024-25, an increase of 59 [54%] from 2023-2024. The undernoted summarises locality complaint activity for Adult Social Work Services in 2024-25. 14 18 21 16 7 17 10 Airdrie Bellshill Coatbridge Cumbernauld Motherwell Wishaw H.Q. Education, Families & Justice Services 57 16 9 19 19 28 12 Airdrie Bellshill Coatbridge Cumbernauld Motherwell Wishaw H.Q. Adult Social Work Services Page 309 of 374
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50 All localities had increased complaint activity in the reporting period. However, Airdrie and Bellshill recorded notably high increases over 2024-2025 – Airdrie, a 62% increase, Bellshill, a 100% increase. Increased complaints were attributable to dissatisfaction about home support services in the areas. However, Bellshill complaints are still relatively low – they recorded eight in 2023-2024 and 16 2024-2025. Management actions were deployed to consider this increase more fully, and consequently, home support complaints decreased in quarter four. Performance Indicators The Complaints Standard Authority, in conjunction with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman developed a suite of four mandatory performance indicators in association with the Local Authority Complaint Handlers Network on which we are represented. These indicators [undernoted] are a valuable source of information as they help to identify recurring or underlying issues, derive/drive learning from complaints and highlight potential areas for improvement. • Indicator One: the total number of complaints received. • Indicator Two: the number and percentage of complaints at each stage that were closed in full within the set timescales of five and 20 working days. • Indicator Three: the average time in working days for a full response to complaints at each stage. • Indicator Four: the outcome of complaints at each stage. Education, Families & Justice – Performance Information Indicator One - 103 complaints were received in relation to Education, Families and Justice services across 2024-25 Indicator Two/Three: Compliance with target statutory timeframes to complete complaint. Undernoted graphics depict adherance to statutory timeframes. At Stage 1, 57% were met within 5 working days, a further 38% were met with an agreed extension [within 10 working days], and 5% were outwith response target time. Average number of days to issue response: 6 working days. At Stage 2, 56% were met within 20 working days, a further 24% required an agreed extension, and 20% were outwith reponse target time. Average number of days to issue response: 34 working days. Page 310 of 374
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51 Indicator four - Complaint Outcomes “Outcome” refers to whether a complaint was upheld, not upheld, partially upheld or resolved. At Stage One, 33% of all complaints were not upheld, with the remaining 66% recording a positive outcome for the complainant. At Stage 2, 36% were not upheld, 64% recording a positive outcome. The volume of Education, Families and Justice complaints since 2020-2021 has remained stable, with little variation in the number of complaints between 2021-2022 and 2024-2025. Cause of Complaints [Stage 1 Cause of Complaints [Stage 2] Page 311 of 374
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52 Adult Social Work Services – Performance Information Indicator One - 160 complaints were received in relation to adult services across 2024-25. Indicator Two/Three - Compliance with target statutory timeframes to complete complaint. Undernoted graphic depicts adherance to statutory timeframes: At Stage 1, 53% met statutory response times, 26% met statutory timeframes within 10 days, 21% breached target timeframe. Average number of days to issue response: 6 working days. At Stage 2, 72% were met within 20 working days, a further 18% required an agreed extension, and 10% breached target timeframe. Average number of days to issue response: 23 working days. Indicator 4 - Complaint Outcomes “Outcome” refers to whether a complaint was upheld, not upheld, partially upheld or resolved. 54% of complaints at Stage 1 were not upheld, with the remaining 46% recording a positive outcome for the complainant. At Stage 2, 37% of complaints were not upheld, 63% had a positive outcome. 35 53 11 Stage 1 Upheld Not upheld Partially upheld 7 148 9 Stage 2 Upheld Not upheld Page 312 of 374
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53 Adult Social Work Service complaints show variation in the number received between 2021- 2022 and 2024-2025. The increase in complaints throughout 2024-2025 are commensurate with increased home support complaints. Cause of Complaints Stage 1 Stage 2 Learning from Complaints [Both Services] The learning from all social work complaints this year have highlighted: • The importance of good communication and mutually respectful interactions. • The need to ensuring that those who use our services and their carers have appropriate information. • Ensure that service quality is met. • The need to improve information and advice for those who need to contact and seek support from social work services. • Importance of reviews carried out regularly. • Ensure that we comply with Human Rights. Page 313 of 374
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54 • Update support plans accurately. • Confirm social work planned intervention with person. • Adherence to timeframes. • Assure that all staff are appraised of procedural/process change. Outcomes are often specific to the complaint and complainant, but when there are organisational learning points that influence policy or procedure, it is necessary to ensure that learning outcomes are cascaded and acted upon. Individual learning points are handled directly with the complainant and through supervision with members of staff. More general learning points are cascaded through supervision with team members and discussion at team meetings. 31% of all social work complaints indicated that there were no learning outcomes, whilst 34% were attributed to communication/staff attitude as the principal cause of complaints. 19% related to other issues as mentioned above, with 16% unrecorded on the system. 54 [34%] of Adult Social Work Services were in relation to home support services in this reporting period. We recognise the importance of learning from complaints and acknowledge that having a learning outcome recorded is an area that requires attention. We understand that complaints help organisations learn more about the experiences of people who use their services, and that complaints can be helpful to enable us to provide a person-focused service. While learning from complaints remains a non-mandatory performance indicator by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, they are interested in any systemic changes that are made following a complaint. Going forward, we will work directly with our locality teams to ensure that accurate recording and learning from complaints is embedded in practice to ensure quality services are delivered. Scottish Public Services Ombudsman The SPSO considered nine complaints throughout 2024-2025 six of which they decided not to follow up, with one complaint withdrawn by the complainant. One complaint awaits a decision, whilst the final complaint, the Council were instructed to issue a new stage two response. Child Friendly Complaints Procedure The SPSO launched the Child Friendly Complaints Procedure in July 2024. This procedure aims to ensure that children’s rights, under the United Nations on the Rights of the Child, [UNCRC] are met through a child-centred complaint process. Their principal aim was to co- 74, 34% 67, 31% 40, 19% 35, 16% Learning from Complaints Communication No learning Service Improvement Outcome unrecorded Page 314 of 374
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55 design this alongside children and young people and implement a public sector complaints procedure that meets children’s rights and needs. The SPSO continue to work in collaboration with local authorities to develop good practice guidance through the national complaint handlers’ group, of which officers from Quality Assurance are members. Within North Lanarkshire, a core group meets to co-design and trial our Child Friendly Complaint Process, which is modelled on national guidance. Quality Assurance officers have met with senior managers from Education, Families and Justice to discuss and to distribute draft guidance and FAQs from the SPSO. Care Opinion Care Opinion is a non-profit organisation, web-based feedback platform funded mainly through subscriptions from health and care organisations. At present, 500 health and social care organisations use Care Opinion across the UK. People submit stories to share their experiences of health and social care services. These can be both positive and negative, are moderated by Care Opinion staff, and quickly forwarded to the relevant area of service who can respond directly to the story. We recognise the importance of feedback; it is considered integral to quality improvement. For staff, it gives an opportunity to see the system and the service provided through the person’s eyes. Care Opinion – Key statistics • 471 stories were shared on Care Opinion 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025 • 84% of stories received a response from the service within 7 working days, with circa 60% within one working day. • 80% of all stories shared have a zero-criticality rating, whilst 1% have a strongly critical rating. 18% have a low to moderate criticality rating. • Circa 83% of stories posted refer to NHS Lanarkshire services, whilst the remaining 17% refer to social care and third sector partners that are included in the UHSCPs subscription. To further support the use of Care Opinion as a vehicle to promote feedback on services, our revised Contract Management Framework asks all contracted providers, through their quarterly monitoring return, to report on their use and promotion of Care Opinion as a method of seeking feedback. We are also expanding the service tree to incorporate commissioned organisations if they wish to be included within the UHSCP subscription. Over the course of the past year, several third sector organisations, mainly those specific to our partnership with Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire, have been added to the subscription. Training Training on the system, where complaints are recorded continues to be delivered virtually through a video. This is a helpful aide memoire, but we recognise that additional support around recording and managing complaints is required and have agreed a programme of learning events to support locality teams to further enhance their approach to complaint handling. Page 315 of 374
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56 Quality Assurance Quality Assurance senior officers provide training and support to social work managers and teams in relation to the complaint handling process. A suite of letter templates is available, which provide guidance on model answers, trauma informed and best practice when engaging with complainants. Complaints are often routed directly through the Quality Assurance team who acknowledge receipt and assign complaints to the relevant service manager. New guidance was recently issued that instructs that all Stage 2 responses are routed through the social work complaints mailbox prior to issue, with all being sense checked by the Quality Assurance Senior Officer. In doing so, we ensure that all stage 2 complaints are compliant with the Complaint Handling Procedure. A single agency learning review was commissioned to consider a serious complaint. The outcome and findings are still be determined. Complaints that relate to both health and social work/social care services are routed through the relevant lead organisations complaints process, but there is an integrated approach to resolution and any joint learning outcomes are shared. Conclusion The principal cause of complaints continues to identify poor staff communication, staff attitudes and quality of service. This is further reflected within the learning outcomes, which indicate the need to improve communication, practice and approach to those using social work services. As a service we are committed to improving learning from complaints, which is also one of the key performance indicators, which in the future may be reportable to the SPSO. We will place further emphasis on the need to ensure that all complaints are dealt within identified timeframes, with clear communication of outcomes. Although 100% of complaints that were sent directly to social work were acknowledged by the due dates, only 58% overall were completed within statutory timeframes, with no need for an extension. Complexity of issues, new processes, staffing, IT systems and very tight time frames for resolution were the contributory factors in failure to complete all complaints within time. Improvement in these areas is expected in 2025-2026. Further actions – 2025-2026 Several key actions have been identified to strengthen our approach whilst dealing with complaints including using the learning to improve the quality of experience for those who use our services. Many are continuing or legacy commitments made in former years but remain valid objectives. The key actions are: 1. We will, over the course of 2025 -2026, sense check and proof-read all stage 2 complaints to ensure that the procedures are understood and followed. Legacy action that is on-going. 2. We aspire to ensure that logging actions and learning from complaints is done consistently to support the improvement of services that support people across our communities. 3. We develop a programme of reflective learning sessions across teams - Complaint activity and learning remain an agenda item in team meetings and links across services and localities are maintained with Quality Assurance who will review complaint activity as required. Learning sessions were delivered as requested in 2024-2025 and will continue in 2025-2026. Page 316 of 374
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57 4. We will continue to promote Care Opinion as one of the key mechanisms for engaging with members of the public and to generate meaningful feedback. Further resources have been deployed to assist with this activity – a one-page newsletter/precis of Care Opinion will be drafted and circulated to all social work staff to support further usage and promotion of Care Opinion. 5. Where possible, we will secure system training to all members of management support teams who now have responsibility for logging and tracking complaints. 6. We will offer complaint handling training as a refresher session, or for training for new staff. Training sessions are offered on an ad hoc basis, and as required by individual teams. 7. A further legacy action from 2023-2024 is the roll out and implementation of Child Friendly Complaints Handling Procedures. The SPSO have now indicated that Child Friendly Complaint Handling will not be a separate procedure, but practice guidance is necessary to ensure that the rights of children and young people, conferred by the UNCRC, are protected. Page 317 of 374
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58 Duty of Candour Report: 2024-2025 All health and social care services in Scotland have an organisational duty of candour. This is a legal requirement which means that when certain types of incidents happen, the people affected understand what has happened, receive an apology, and the organisation learns how to improve for the future. An important part of this duty is that we provide an annual report about the organisational duty of candour in our services. This report describes how our organisation, North Lanarkshire Council, has operated the organisational Duty of Candour during the time between 01 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. If you have any questions or would like more information about North Lanarkshire Council, please feel free to contact us at: barrym@northlan.gov.uk When Must Duty of Candour be Activated? Duty of Candour must be activated as soon as reasonably practicable after becoming aware that an unintended or unexpected incident occurred in the provision of the health, care or social work service were, in the reasonable opinion of a registered health professional (not involved in the incident) that: (a) the incident appears to have resulted in or could result in any of the outcomes mentioned below (b) the outcome relates directly to the incident rather than to the natural course of the person’s illness or underlying condition. The relevant outcomes are as follows: • the death of the person. • permanent lessening of bodily, sensory, motor, physiologic or intellectual functions(including removal of the wrong limb or organ or brain damage) (“severe harm”). Harm which is not severe harm, but which results in one or more of the following: • an increase in the person’s treatment. • changes to the structure of the person’s body. • the shortening of the life expectancy of the person. • an impairment of the sensory, motor, or intellectual functions of the person which has lasted, or is likely to last, for a continuous period of at least 28 days. • the person experiencing pain or psychological harm which has been, or is likely to be, experienced by the person for a continuous period of at least 28 days. The person requires treatment by a registered health professional to prevent: Appendix 2 Page 318 of 374
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59 • the death of the person. • any injury to the person which, if left untreated, would lead to one or more of the outcomes mentioned above. How many incidents happened to which the organisational duty of candour applies? In the last year, there have been no incidents notified to Quality Assurance, where the organisational duty of candour applied. Information About Our Policies and Procedures North Lanarkshire Council reviewed and modified its Duty of Candour reporting procedures during 2024/25. Throughout January, February & March 2025 Locality Social Work Managers, Senior Social Workers and Registered Managers participated in awareness raising sessions to enhance understanding of the circumstances when Duty of Candour would be considered; and the stages involved in the procedure. The Duty of Candour notification procedure now includes two stages, which are: / Part 1 Possible Duty of Candour incident (Initial Notification) / Part 2 Managing the Duty of Candour Process The intention underlying the introduction of the two-stage process is to enable internal monitoring and analysis of when Duty of Candour has been considered but not activated. It is envisaged that this data will contribute to organisational learning. Duty of Candour Reporting procedures and awareness raising sessions have been added to the North Lanarkshire Council Social Work Induction that all social work staff complete within the first four weeks of employment. Duty of Candour training and information is available to North Lanarkshire Council staff on-line at Duty of candour | Turas | Learn Where something has happened that may trigger the organisational Duty of Candour, our staff report this to Social Work Quality Assurance. Quality Assurance initiate contact with the reporter to plan, guide and support the process Duty of Candour Procedure. What have we learned? Duty of Candour discussions and reflections have taken place during the awareness raising sessions and have demonstrated the benefits of interactive learning and peer discussion when considering whether the Duty of Candour criteria has been met. North Lanarkshire Council Social Work will embed a refresher Duty of Candour training programme utilising this method, in turn complementing and enhancing e-learning. We believe that our modified Duty of Candour reporting process provides operational social work staff with the opportunity to explore and consider in full, improvement actions from unintended incidents. Furthermore, it enables North Lanarkshire Council Senior Managers to have confidence that we are fulfilling our legal and morale responsibilities as defined within the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 (The Act) and The Duty of Candour Procedure (Scotland) Regulations 2018. Training and Support for staff All new social work & social care staff within North Lanarkshire Council learn about the organisational Duty of Candour at induction and subsequent refresher sessions. Page 319 of 374
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60 We know that serious mistakes can be distressing for staff as well as people who receive care and support and their families. We therefore promote access to North Lanarkshire Council Employee Assistance Programme for those who have been affected by an organisational Duty of Candour incident. Support for relevant persons Where a relevant person (i.e., children, adults, families, etc.) is affected by the incident that activated the organisational duty of candour, we provide links to wellbeing support services. Page 320 of 374
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61 Appendix 3 Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019: Annual Report for Social Work Services Under section 3(2) of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 (“the Act”), every local authority and integration authority must have regard to a number of listed factors when planning or securing the provision of a care service from a third party: • the guiding principles in the Act (section 1 of the Act); • the requirement on care service providers to have regard to the guiding principles (section 3(1) of the Act); • the duty on care service providers to ensure appropriate staffing (section 7 of the Act); • the requirement on care service providers with regard to training of staff (section 8 of the Act); • the requirement on care service providers to have regard to guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers (section 10 of the Act); • the duties on care service providers under Chapter 3 of Part 5 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, for example with regard to registration of care services; and • the duties on care service providers under Chapter 3A of Part 5 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, for example with regard to the use of any prescribed staffing methods or staffing tools. Note that the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 inserted chapter 3A into the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act. Section 3(6) of the Act states that relevant organisations must publish information annually on the steps they have taken to comply with the requirement in section 3(2) regarding the planning and securing of care services and any ongoing risks that may affect their ability to comply with this requirement. The information in this report relates to the financial year, 01 April 24 to 31 March 25, and will be published by 30 June 25. Page 321 of 374
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62 To enable the collation of the information published, a copy of the report has been sent to the Scottish Government hcsa@gov.scot. Page 322 of 374
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63 Declaration Name of local authority / integration authority: North Lanarkshire Council Report authorised by: Name Alison Gordon Designation Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Services) Date: 23 June 2025 Details of where the report will be published: NLC and UHSCP website(s). Information Required 1. Please detail the steps you have taken as an organisation to comply with section 3(2) of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019: 3(2) In planning or securing the provision of a care service from another person under a contract, agreement or other arrangements, every local authority and every integration authority (within the meaning of section 59 of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014) must have regard to— (a) the guiding principles for health and care staffing, and (b) the duties relating to staffing imposed on persons who provide care services— (i) by virtue of subsection (1) and sections 7 to 10, and (ii) by virtue of Chapters 3 and 3A of Part 5 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. To comply with section 3 (2) of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 North Lanarkshire Council worked closely with the Care Inspectorate, the Scottish Government, our commissioned Registered Services and key social work staff. Education, training, scoping roles & responsibilities Prior to the enactment of the legislation in April 2024 our Social Work Quality Assurance team led on the research around the requirements of the act, focusing on the impact to Commissioned Services and to North Lanarkshire Council in meeting the responsibilities outlined for Local Authorities. Our engagement activities included: Page 323 of 374
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64 - North Lanarkshire were one of ten authorities involved in the Scottish Government pilot – HSCP Chapter Testing Summary Report - Focus Groups & Peer Learning for Commissioned Registered Services. Sessions included education and the sharing of best practice evidence sources surrounding the 8 Guiding Principles, wellbeing of staff, staff training and the Staffing Method Framework. - Hosted Care Inspectorate Face to Face & On-line Education Sessions for Social Work staff. This raised awareness of the act to ensure social work staff were aware of the responsibilities of providers and Local Authorities. - Introduced as a standing agenda item at Adult Social Work Governance, Senior and Social Work Leadership Team Meetings and our (cross care group) Social Work Workforce Meeting. In doing so preparation and implementation of the legislation was given strategic priority. - Quality Assurance Newsletter. Quarterly updates were provided across social work in relation to the new legislation and how we were preparing for its implementation. Links to the Care Inspectorate Safer Staffing Hub were shared as was training available through the SSSC Open Badge route or alternatively Turas. Procurement & Contracting Our Social Work Quality Assurance Team, in partnership with operational colleagues, are responsible for procuring and contracting of Registered Commissioned Services. Prior to 1st April 2024 they liaised with our Corporate Procurement Team to review contracts which for Registered Services includes: - National Care Home Contract (NCHC) – 25 Care Homes with nursing and 1 Care Home Residential are commissioned within North Lanarkshire. Scotland Excel own and manage this contract through the National Care Home Contract. - North Lanarkshire Council did not plan or secure care homes between 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025. - Self-Directed Support (SDS) Framework including Care at Home Services – This framework is owned by North Lanarkshire Council. It is a ten-year framework effective from 2021, and it will expire in 2031. There are annual entry points for tender submissions from organisations meeting the criteria however in 2024 tender submissions were invited from December 2024 with the contract being effective as of 1st April 2025. We will report on new services added to the SDS Framework in 2025/2026. Page 324 of 374
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65 - As of 31st March 2025, the SDS Framework for Care at Home Services included 58 services. These services are accessed by Adult Health & Social Care, Children & Families & Justice. Breakdown below of the number of services available to support adults, children and older adults. Adults Children Older Adults 49 19 38 - Children's Residential Care and Education, including Short Break, Services – 2 different organisations from the framework are provide services within North Lanarkshire. This contract is owned and managed by Scotland Excel. - North Lanarkshire Council did not plan or secure any services under this contract between 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025. - Fostering and continuing Care - 2 services are commissioned within North Lanarkshire. This contract is owned and managed by Scotland Excel. - North Lanarkshire Council did not plan or secure any services under this contract between 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025. - Individual Placement Agreements – Where an individual chooses to be supported by a non-commissioned service or out of authority/cross borders, placements are agreed through North Lanarkshire Council by utilising an Individual Placement Agreement. The findings from the review of the National Care Home Contract, the SDS Framework for Care at Home services and Individual Placement Agreements, all of which are utilised when planning and securing services, confirmed that no modifications were required to legislative requirements. This was due to the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 legislation/guidance stating that there is no requirement to stipulate the actual name of the legislation. The need to comply with the Care Inspectorate Standards and all legislation relevant to social care form part of our contract monitoring approach. As part of the procurement journey and overall evaluations the guiding principles of the act and person specific training plans are considered in reference to meeting people’s unique outcomes. Care Inspectorate registration details and current grades awarded for each of the Key Questions are also taken into consideration. Contract Monitoring The Social Work Quality Assurance Team have oversight of all commissioned Registered Services for Adult Social Work, Children & Families and Justice services. Page 325 of 374
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66 Monitoring arrangements are in place, and these have been modified to include information around staffing arrangements and the key components of the staffing method framework, the guiding principles of the act including staff wellbeing and stakeholder feedback. During monitoring visits, the Quality Assurance Team engage directly with stakeholders to ensure that their views are being taken into consideration when decisions are made about staffing. A request is made to the Care Inspectorate to extend an invitation to a representative from the Quality Assurance Team to enable them to participate in the feedback session. This approach ensures information about staffing is known timeously. Care Inspectorate grades, requirements and areas for improvement are monitored and taken into consideration when risk assessing the commissioned services and the level of monitoring required. When a placement is being made in a non-commissioned service including out of authority and cross borders, due diligence processes are in place that includes liaison with the host authority and the appropriate regulator e.g. Care Inspectorate. This enables oversight of safer staffing compliance issues. 2. Please detail any ongoing risks that may affect your ability to comply with the duty set out in section 3(2). North Lanarkshire Council have a Self-Directed Support (SDS) Framework including Care at Home Services. This is a 10-year framework with annual entry points, as referenced above. This framework has been live since 2021 and will continue until 2031. Exploration and consideration are in process to make changes to the tendering evaluation process to evidence inclusion of the provider’s responsibilities under the Act. This will feature within future entry points. Subsequent modifications arising will be informed in collaboration with procurement legislation and best practice, which may result in limitations to the scope of change applied throughout this period. The Care Inspectorate do not define training requirements for a provider at the time of registration. Staff training is determined by the needs of the people being supported which is a fluid and dynamic process. To include training requirements as part of any competitive tendering process may not achieve the desired outcome as a result. North Lanarkshire Council take a person-centered approach to the expectations of providers to update their training plans as and when the needs and aspirations or people change. Monitoring visits carried out by our Social Work Quality Assurance Team capture any gaps as defined by the population at that time. Page 326 of 374
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67 North Lanarkshire Registered Services Care Inspectorate Activity: Annual Report 2024/2025 Appendix 4 Page 327 of 374
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68 Annual Report for North Lanarkshire Adult Services Care Inspectorate Activity for 2024/2025 Introduction North Lanarkshire Council currently operate a range of registered services, namely Locality Support Service (Disability), Home Support Service and Integrated Day Services and Residential Children’s Houses. All are delivered over the six localities: Motherwell, Wishaw, Coatbridge, Airdrie, Bellshill and Cumbernauld. These services are regulated by the Care Inspectorate and inspection frequency is determined by risk rating based on the Care Inspectorate scrutiny tool. Purpose of Report The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of care inspection activity for NLC in- house services during the reporting period 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025. This report provides details of the most recent care inspection activity, including grades awarded, requirements, areas for improvement, areas of strength and good practice and highlights any patterns or themes emerging. Care Inspectorate Grading System The table below outlines the grading system used by the Care Inspectorate to determine grades for each of the key questions and quality statements. Grades range from unsatisfactory (1) through to excellent (6). The In-House Services being reported on fall under three different quality frameworks which are as follows: - Locality Support Services & Integrated Day Services – A quality framework for support services (not care at home) - Home Support Service & Community Alarms – A quality framework for support services (care at home including supported living models) Key Question 4 as stated below is not assessed for this service type. EXCELENT 06 VERY GOOD 05 GOOD 04 ADEQUATE 03 WEAK 02 UNSATISFACTORY 01 OUTSTANDING OR SECTOR LEADING MAJOR STRENGTHS IMPORTANT STRENGTHS, WITH SOME AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT STRENGTHS JUST OUTWEIGH WEAKNESSES IMPORTANT WEAKNESSES – PRIORITY ACTION REQUIRED MAJOR WEAKNESSES – URGENT REMEDIAL ACTION REQUIRED An evaluation of excellent describes performance which is sector leading and supports experiences and outcomes for people which are outstandingly high quality. This is a demonstrable track record of innovation, effective practice and/or very high- quality performance across a wide range of its activities and from which others could learn. We can be confident that excellent performance is sustainable and that it will be maintained. An evaluation of very good will apply to performance that demonstrates major strengths in supporting positive outcomes for people. There are very few areas for improvement. Those that do exist will have minimal impact on people’s experiences and outcomes. While opportunities are taken to strive for excellence within a culture of continuous improvement, performance evaluated as very good does not require significant adjustment. An evaluation of good applies to performance where there is a number of important strengths which, taken together, clearly outweigh areas for improvement. The strengths will have a significant positive impact on people’s experience and outcomes. However improvement are requirement to maximise wellbeing and ensure that people consistently have experiences and outcomes which are as positive as possible. An evaluation of adequate applicates where there are some strengths, but these just outweigh weaknesses. Strengths may still have a positive impact by the likelihood of achieving positive experiences and outcomes for people is reduced significantly because key areas of performance need to improve. Performance which is evaluated as adequate may be tolerable in particular circumstances, such as where a service or partnership is not yet fully established, or in the midst of major transition. However, continues performance at adequate level is not acceptable. Improvements must be made by building on strengths while addressing those elements that are not contributing to positive experiences and outcomes for people. An evaluation of weak will apply to performance in which strengths can be identified but these are outweighed or compromised by significant weaknesses. The weaknesses, either individually or when added together, substantially affect peoples’ experiences or outcomes. Without improvement as a matter of priority, the welfare or safety of people may be compromised, or their critical needs not met. Weak performance requires action in the form of structured and planned improvement by the provider or partnership with a mechanism to demonstrate clearly that sustainable improvements have been made. An evaluation of unsatisfactory will apply when there are major weaknesses in critical aspects of performance which require immediate remedial action to improve experiences and outcomes for people. It is likely that people’s welfare or safety will be compromised by risks which cannot be tolerated. Those accountable for carrying out the necessary actions for improvement must do so as a matter of urgency, to ensure that people are protected, and their wellbeing improves without delay. Page 328 of 374
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69 - Residential Children’s Houses – A quality framework for care homes for children and young people and school care accommodation (special residential schools) Care Inspectorate Activity Locality Support Services Locality Support Service is a service for adults aged 16-65 with a learning disability, physical disability or long-term condition who require support to achieve their identified goals or outcomes, build confidence or maximise independence to lead healthier, safer, happier lives. This service is well connected and can support and signpost people to access services within their community including employment/voluntary opportunities, health improvement groups and further education courses. There were no care inspections within Locality Support Services during the reporting period. For details of grades and last inspection dates please refer to Table Appendix A. Integrated Day Services Integrated Day Services provide support for adults over 65, who often have complex and overlapping needs that require support from both health staff and social care staff. Support is offered either through the outreach, respite at home service, or support within the Integrated Day Service. The service is provided by both Social Work and Health staff, who work in partnership to ensure good quality support is provided. There were no care inspections within Integrated Day Services during the reporting period. Dates of the last inspections can be seen in the table Appendix B. Page 329 of 374
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70 Community Alarm Service The community alarm service provides urgent assistance to people living within their own homes who experience emergencies like taking ill or falling. People who choose to have the service are provided with an alarm unit connected to their phone system. When activated, a call is automatically made to the response centre where the staff will clarify the nature of the emergency. Staff will then alert family members or send trained community alarm staff or contact emergency services. This service operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, for people who are resident within North Lanarkshire area. There is currently a small charge for this service. Within the reporting period there were no inspections for this service. The table in Appendix C, highlights the core information in relation to the Community Alarm Service. Home Support Services Home Support is a service for individuals with complex health and care needs who require support to be as independent as they can be within their own homes. There are six In-House Home Support services across North Lanarkshire - Wishaw, Motherwell, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Airdrie and Cumbernauld. Airdrie Home Support were inspected three times during the reporting period. August 2024, 13 November 2024 and again on the 8 January 2025. On the 9 August 2024 the inspection focussed on 4 key questions: “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” “How good is our leadership?” “How good is our staff team?” “How well is care and support planned?” All four key questions were awarded grades of weak (2) From this inspection requirements and areas of improvement included: Improvement and management of missed visits, reviews to be held no later than six monthly and support plans to be updated following reviews, to ensure that visits take place at the times specified, support plans reflect good practice, are person centred and outcome focussed. (see table on Appendix D) A further inspection took place on 13 November 2024 which focussed on two of the four requirements which were made on 28 September 2023. These were missed visits and reviews. It was evident that there were improvements in the number of reviews being carried out and systems had been implemented to ensure visits took place as scheduled. These requirements were then recorded as being met. The remaining two requirements from 28 September 2023 were then extended further to 6 January 2025. On the 8 January 2025 a further inspection focussed on the two outstanding requirements wand the following key questions: “How well do we support people's wellbeing” “How good is our leadership” “How well is our care and support planned” Page 330 of 374
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71 The requirements were met at this inspection and the 3 key questions above were graded adequate (3). This highlighted improvement particularly around care planning and consistent, organised visits. Bellshill Home Support were inspected on 18 April 2024 with four key questions being assessed. “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” “How good is our leadership?” “How good is our staff team?” “How well is care and support planned?” All questions were graded Good (4) which highlighted an overall improvement in the grades from the previous inspection where grades of Adequate (3) were awarded for all key questions. Feedback reflected improvements to supervision frequency, observational monitoring and staff training. Coatbridge Home Support were inspected on 27 September 2024 with four key questions being assessed. “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” “How good is our leadership?” “How good is our staff team?” “How well is care and support planned?” All questions were graded Adequate (3). This was an improvement on the grades awarded at the last inspection where three key questions (KQ 1, 2 and 5) were graded weak (2). Some progress was recognised from the last inspection. However there remained two of the three requirements which had not been met. These were: care plans to be person centred and outcome focussed and reviews to be carried out 6 monthly. During this inspection four of the eleven previous areas for improvement were noted as having been met. Some other areas were consolidated into new areas of improvement. These were to ensure that all staff, including management, access the relevant training appropriate to their role and apply this training in practice. A robust system was to be developed for managing complaints and to ensure that people are involved in contributing to their reviews. (See Appendix D) Feedback reflected that the staff induction process was thorough and had been developed, direct observations were taking place and staff received feedback. Supervision was taking place, recorded with follow up action and the training matrix was up to date and noted when refresher training was due. Cumbernauld Home Support was inspected on 11 September 2024 with four key questions being assessed. “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” “How good is our leadership?” “How good is our staff team?” “How well is care and support planned?” Page 331 of 374
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72 Although two of the three requirements had been met since the last inspection no regrading took place. Therefore, grades of Adequate (3) remained for all four key questions. Feedback reflected improvements in training, supervision and audits of support reviews. A follow up inspection on 27 January 2025 focused on outstanding requirements and areas for improvement. The requirement for personal support plans being up to date, accurate, and reflective of good practice remained unmet. Additionally, there remained an area for improvement around action plans and supervision records as these had not been fully addressed. More time was required for the improvements that had been made to be embedded in practice. Feedback reflected that the care and support provided was good and positive changes continued to be implemented by the management team. Motherwell Home Support was inspected on 15 August 2024 with four key questions being assessed. “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” “How good is our leadership?” “How good is our staff team?” “How well is care and support planned?” Three key questions were awarded grades of weak (2) however the key question “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” was graded adequate (3). These grades were lower than those awarded previously. Requirements and areas for improvement were made. (See table Appendix D) A follow up inspection took place on 26 March 2025 and improvements had been noted. Three key questions were assessed. “How good is our leadership”, “How good is our staff team” and “How well is care and support planned” All three key questions were regraded to adequate (3). All requirements and areas for improvement had been met highlighting progress in these areas. Wishaw Home Support was inspected on 15 October 2024 with four key questions being assessed. “How well do we support people’s wellbeing?” “How good is our leadership?” “How good is our staff team?” “How well is care and support planned?” Grades of good (4) were awarded for all four key questions. The three areas noted for improvement at the last inspection were assessed during the October 2024 inspection and all three had been met. These included: improving the quality of care plans: the management of falls: ensuring prompt referrals to the appropriate professionals, when required. Areas of improvement from the October 2024 inspection included ensuring that action plans were fit for purpose and SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) Page 332 of 374
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73 and focused to ensure a culture of continuous improvement. Review reports were to be shared with the appropriate people. Feedback reflected that there is good communication across the staff team, good management oversight and staff are supported within the workplace. Residential Children’s Houses North Lanarkshire Council Residential Children’s houses offer accommodation, care and protection to children and young people generally aged 12 to 18, who cannot, for a variety of reasons, live in the community with their parents, extended family or substitute families. There are currently 5 North Lanarkshire Residential Houses in 5 areas within North Lanarkshire: Buchanan Street, Fort Street, Cambusnethan, Forrest Street, Fort Street and Main Street. All 5 residential houses were inspected within the reporting period. More detail can be found in Appendix E. Buchanan Street Residential House was inspected during the reporting period on 5th December 2024. One key question was inspected: “How well do we support children and young people's rights and wellbeing?” This key question was graded adequate (3). An area for improvement included development of staff practice, particularly around trauma informed practice. A further area for development noted the need for collective discussions and decision-making forums to be developed with young people. The management of medication and associated procedures were an area for improvement and management meetings were to be held, to continue to develop the service. The two requirements made from the previous inspection were both met within the timescales highlighting improvements in the quality assurance processes, incident reports were recorded accurately and risk assessments and safe plans for young people were detailed. More detail can be found in Appendix E. Feedback reflected that young people felt well cared for, there was good oversight of risk for young people and personal plans were outcome focused. Cambusnethan Residential House was inspected during the reporting period on 12th June 2024. One key question was inspected: “How well do we support children and young people's rights and wellbeing?” This key question was graded adequate (3) The previous requirement made at the last inspection was met within the timescales. This highlighted improvement with the admissions and matching procedures. Three previous areas for improvements from the last inspection were also met. Three new areas for improvement were made in the inspection of 12th June 2024. These included the need for improvement in staff training in relation to children’s specific needs, to develop child friendly and SMART personal plans and to continue to review staffing levels. Feedback reflected that the home worked well with partner agencies to support young people, there were some positive outcomes for young people and support for families was very good. Page 333 of 374
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74 Forrest Street Residential House was inspected during the reporting period on 18 August 2024. One key question was inspected: “How well do we support children and young people's rights and wellbeing?” This key question was graded good (4). The areas of improvement made from the previous inspection were met at this inspection and three new areas for improvement were made at the inspection of 18 August 2024. More detail can be found in Appendix E. Feedback reflected that risk was reduced for most young people, the staff group were skilled and experienced, and all young people had personal plans which detailed their needs and wishes. Fort Street Residential House was inspected during the reporting period on 25 February 2025. One key question was inspected: “How well do we support children and young people's rights and wellbeing?” This was graded 4 (good). There was one area of improvement made at this inspection suggesting personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound). Feedback reflected that young people had meaningful relationships with staff and managers. Additionally, it was noted that staff worked proactively to support young people, relationships with family and friends were actively promoted and young people were supported and enabled to make informed choices and decisions for themselves. A previous area of improvement made was met at this inspection as there was evidence that action was taken to improve incident records ensuring that they held accurate information and good evidence of debriefs. The de-briefs were proactively undertaken by the manager, who sought to explore and understand learning for all involved. Main Street Residential House was inspected during the reporting period on 31 January 2025 with one key question inspected “How well do we support children and young people's rights and wellbeing?” This key question was graded good (4). There was one area of improvement made suggesting that personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound). The previous four requirements made were all met at this inspection. Conclusion From carrying out an analysis of recent inspection activity across Registered In-House services, 15 inspections are noted to have been carried out between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. From the 24 services reported on, 6 home support and 5 residential children’s houses services have been inspected. Page 334 of 374
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75 From the inspections carried out during the reporting period a common theme identified for all home support services, was the need for care plans to be developed, ensuring that they were person centred, and outcome focussed. Another common theme identified was to ensure that reviews were taking place 6 monthly. Themes emerging from the 5 children’s residential houses were staff training, specifically focusing on children’s needs and ensuring that personal plans were SMART. Further information can be found in the appendices below. Page 335 of 374
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Appendix A Locality Support Services CI Status 76 Locality Support Service Date Inspection Took Place How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Overall Grade Awarded Requirements Areas for Improvement Areas of Strength Airdrie 16/05/2023 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED VERY GOOD - 5 None None Support is consistent by high quality staff ensuring positive experiences and outcomes Bellshill 23/06/2023 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED VERY GOOD - 5 None None Good planning with people to ensure support is person centred. Good joint working with partnership agencies and skilled staff. Coatbridge 26/05/2023 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 NOT ASSESSED VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 None None People are supported well to build friendships and community links with good high-quality support provided. Cumbernauld 25/09/2023 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED VERY GOOD - 5 None None Support is consistent by high quality staff ensuring positive experiences and outcomes. Motherwell 07/07/2023 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED VERY GOOD - 5 None None People are well supported with experienced staff and Good supportive management team. Wishaw 12/06/2023 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED VERY GOOD - 5 None None Good communication between people, families and the service. People are supported to have high quality positive experiences and outcomes. Page 336 of 374
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Appendix B Integrated Day Services CI Status 77 Integrated Day Service Date Inspection Took Place How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership ? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Overall Grade Awarded Key Questions Inspected outwith New Framework Requirements Areas for Improvement Areas of Strength Harry Walker - Airdrie 27/07/2023 VERY GOOD - 5 ADEQUATE - 3 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 N/A By the closing date, which will be notified by the Care Inspectorate in 2024, the provider must comply with their legislative responsibility to submit an annual return. To ensure continuous improvements the provider should develop an improvement plan. Sir John Mann - Bellshill 12/01/2024 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 NOT ASSESSED GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 N/A None People should be supported to gain and maintain their independence to ensure people feel empowered and in control. This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS) which state that: 'I am empowered and enabled to be as independent and as in control of my life as I want and can be.' (HSCS 2.2).This area for improvement was made on 30 January 2024. • People were supported by long term staff who knew them well • People enjoyed attending the service and talking to staff and peers • Various activities were on offer everyday to stimulate people both physically and mentally • Both hot and cold nutritious meals on offer everyday. Coatbridge 14/04/2024 VERY GOOD - 5 GOOD - 4 VERY GOOD - 5 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 N/A There were no requirements 1. To develop an improvement plan 2. Carry out regular audits to ensure robust and transparent quality assurance processes 3. To provide detailed guidance for staff, care plans need to be developed * Good communication and participation from service users * Good relationships and friendships maintained which supported positive outcomes and reduced social isolation * Well trained and knowledgable staff who were supportive of each other encouraging good teamwork Cumbernauld & Kilsyth 14/06/2019 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 N/A None None The setting is very good at promoting and enabling independence. Care and support is planned and recorded very well. Staff were organised and well trained and reviews and care plans were carried out within the timescales. Motherwell 16/11/2015 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED VERY GOOD - 5 1. Quality of Care and Support (5) 2. Quality of Staff (5) 3. Quality of Environment (5) 4 Quality of Management & Leadership (5) Areas for improvement were not part of this inspection methodology as it was prior to the introduction of the new quality frameworks when recommendations were still in force. None * The performance of the service was excellent * Good engagement with service users, relatives and staff * The manager was supportive and approachable * Service Users were supported in a respectful way esuring privacy, dignity and respect Wishaw 24/03/2017 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED GOOD - 4 1. Quality of Care and Support (4) 4 Quality of Management & Leadership (4) Areas for improvement were not part of this inspection methodology as it was prior to the introduction of the new quality frameworks when None Support Plans were person centred and individual to each person Staff provided good care and support resulting in good outcomes for people Page 337 of 374
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Appendix C – Community Alarm CI Status 78 community Alarm Service Date Inspection Took Place How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Overall Grade Awarded Requirements Areas for Improvement Areas of Strength Covers All 6 Localities 26/03/2023 VERY GOOD - 5 GOOD - 4 VERY GOOD - 5 VERY GOOD - 5 None The service should introduce an improvement plan which includes its aims and objectives. The plan should detail challenges and goals in improving outcomes for people. The improvement plan should follow SMART principles and include timescales, progress towards goals and names staff responsible in each area. * Staff were well trained *Good hygiene levels and infection prevention and control * Staff were supported well with regular supervision and meetings Page 338 of 374
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Appendix D – Home Support CI Status 79 Home Support Service Date Inspection Took Place Date Draft Inspection Became Available Via Eforms Date Final Report became available via eforms How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? Overall Grade Awarded Requirements Areas for Improvement Areas of Strength Airdrie 09/08/2024 17/09/2024 01/10/2024 WEAK - 2 WEAK - 2 ADEQUATE - 3 WEAK - 2 WEAK - 2 (1) By 8 April 2024, the provider must ensure the support provided to people promotes and their health and wellbeing. To achieve this the provider must: Take action reduce the number of missed visits. This should include: a) Introduce systems that further develop existing ones to reduce the likelihood of missed visits. b) Further develop existing contingencies to respond quickly to actual missed visits to ensure people receive the care and support they require (2) By 8 April 2024, the provider must ensure the support provided to people promotes and their health and wellbeing. To achieve this the provider must: a) Ensure support visits are organised to provide sufficient time and staffing to provide the assessed support at each visit.b) Ensure support visits take place, as far as possible, at the times notified to people.c) Ensure sufficient time is allowed for all support needs to be met at each visit.d) Ensure schedules are accurate and received in advance of the start of the planned supports with details of times and named staff. To support positive outcomes for people experiencing care and support, the provider should inform people of significant changes. This should include, but is not limited to, changes made to their staff team and visiting times, including when changes occur at short notice if possible. (2) To support people's health and wellbeing, the provider should ensure that requests for specified times to meet medical appointments are kept. This should include, but is not limited to, agreeing how they will support people when reasonable notice has been given. Airdrie 13/11/2024 10/12/2024 06/01/2025 WEAK - 2 (1) By 8 April 2024, the provider must ensure the support provided to people promotes and their health and wellbeing. To achieve this the provider must: Take action reduce the number of missed visits. This should include: a) Introduce systems that further develop existing ones to reduce the likelihood of missed visits. b) Further develop existing contingencies to respond quickly to actual missed visits to ensure people receive the care and support they require. MET (2) To ensure people receive appropriate supports to maintain and enhance their well-being and achieve their outcomes, the provider must: a) Have system in place to ensure reviews of people's care and support take place not less than six-monthly. b) Ensure that care plans are reviewed more regularly when a person's needs change. c) Audit the quality of reviews to ensure consistency and quality. MET (3)The provider must ensure the support provided to people promotes and their health and wellbeing. To achieve this the provider must a) Ensure support visits are organised to provide sufficient time and staffing to provide the assessed support at each visit. b) Ensure support visits take place, as far as possible, at the times notified to people. c) Ensure sufficient time is allowed for all support needs to be met at each visit. (d) Ensure schedules are accurate and received in advance of the start of the planned supports with details of times and named staff NOT ASSSESSED AT THIS INSPECTION (4) The provider must ensure service users experience care and support which is consistent, safe, and meets their needs. To do this the provider must, at a minimum, ensure that service users' personal plans: a) are current, accurate, reflect good practice in being person-centred and outcome focussed. b) have sufficient detail in them to ensure people's individualised support needs and outcomes are met. c) are subject to regular evaluation and audit to monitor quality and effectiveness. In addition, the provider must, a) ensure each person supported is provided with a copy of their care plan b) ensure all care plans are available on request for the Care Inspectorate NOT ASSESSED AT THIS INSPECTION To support positive outcomes for people experiencing care and support, the provider should inform people of significant changes. This should include, but is not limited to, changes made to their staff team and visiting times, including when changes occur at short notice if possible. MET (2) To support people's health and wellbeing, the provider should ensure that requests for specified times to meet medical appointments are kept. This should include, but is not limited to, agreeing how they will support people when reasonable notice has been given. MET During this period service management have worked hard to reduce the number of missed visits. Daily checks were introduced to provide alerts. Positive work carried out to ensure no care reviews were overdue and that management had overview of the quality of the reviews. Airdrie 08/01/2025 28/01/2025 12/02/2025 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 Previous two (3) and (4) requirements were assessed at this visit and MET - OUTWITH THE TIMESCALES NONE The service continue to ensure staff are properly supported and trained. The quality of support plans had improved. Bellshill 18/04/2024 30/04/2024 14/05/2024 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None To improve staff support the provider should ensure their policy regarding patch meetings is followed. Supervision and observation targets had improved, good quality assurance tools for observations, staff well trained Coatbridge 27/09/2024 04/11/2024 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 By 30 November 2023, the provider must ensure that care plans are reviewed on a six-monthly basis as a minimum, in line with current legislation. To do this, the provider must, at a minimum, ensure: a) people are supported to understand and be included within their care review b) they collaborate with people and others involved with their care to gather their views on what is working well with their care and support. This includes but is not limited to reviewing health and safety risk assessments and needs assessments c) ensure that any agreed actions are completed and reviewed regularly to ensure they remain effective. Completed actions to be carried forward to the next agreed review date d) people and their representatives (where appropriate) have read over and are happy with the record of their review e) managers are involved in the monitoring and the audit of people's reviews. By 30 November 2023, the provider must ensure service users experience care and support which is consistent, safe, and meets their needs. To do this the provider must, at a minimum, ensure that service users' personal plans: a) are current, accurate, reflect good practice in being person-centred and outcome focussed b) have sufficient detail in them to ensure people's individualised support needs and outcomes are met c) are subject to regular evaluation and audit to monitor quality and effectiveness. Page 339 of 374
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Appendix D – Home Support CI Status 80 Cumbernauld 27/01/2025 04/02/2025 27/02/2025 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3ADEQUATE - 3 By 30 June 2023, the provider must ensure service users experience care and support which is consistent, safe, and meets their needs. To do this the provider must, at a minimum, ensure that service users' personal support plans are: a) Up-to-date, accurate, reflect good practice in being person-centred and outcome focussed b) Detailed enough to provide guidance to staff on how to support people, including risk assessments. c) Regularly audited to ensure consistency and quality. This has been extended to 30 April 2025 To ensure people are being supported by a competent workforce, the provider should ensure action plans generated from supervisions are completed and supervision records are regularly audited.This area for improvement has not been assessed and remains in place Cumbernauld 11/09/2024 02/10/2024 08/10/2024 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3ADEQUATE - 3 By 30 June 2023, the provider must ensure service users experience care and support which is consistent, safe, and meets their needs. Support plans require to be: a) Up-to-date, accurate, reflect good practice in being person-centred and outcome focussed b) Detailed enough to provide guidance to staff on how to support people, including risk assessments. c) Regularly audited to ensure consistency and quality. . To ensure people are being supported by a competent workforce, the provider should ensure action plans generated from supervisions are completed and supervision records are regularly audited. 2 of the 3 requirements have been met. Improvements made with training, supervision and audits of reviews. Motherwell 15/08/2024 09/09/2024 02/10/2024 ADEQUATE - 3 WEAK - 2 WEAK - 2 WEAK - 2 WEAK - 2 By 31 December 2024, the provider must provide the service in a manner which promotes quality and safety and respects the independence of service users and affords them the choice in the way in which the service is provided to them. To do this the provider must, at a minimum: -implement a SMART short focused improvement plan which is updated regularly by service -record and monitor visits completed by family members as part of their contingency planning -ensure people receive their assessed time at each visit. 1. By 31 December 2024, to ensure that people’s care and support needs are met effectively, the provider must ensure staffing arrangements are safe. To do this, the provider must, at a minimum: regularly assess and review people’s care and support needs clear systems that identify the current support needs for people experiencing care relevant training is provided to all staff to ensure their competency in all aspects of their role which must include direct observations provide regular support for staff which includes supervision and appraisal develop a long term strategy for recruitment, retention and wellbeing of staff Adult Support and Protection incidents were generally well recorded and reported to the Care Inspectorate. We could see appropriate actions had been taken. However there were delays between the incidents and when they were notified to the Care Inspectorate, some by more than a couple of weeks. Notifications should be made in the timescales identified in the Care Inspectorate guidance for notification reporting. To ensure notifiable events are reported to the Care Inspectorate in a timely manner the service should comply with the Care Inspectorate guidance for notification reporting. Motherwell 26/03/2025 01/04/2025 16/04/2025 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3ADEQUATE - 3 All requirements were met All previous areas of improvement were met - 2 new areas for improvement was made: To ensure a confident well trained staff team the service should ensure schedulers have the training, mentoring and support they need. 2. To ensure there is clear evidence staff support is taking place the service should develop a robust monitoring system. Wishaw 15/10/2024 22/10/2024 28/10/2024 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 No requirements All 3 previous areas for improvement met. Further areas of improvements as below: To support a culture of continuous improvement, the provider should ensure that all action plans are fit for purpose and SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) focused. To ensure that people are fully involved in developing and reviewing their care plan, the provider should ensure that review records are shared with them. The care and support that people experienced was right for them. Good communication across the staff team. Page 340 of 374
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Appendix D – Home Support CI Status 81 Childrens Residential Children's House Date Inspection Took Place How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? How well do we support children and young people's rights and wellbeing? Overall Grade Awarded Requirements Areas for Improvement Areas of Strength Buchanan Street 05/12/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 None 1. To ensure that all young people consistently experience trauma informed responses to their care and support needs, the provider should continue to develop staff practice which is based on the principles of relational practice. The expected impact of any natural consequences should be carefully considered prior to being implemented. 2. To ensure that all young people's care and support needs are met by a staff team that works well together, the provider should maintain regular opportunities for collective discussion and decision making forums, to enable and promote agreed ways of working with young people. 3.To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all young people, the provider should provide closer monitoring of medication procedures to minimise the likelihood of errors occurring in practice. 4. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support, the provider should commit to regular, effective staff supervision for all members of staff, in line with their policy. 5. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support, the provider should undertake analysis, to determine the training and development needs of staff to promote professional growth. 6. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support from a service which is well led and managed, the provider should enable regular i d h i i Young people felt well cared for. There was good oversight of risk for young people. Personal plans were outcome focused. Cambusnethan 12/06/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 None 1. To ensure that young people's needs are met, the provider should source and implement staff training relating to the specific needs of all young people 2. To ensure that young people's needs and wishes inform their care and support, the provider should develop SMART personal plans which are informed by young people and are written in a child friendly style 3.To ensure young people's needs are met, the provider should keep staffing levels under review to ensure the correct number of staff are always available to meet the needs of children and young people. Cambusnethan worked well with partner agencies to support young people. There were some positive outcomes for young people and support for families was very good. Forest Street 08/08/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure that young people can assess their achievements, the provider should ensure that personal plans adequately document young people's progress toward good outcomes 2. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all young people living at Forrest Street Residential Children's House, the provider should ensure that in each instance, admissions and matching assessments include assessment of the needs of young people already living in the house. The management team at Forrest Street Residential Children's House should inform decisions. 3. To ensure that young people help to inform improvement planning and continue to contribute to evaluations of progress toward identified outcomes, the provider should create a more streamlined approach to this process Risk was reduced for most young people and Leaders worked effectively with partners Fort Street 25/02/2025 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure that young people achieve positive outcomes which are specific to them as individuals, personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound.) Young people had meaningful relationships with staff. Partners felt that managers and staff worked proactively with them to support young people. Relationships with family and friends were actively promoted. The quality of the environment was very good. Young people were supported and enabled to make informed choices and decisions for themselves. The house provided a safe place for young people Main Street 31/01/2025 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure effective oversight and governance of experiences and outcomes for young people, the provider should continue to improve quality assurance processes. 2. To ensure effective involvement of young people and their progress towards identified outcomes, personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound) Most young people thrived, enjoying positive relationships with staff. The provider was responsive to risk impacting young people's safety and wellbeing. Education and employment was the norm for most young people. Some young people felt a strong sense of belonging. Interests and aspirations were fully supported. Personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound). Leadership was positive and enabling. Page 341 of 374
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Appendix E – Children’s Houses CI Status 82 Childrens Residential Children's House Date Inspection Took Place How well do we support people's wellbeing? How good is our leadership? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? How well do we support children and young people's rights and wellbeing? Overall Grade Awarded Requirements Areas for Improvement Areas of Strength Buchanan Street 05/12/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 None 1. To ensure that all young people consistently experience trauma informed responses to their care and support needs, the provider should continue to develop staff practice which is based on the principles of relational practice. The expected impact of any natural consequences should be carefully considered prior to being implemented. 2. To ensure that all young people's care and support needs are met by a staff team that works well together, the provider should maintain regular opportunities for collective discussion and decision making forums, to enable and promote agreed ways of working with young people. 3.To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all young people, the provider should provide closer monitoring of medication procedures to minimise the likelihood of errors occurring in practice. 4. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support, the provider should commit to regular, effective staff supervision for all members of staff, in line with their policy. 5. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support, the provider should undertake analysis, to determine the training and development needs of staff to promote professional growth. 6. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support from a service which is well led and managed, the provider should enable regular management meetings and other opportunities to develop the service. Young people felt well cared for. There was good oversight of risk for young people. Personal plans were outcome focused. Cambusnethan 12/06/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSEDADEQUATE - ADEQUATE - 3 None 1. To ensure that young people's needs are met, the provider should source and implement staff training relating to the specific needs of all young people 2. To ensure that young people's needs and wishes inform their care and support, the provider should develop SMART personal plans which are informed by young people and are written in a child friendly style 3.To ensure young people's needs are met, the provider should keep staffing levels under review to ensure the correct number of staff are always available to meet the needs of children and young people. Cambusnethan worked well with partner agencies to support young people. There were some positive outcomes for young people and support for families was very good. Forest Street 08/08/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSEDGOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure that young people can assess their achievements, the provider should ensure that personal plans adequately document young people's progress toward good outcomes 2. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all young people living at Forrest Street Residential Children's House, the provider should ensure that in each instance, admissions and matching assessments include assessment of the needs of young people already living in the house. The management team at Forrest Street Residential Children's House should inform decisions. 3. To ensure that young people help to inform improvement planning and continue to contribute to evaluations of progress toward identified outcomes, the provider should create a more streamlined approach to this process Risk was reduced for most young people and Leaders worked effectively with partners Fort Street 25/02/2025 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSEDGOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure that young people achieve positive outcomes which are specific to them as individuals, personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound.) Young people had meaningful relationships with staff. Partners felt that managers and staff worked proactively with them to support young people. Relationships with family and friends were actively promoted. The quality of the environment was very good. Young people were supported and enabled to make informed choices and decisions for themselves. The house provided a safe place for young people Main Street 31/01/2025 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSEDGOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure effective oversight and governance of experiences and outcomes for young people, the provider should continue to improve quality assurance processes. 2. To ensure effective involvement of young people and their progress towards identified outcomes, personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound) Most young people thrived, enjoying positive relationships with staff. The provider was responsive to risk impacting young people's safety and wellbeing. Education and employment was the norm for most young people. Some young people felt a strong sense of belonging. Interests and aspirations were fully supported. Personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound). Leadership was positive and enabling.Page 342 of 374
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Appendix E – Children’s Houses CI Status 83 Childrens Residential Children's House Date Inspection Took Place How well do we support people's wellbeing ? How good is our leadership ? How good is our staff team? How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? How well do we support children and young people's rights and wellbeing? Overall Grade Awarded Requireme nts Areas for Improvement Areas of Strength Buchanan Street 05/12/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 None 1. To ensure that all young people consistently experience trauma informed responses to their care and support needs, the provider should continue to develop staff practice which is based on the principles of relational practice. The expected impact of any natural consequences should be carefully considered prior to being implemented. 2. To ensure that all young people's care and support needs are met by a staff team that works well together, the provider should maintain regular opportunities for collective discussion and decision making forums, to enable and promote agreed ways of working with young people. 3.To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all young people, the provider should provide closer monitoring of medication procedures to minimise the likelihood of errors occurring in practice. 4. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support, the provider should commit to regular, effective staff supervision for all members of staff, in line with their policy. 5. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support, the provider should Young people felt well cared for. There was good oversight of risk for young people. Personal plans were outcome focused. Page 343 of 374
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Appendix E – Children’s Houses CI Status 84 undertake analysis, to determine the training and development needs of staff to promote professional growth. 6. To ensure that all young people receive high quality care and support from a service which is well led and managed, the provider should enable regular management meetings and other opportunities to develop the service. Cambusneth an 12/06/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED ADEQUATE - 3 ADEQUATE - 3 None 1. To ensure that young people's needs are met, the provider should source and implement staff training relating to the specific needs of all young people 2. To ensure that young people's needs and wishes inform their care and support, the provider should develop SMART personal plans which are informed by young people and are written in a child friendly style 3.To ensure young people's needs are met, the provider should keep staffing levels under review to ensure the correct number of staff are always available to meet the needs of children and young people. Cambusnethan worked well with partner agencies to support young people. There were some positive outcomes for young people and support for families was very good. Page 344 of 374
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Appendix E – Children’s Houses CI Status 85 Forrest Street 08/08/2024 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure that young people can assess their achievements, the provider should ensure that personal plans adequately document young people's progress toward good outcomes2. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all young people living at Forrest Street Residential Children's House, the provider should ensure that in each instance, admissions and matching assessments include assessment of the needs of young people already living in the house. The management team at Forrest Street Residential Children's House should inform decisions.3. To ensure that young people help to inform improvement planning and continue to contribute to evaluations of progress toward identified outcomes, the provider should create a more streamlined approach to this process Risk was reduced for most young people and Leaders worked effectively with partners Fort Street 25/02/2025 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure that young people achieve positive outcomes which are specific to them as individuals, personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound.) Young people had meaningful relationships with staff. Partners felt that managers and staff worked proactively with them to support young people. Relationships with family and friends were actively promoted. The quality of the environment was very good. Young people were supported and enabled to make informed choices and decisions for themselves. The house provided a safe place for young people Page 345 of 374
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Appendix E – Children’s Houses CI Status 86 Main Street 31/01/2025 NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED NOT ASSESSED GOOD - 4 GOOD - 4 None 1. To ensure effective oversight and governance of experiences and outcomes for young people, the provider should continue to improve quality assurance processes. 2. To ensure effective involvement of young people and their progress towards identified outcomes, personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound) Most young people thrived, enjoying positive relationships with staff. The provider was responsive to risk impacting young people's safety and wellbeing. Education and employment was the norm for most young people. Some young people felt a strong sense of belonging. Interests and aspirations were fully supported. Personal plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound). Leadership was positive and enabling. Page 346 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref: BS / SMcC Date: 18/11/25 Revenue Budget Monitoring Report From: Barry Smedley (Chief Officer – Education North) E-mail: SmedleyBar@northlan.gov.uk Telephone: 07919 245 004 Executive Summary This report provides a summary of the financial performance of the Education and Families Service for the period 1 April 2025 to 12 September 2025 (Period 6). The report highlights the projected outturn position as at 31 March 2026, including explanations of major variances in accordance with North Lanarkshire Council’s approved Financial Regulations. The Education and Families Service has a net revenue budget of £529.427m for the 2025/26 financial year. In addition, in terms of the utilisation of earmarked reserves, it is anticipated that the Service will utilise c. £17.195m to support in-year initiatives / programmes and other cost pressures. Incorporated within the revenue budget are approved savings totalling £2.343m. It is anticipated that £1.982m (85%) of these savings will be realised during the current financial year with service management action addressing the in-year gap of £0.361m (15%). In summary, as at Period 6, the Service is currently forecasting a balanced budget position for the 2025/26 financial year. Recommendations It is recommended that the Education, Children and Families Committee: 1) Review the financial position of the Education and Families revenue budget; and 2) Review the contents of the report The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve North Lanarkshire's resource base Ambition statement (25) Ensure intelligent use of data and information to support fully evidence based decision making and future planning Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 10 Page 347 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 North Lanarkshire Council’s approved Financial Regulations require Deputy Chief Executives and Chief Officers to remain within their approved budgetary provision, and to report all significant deviations - defined as the higher of £100,000 or 5% - within their budget monitoring reports. Where significant deviations are identified, officers must provide explanatory commentary, outline the action required to rectify such deviations and, where relevant, must also highlight the impact this has on other budget headings. 2. Report Summary of Financial Position 2.1.1. At the meeting of Council on 20 February 2025, North Lanarkshire Council approved its General Fund Revenue Budget of c. £1,095.241m for the 2025/26 Financial Year, of which, c. £552.563m represented the approved net revenue budget for the Education and Families Service. 2.1.2. During the 2025/26 financial year, there has been a net budget decrease of c. £23.136m to £529.427m. These movements include the service restructure realignment of ‘Home to School Transport’ to Fleet Services (Enterprise and Communities Service) (£23.240m) along with confirmed 2025/26 redeterminations across service areas. 2.1.3. The 2025/26 revenue budget of the Service incorporates £2.343m of savings previously approved by the Council. Further information regarding particularly challenging savings, along with associated management actions and replacement in-year savings, is included within Appendix 5 of this report. 2.1.4. In summary, as at Period 6 (1 April 2025 to 12 September 2025), the Service is forecasting a balanced budget position for the 2025/26 financial year. Further analysis of major variances is provided within Section 2.2 of this report. Analysis of Significant Variances 2.2.1. The Service has a total employee budget of c. £403.568m and currently anticipates a projected net underspend of £0.467m. This position reflects actual and projected vacancies, along with the roll-out of finalised HQ, cluster, and school staffing structures partially offset by other employee cost pressures within the Service. 2.2.2. From an education service delivery perspective, service employee budgets are partly devolved to establishments per the Devolved School Management (DSM) Scheme, with the remaining budgets held at HQ level. Under the DSM Scheme, devolved school / nursery staffing budgets for teaching and non-teaching posts are delegated to Head of Establishment management. In line with the provisions of the DSM Scheme, establishments receive budgetary allocations based on agreed formulas and distribution methods. As part of the recent triennial review of the scheme, to provide members with further information regarding the operation of the scheme in practice, an all-elected members briefing was held on 1 May 2025. In addition, members will recall that the updated DSM Scheme (2025/26 to 2027/28) was approved at the meeting of Education, Children and Families Committee on 20 May 2025. Page 348 of 374
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2.2.3 The Service is anticipating a net overspend of £0.158m within Supplies & Services which encompasses various compensatory variances across the Service. 2.2.4 The Service is anticipating a net overspend of £0.145m within Administration Costs which encompasses various compensatory variances across the Service. 2.2.5 The Service is anticipating a net underspend of £0.136m within Payments to Other Bodies (PTOB). This underspend is partly explained by the level of demand for Family Placements partially offset by cumulative minor overspends across the Service. Appendix 3 of this report provides further detail concerning PTOB classifications and their associated outturn position. 2.2.6 The Service is currently anticipating a net overspend of £0.226m within Transfer Payments linked to care plan payments within Children & Families. 2.2.7 The Service is currently anticipating a net underspend of £0.150m within Other Expenditure primarily in relation to external grant synergies aligned to Music provision. 2.2.8 The Service is anticipating a net under-recovery of Income of £0.188m primarily linked to a net under-recovery of overhead income recharges due to a reduction in Scottish Attainment Challenge grant. Earmarked Reserves 2.3.1. In finalising North Lanarkshire Council’s annual accounts to 31 March 2025, the Education and Families Service was given approval to earmark £97.663m of resources to fund key projects and initiatives. The largest reserve (£66.330m) is earmarked for future years commitments regarding school building / hub programmes. Other specific reserves include Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) and Devolved School Management (DSM) carry forwards; resettlement initiatives, Whole Family Wellbeing Fund; whole family support initiatives; and ELC / 1140 funding. 2.3.2. The Service anticipates utilising c. £17.195m of allocated earmarked reserves in the current financial year. This in-year projection reflects the planned phasing of resources to future years, and other assumptions, following the completion of strategic reviews in relation to the operational requirements and financial planning assumptions aligned to individual programmes and areas of service delivery. 2.3.3. Future monitoring reports will continue to provide updates on the planned use of reserves during 2025/26, and in future financial years, as outlined in Appendix 4. 2025/26 Budget Savings 2.4.1. Incorporating base budget adjustments and specific proposals, the Council previously approved total service savings of £2.343m to be achieved during financial year 2025/26. The Service assesses a variety of records and management information to monitor and review the achievement of its approved budget savings. As at Period 6, it is anticipated that £1.982m (85%) of the approved in-year savings target will be realised in the current financial year with full implementation expected from 2026/27. 2.4.2. Through a combination of the utilisation and prioritisation of earmarked reserves, and other management actions, the Service has identified replacement funding streams to fully offset the in-year savings gap of £0.361m (15%). Future monitoring reports will Page 349 of 374
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continue to provide updates on the deliverability of approved savings during 2025/26, and future financial years if applicable, as outlined in Appendix 5. 2.4.3. To enable the delivery of Council approved savings in the 2025/26 financial year, the Service have drawn down c. £1.786m from the Council’s Change Management Fund. The current draw down balance pertains to the delivery of the saving linked to the review of CLD service delivery. Management Actions 2.5.1. With the aim of ensuring the Service continues to operate within its overall financial envelope, senior officers within the Service continue to review and implement actions through to the financial year end. These actions include: 1) Vacancy management 2) Creating efficiencies through the use of grants / external funding 3) Curtailment of non-essential expenditure 4) Application and utilisation of earmarked reserves to offset in-year cost pressures 3. Measures of success 3.1 The Education and Families Service operates within approved budget resources and the requirements of the Council’s approved Financial Regulations. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1: Objective Analysis Appendix 2: Subjective Analysis Appendix 3: Payments to Other Bodies Appendix 4: Status of Earmarked Reserves Appendix 5: Savings Barry Smedley Chief Officer (Education – North) Page 350 of 374
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? As stated within the main body of the report. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 351 of 374
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If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? The approach outlined in this report supports the Council’s actions in managing financial sustainability and financial management risks. Financial pressures and risks are reviewed on a regular basis by the Service Management Team (SMT), Business Management Team (BMT), Corporate Management Team (CMT) and Committee. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ ____________________ Page 352 of 374
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APPENDIX 1 [1] [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] Early Years 32,273,807 32,273,807 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Primary Schools 145,457,055 145,457,055 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Secondary Schools 141,926,321 141,926,321 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Special Schools 28,598,699 28,598,699 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Education Service Delivery 128,072,388 128,619,461 (547,073) ADV (0.4%) (547,073) Overspend primarily due to employee costs within service delivery HQ partially offset within School Support Children & Families 43,194,502 42,647,429 547,073 FAV 1.3% 547,073 Underpsend primarily due to employee costs and family placements Justice Services 93,996 93,996 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Employability 2,870,623 2,870,623 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Community Learning 4,773,239 4,773,239 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget Tackling Poverty 2,165,902 2,165,902 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget NET EXPENDITURE 529,426,532 529,426,532 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget [4] NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Objective Analysis Period 06 (01 April 2025 - 12 September 2025) Education & Families DIVISION OF SERVICE ANNUAL BUDGET PROJECTED OUT-TURN PROJECTED OUT-TURN VARIANCE % PERIOD MOVEMENT ANALYSIS Page 353 of 374
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APPENDIX 2 [1] [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] EMPLOYEE COSTS 403,568,255 403,101,470 466,785 FAV 0.1% 466,785 Underspend primarily due to phasing of external funding; timing of recruitment to reflect operational requirements; Service vacancy management; offset by other employee cost pressures PROPERTY COSTS 53,215,934 53,215,934 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget SUPPLIES & SERVICES 14,513,804 14,671,797 (157,993) ADV (1.1%) (157,993) Net overspend due to various compensatory variances across the Service TRANSPORT & PLANT 1,019,073 1,054,072 (34,999) ADV (3.4%) (34,999) Minor overspend ADMINISTRATION COSTS 3,514,431 3,659,687 (145,256) ADV (4.1%) (145,256) Net overspend due to various compensatory variances across the Service PAYMENTS TO OTHER BODIES 45,854,434 45,718,564 135,870 FAV 0.3% 135,870 Cumulative minor overspends across the Service partially offset by underspends within Family Placements TRANSFER PAYMENTS 3,858,579 4,084,831 (226,252) ADV (5.9%) (226,252) Overspend in relation to care plan payments within Children & Families CAPITAL FINANCING COSTS 41,821,733 41,821,733 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget REVENUE FINANCING COSTS 0 0 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget OTHER EXPENDITURE 21,816,583 21,666,583 150,000 FAV 0.7% 150,000 Underspend in relation to external grant synergies aligned to Music provision TOTAL EXPENDITURE 589,182,826 588,994,671 188,155 FAV 0.0% 188,155 As stated above INCOME (59,756,294) (59,568,139) (188,155) ADV 0.3% (188,155) Net under recovery of overheads income recharges due to reduction in Scottish Attainment Challenge grant NET EXPENDITURE 529,426,532 529,426,532 0 0.0% 0 Balanced Budget [4] NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Subjective Analysis Period 06 (01 April 2025 - 12 September 2025) Education & Families CATEGORY ANNUAL BUDGET PROJECTED OUT-TURN PROJECTED OUT-TURN VARIANCE % PERIOD MOVEMENT ANALYSIS Page 354 of 374
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APPENDIX 3 [1] [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] General PTOBs 6,298,489 6,524,691 (226,202) ADV (3.6%) (226,202)Overspend linked to Attainment & Achievement, Developing the Young Workforce and Service Delivery Additional Support Needs 9,237,228 9,237,228 0 0.0% 0Balanced Budget Early Years 16,349,000 16,349,000 0 0.0% 0Balanced Budget Voluntary Organisations 958,086 958,086 0 0.0% 0Balanced Budget Family Placements 12,812,485 12,450,413 362,072 FAV 2.8% 362,072Underspend within Children & Families Children's Services - General 199,146 199,146 0 0.0% 0Balanced Budget TOTAL EXPENDITURE 45,854,434 45,718,564 135,870 FAV 0.3% 135,870Favourable due to overspend partially offset against underspend in Children & Families [4] NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Payments to Other Bodies Period 06 (01 April 2025 - 12 September 2025) Education & Families CATEGORY ANNUAL BUDGET PROJECTED OUT-TURN PROJECTED OUT-TURN VARIANCE % PERIOD MOVEMENT ANALYSIS Page 355 of 374
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APPENDIX 4 Value % Service Specific Earmarked Reserves: School Carry Forward (DSM) 2,395,340 (2,466) 2,392,874 1,940,483 2,392,874 100.0% 0 2,392,874 0 Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) Carry Forward 1,940,969 2,466 1,943,435 1,943,435 1,943,435 100.0% 0 1,943,435 0 Supporting Education and Families Service Delivery 4,599,864 (1,737,890) 2,861,974 1,338,474 2,861,974 100.0% 0 2,861,974 0 Early Learning & Childcare 1,880,851 (54,604) 1,826,247 786,285 1,826,247 100.0% 0 1,826,247 0 Developing the Young Workforce Initiatives 357,877 (183,079) 174,798 75,000 174,798 100.0% 0 174,798 0 Windows 11 Upgrade - Education Estate 2,675,482 (1,855,215) 820,267 30,219 820,267 100.0% 0 820,267 0 Children & Families - Whole Family Wellbeing Fund 5,313,341 (4,713,341) 600,000 0 600,000 100.0% 0 600,000 0 SEF / SAC Carry Forward 1,052,425 0 1,052,425 1,052,424 1,052,425 100.0% 0 1,052,425 0 Shotts Prison SLA 148,590 (118,590) 30,000 0 30,000 100.0% 0 30,000 0 Whole Family Support (Incl. of Employability Initiatives) 2,275,513 0 2,275,513 269,549 2,275,513 100.0% 0 2,275,513 0 CLD & Voluntary Organisations Youth Work Initiatives 72,459 0 72,459 36,891 72,459 100.0% 0 72,459 0 Resettlement & Unaccompanied Minors 6,886,682 (3,974,738) 2,911,944 846,833 2,911,944 100.0% 0 2,911,944 0 Tackling Poverty Initiatives 233,253 0 233,253 11,588 233,253 100.0% 0 233,253 0 Home to School Transport - Service Transfer 1,500,000 (1,500,000) 0 0 0 0.0% 0 0 Transfer of EMR from E&F to E&C (Period 3) PPP/DBFM Contractual Commitments 66,329,887 (66,329,887) 0 0 0 0.0% 0 0 0 TOTAL 97,662,533 (80,467,344) 17,195,189 8,331,181 17,195,189 100.0% 0 17,195,189 No Longer Required Reserves Required In Year Commentary Regards UsageProjected Spend NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Status of Earmarked Reserves Period 06 (01 April 2025 - 12 September 2025) Education & Families FINANCIAL YEAR - 2025/26 DESCRIPTION OF EARMARKED RESOURCE Approved Reserve Profiled in Future Years In-Year Reserve Total Spend to Date Page 356 of 374
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APPENDIX 5 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Base Budget Adjustments: N/A 0 0 Sub-Total Base Budget Adjustments 0 0 0 0 0 Approved Savings 23/24 Review of ELC: Single Status Employee Resources ELC 1,000 1,000 0 0 Sub-Total impact of previously approved savings 1,000 1,000 0 0 0 Approved Savings (Operational Decisions) 35ECF Reduced E&F HQ recharges E&F HQ 100 100 0 0 Sub-Total 'Operational Decisions' 100 100 0 0 0 Approved Savings (Budget Decisions) 26ECF Developing the Young Workforce - Review of Staffing Structures C&F 80 80 0 0 65ECF Review of C&F and ASC Business Admin & Support Model C&F 280 140 140 Anticipated delay regarding the implementation of the new delivery model Vacancy management within aligned service delivery function 140 0 81ECF Review of CLD service delivery, including the provision of youth diversionary activities CLD 883 662 221 Saving phasing asymmetry with majority of staffing cohort ceasing employment with the Council at the end of May 2025 Phasing delay included within the financial assumptions of the Service's approved EMRs 221 0 Sub-Total 'Budget Decisions' 1,243 882 361 361 0 TOTAL 2,343 1,982 361 361 0 84.59% 15.41% 15.41% 0.00% Delivered Gap Replacement Revised-Gap Ref. DESCRIPTION OF APPROVED SAVING DIVISON Target Value Value Deliverable NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Savings Period 06 (01 April 2025 - 12 September 2025) Education & Families APPROVED SAVINGS REPLACEMENT SAVING / FUNDING DESCRIPTION Value Revised Savings Gap CommentarySavings Gap Reasons for Savings Gap Page 357 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref: NLC-CPT-25-062 Date: 18 November 2025 Contract Award for Independent Advocacy (Children) From Alison Gordon, Chief Social Work Officer (Education, Families, Justice, and Integrated Practice) E-mail mcgrathn@northlan.gov.uk Telephone: 01698 332 001 Executive Summary In accordance with the councils General Contract Standing Orders (GCSOs), the Committee is asked to approve the award of a contract for Independent Advocacy (Children) (the ‘Agreement’) following the undertaking of a procurement procedure as detailed within this report below. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 1) Approves the award of the Agreement to Who Cares? Scotland (the “Contractor”) at the maximum value of Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand Pounds Sterling (£980,000) exclusive of VAT across the Agreements full term which is made up of a period of 48 months that is anticipated to commence on 03 March 2026 The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition Statement (10) Engage with children, young people, parents, carers, and families to help all children and young people reach their full potential Programme of Work Resilient People 1. Background 1.1. Independent advocacy supports people to have their voices heard and their rights and interests protected. Independent advocacy is a positive force in influencing social change, with the work and ethos of advocacy underpinned by a person-focused and human and child rights framework. The importance and benefits of independent advocacy are now widely recognised and woven into the fabric of health and social care provision in Scotland. Item 11 Page 359 of 374
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1.2. Advocacy services aim to help children and young people to understand their rights, express their views and wishes, and help ensure children and young people’s voices are heard by those who might make decisions for them. 1.3. Advocacy workers support people to make decisions in relation to care, support, education and other matters of importance to the person. The main objective of an advocate is to ensure that the person who needs advocacy: 1.3.1 Is receiving equal and fair treatment. • Is fully aware of their rights under the existing legislation and can make informed decisions based upon the provision of appropriate and accurate information. • Their voice and views are listened to and respected. 1.4. The service is instrumental in ensuring that North Lanarkshire Council meets its statutory duties in accordance with Advocacy which is underpinned by legislation and policy: 1.4.1 Children (Scotland) Act 2020: Children and young people will have more opportunity to give their views to courts and Children’s Hearings in the way they choose; and children will have support from advocacy workers in family court cases. The new Act aims to bring the law further into line with children’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), make sure children’s views are heard in family court cases and children’s hearings and the best interests of children are at centre of those cases and give more protection to victims of domestic abuse and their children. 1.4.2 Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024: The Act makes provision about the care of children (who are not involved in the criminal justice system) and the treatment of children within the criminal justice system, as well as about the interrelationship between the care system and the criminal justice system. The Act updates the definition of a child to those aged under 18, enhances safeguards for children in police custody, safeguards the welfare and safety of children in criminal proceedings and ends the use of Young Offenders’ Institutions (YOIs) or prisons for children as well as allowing hospital directions to be made for children aged 12 to 17. 1.4.3 The Promise: The Promise Scotland was established to take forward the work of the Independent Care Review. In 2021, it published the Plan 21-24, outlining key outcomes that aim to ensure that Scotland’s children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected, so that they can realise their full potential. Supporting the Voice of Care Experienced Children and Young People is a key element of the Promise. 1.4.4 The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003: Imposed a duty on local authorities and health boards to collaborate to ensure the availability of independent advocacy services in their area. The Act gave everyone with mental illness, learning disability, dementia and related conditions the right to access independent advocacy support. This includes children and young people. 1.4.5 The Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2015: Builds on the rights in the 2003 Act to independent advocacy support, by requiring health boards and local authorities to tell the Mental Welfare Commission how they have ensured access to services up to now and how they plan to do so in the future. Page 360 of 374
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1.4.6 Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011: The Act governs the Children’s Hearing system. There are three child centred principles which are fundamental to the children's hearing system and apply when either a pre-hearing panel or a children's hearing is coming to a decision about a child - have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child throughout the child's childhood as their paramount consideration, give the child an opportunity to indicate whether they wish to express a view, and if they do, give them the opportunity to do so and have regard to any views expressed by the child, and only make or vary an order or grant a warrant if the children's hearing considers it would be better for the child than not to do so - the beneficial principle. 1.4.7 Getting it Right for Every child: Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) makes sure children and young people get the help and support that they need by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. GIRFEC Scotland’s approach to help children thrive and grow to be all they can be. Children and families are at the centre of all the services working for and with them. 1.4.8 UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024: UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 - The UNCRC is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It was written in 1989 to set an expectation all around the world of the rights a child should expect to have. The 2024 UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act came into effect which means Scots law requires public authorities to uphold children’s rights. This will help to ensure that babies, children and young people’s rights are legally recognised and protected. The Act applies to everyone up to the age of 18, regardless of their gender, race, parental status, sexual orientation, religion and beliefs or care experience. 1.5 Bidders were able demonstrate their sole role as an independent advocacy service or whose other tasks either complement, or do not conflict with, the provision of independent advocacy support. This independence is crucial to ensure that the advocate can represent the child’s views and rights without conflict of interest or undue influence. 1.6 The Agreement is for a single contractor to deliver the following objectives: 1.6.1 The Service will be available to Children/Young People aged up to 26 years who are Looked After away from home or who were previously Looked After away from home, Looked After at home, involved in Child Protection Procedures, and/or on the Child Protection Register and who live in North Lanarkshire and have not been placed by another Local Authority. 1.6.2 The Service will also be available to Children/Young People aged up to 16 years, affected by a disability as defined within The Children’s (Scotland) Act 1995 who are protected under the auspices of the Mental Health [Scotland] [Care and Treatment] Act 2003 and would require support from independent advocacy. Who live in North Lanarkshire and have not been placed by another Local Authority. 1.7 The requirements within the Agreement are currently under contract with Who Cares Scotland. This arrangement is due to expire on 01 March 2026 with the Agreement detailed within this report due to supersede it. 1.8. To enable appropriate development and execution of the procedure required to form the Agreement, a panel of technical and procurement representatives (the “User Intelligence Group (UIG)”) was formed. Page 361 of 374
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1.9 The UIG were responsible for developing the required internal contract strategy (the “Contract Strategy“) for the Agreement. The Contract Strategy sets out the parameters and approaches the council would apply within the procurement, tendering, contracting and end of life stages of the Agreement following appropriate analysis, research and investigation to ensure the council achieves maximum benefit where possible. In accordance with GCSO 4.4, the Contract Strategy for the Agreement was approved on 17 July 2025. 1.10. As part of our commitment to co-production and inclusive practice, the Detail of Requirements was developed with direct input from children who have lived experience relevant to the service. 2. Report 2.1 The initial estimated value of the Agreement dictated that the opportunity be considered as a “Higher Threshold Regulated” procurement procedure. On 17 July 2025, a Contract Notice for the opportunity was published on the Public Contracts Scotland and the UK Find a Tender (FTS) website. 2.2 As determined within the Contract Strategy, the procurement procedure was undertaken as an “Open Procedure”. The Open Procedure is a single stage competitive procurement procedure where following the publication of the Contract Notice, any interested party could submit a tender. 2.3 Based on the evaluation criteria and scoring methodology set out in the procurement procedure, an evaluation of tenders received was completed by members identified by the UIG as having the technical knowledge and experience to evaluate tenders in a professional and fair manner. 2.4 Following completion of the procurement procedure in line with the terms, conditions and processes contained within, the recommended Contractor has been evaluated as submitting the most economically advantageous tender. 2.5 Appendix 1 provides a summary of the procurement procedure undertaken including the key considerations and outcomes. Financial / Budget Consideration 2.6 The pre-tender whole life estimate budget for the Agreement was £980,000 The costs associated with delivery of the Agreement will be contained within the Revenue budget for the Education, Children and Families team within Children, Families, Justice and Integrated Practices. Price Stability 2.7. The cost is broken down into Direct and Indirect Costings therefore demonstrates the various elements for which the budget is being utilised to deliver the Contract. The maximum budget is £245,000 per year excluding VAT and cannot exceed this budget amount. Provider’s proposal is within the budget. Page 362 of 374
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Community Benefits 2.8. The council is committed to maximising the delivery of community benefits. The procurement included a community benefit requirement; this approach is designed to deliver local community benefits where possible. 2.9 Within their tender, the recommended Contractor committed to deliver community benefits as detailed within Appendix 1 of this report: 2.10 Within their tender, Who Cares? Scotland committed to deliver community benefits which include educational sponsorship, educational visits and workplace visits. Work experience for one individual aged 16 years or over. These benefits will be operationalised upon commencement of the contract. Fair Work First and Payment of the Living Wage 2.11 Within their tender submission, Who Cares? Scotland have demonstrated commitment to the Scottish Governments “Fair Work First” initiative, • an accredited Living Wage employer, • have no zero-hour contracts unless requested by staff, • a wide range of employee benefits • environment where staff voice is sought, represented, and responded to. • Who Cares? Scotland are committed to comprehensive staff training as well as continuous professional development. • Who Cares Scotland commit to flexible working and family friendly working practices, are committed to fair work practices and actively promote equality and diversity. 2.12 Further information on the Living Wage status of the recommended Contractor is detailed in Appendix 1. Contract Management 2.13. Officers from Quality Assurance and Education and Families services will be responsible for managing the Agreement which will be undertaken in accordance with the contract and supplier management conditions applied within the Agreement. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The Agreement will deliver the following outcomes; • Child or young person will have their views and preferences considered within plans and planning and any decision-making processes. • Child and young people have their human, legal and other rights safeguarded, and others, involved in the care and support of such children and young people will be aware of the centrality of such rights. UNCRC is now enshrined in law in Scotland and as such the provider is legally bound to respect and meet the rights of the children and young people in line with advocacy supports. • Children and young people feel able to support to shape the service and will be central to the development of a Quality Assurance Framework which will be used to obtain stakeholder experiences of Advocacy service. Page 363 of 374
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• Increased promotional activities and increased knowledge of the benefits of advocacy provision • Availability & Access 3.2 Best Value has been demonstrated by Who Cares? Scotland as outlined in Appendix 1. 4. Supporting documents 4.1 Appendix 1 Summary of Procurement Procedure Alison Gordon Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice, and Integrated Practice) Page 364 of 374
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality-and-fairer- scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Budget allocation/value has been agreed for the duration of the contract. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? All procurement procedures will have potential legal implications however throughout this Agreement, compliance with the councils General Contract Standing Orders and the relevant procurement regulations has been maintained with advice from colleagues in Corporate Procurement and Legal Services sought as and when required. As detailed in Part 1 of the report the award of this contract will support the council fulfil its statutory obligations with respect to advocacy services. 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☒ No ☐ Page 365 of 374
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If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e-mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☒ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Who Cares? Scotland is committed to delivering an independent advocacy services in an environmentally sustainable manner that actively supports North Lanarkshire Council’s target to be Net Zero by 2030. 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? If services are not procured, we will not be able to fulfil our obligations in ensuring Advocacy Provision is available. All risks relating to provider sustainability are held on the service risk register. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex-Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. Page 366 of 374
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5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☒ No ☐ The proposal supports the rights and wellbeing of vulnerable children including those impacted by care experience, disability and child protection processes, in line with Articles 3, 12, and 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). A CRWIA has been completed. Page 367 of 374
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Appendix 1 – Summary of Procurement Procedure Overview Reference NLC-CPT-25-062 Title Independent Advocacy (Children) Classification Services - Social & Specific Responsible Chief Officer and Position Alison Gordon Chief Officer (Children, Families and Justice Services) Competition Governance by Value Higher Threshold - Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 Route to Market Open Procedure Interest Total Expression of Interest (EoI) 2 EoI from NLC Based Businesses 0 Tenders Received Total No. of Tenders Received 2 No. of Tenders From SME’s 2 No. Tenders from NLC Based Businesses 1 No. of Tenders from Supported Businesses 0 Reasons for Single Tender Response Award Criteria Quality Weighting 80% Price Weighting 20% Evaluation Scoring Contractor(s) Score 87.35% Unsuccessful Tenderer Scoring Range 82.6% How Has “Best Value” Been Demonstrated? Best Value has been demonstrated by taking the bidders comprehensive approach, quality of service and long term benefits. Additional Comments Page 368 of 374
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Award Details General Overview Total / Maximum Value £980,000 Contract Duration (Months) 48 Contractor Registered Name(s) Who Cares? Scotland Contractor Overview Registered Local Authority Area North Lanarkshire Contractor(s) Size Micro Living Wage Paying the Living Wage Yes Living Wage Accredited Yes Overview of Community Benefits Community Benefit Outcome Qty Offered Community Benefit Outcome Qty Offered Educational Sponsorship 2 Educational Visits 4 Educational Workplace Visit 3 Work Experience Placement for an individual16+ years of age 3 Additional Comments Impacts Summary, Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty ☒ HR Policy Impact ☐ Data Protection Impact ☒ Environment / Carbon Impact ☒ Risk Impact ☒ Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact ☒ Page 369 of 374
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Financial Impact ☒ Legal Impact ☒ Technology / Digital Impact ☐ Comms Impact ☐ Armed Forces Covenant Duty ☐ Page 370 of 374
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children, and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref JMcK/CPT Date 18/11/25 Contracts awarded below Committee approval threshold From James McKinstry - Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) E-mail McKinstryJ@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07939 281 102 Executive Summary In accordance with the Council’s General Contract Standing Orders (“GCSOs”), GCSO 21.10 requires a summary report be presented to members with details of contracts awarded since last committee, specifically for the spend range: • over £50,000 but below £500,000 for supplies or services; and, • over £500,000 but below £2,000,000 for works. Recommendations It is recommended that the Education, Children, and Families Committee: (1) Acknowledge the contract awards made since last committee reporting cycle. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 12 Page 371 of 374
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1. Background 1.1 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 section 81 requires local authorities to “…make standing orders with respect to the making by them or on their behalf of contracts for the supply of goods or materials or for the execution of works.”. 1.2 The Council’s General Contract Standing Orders (“GCSOs”) set out the council’s specific procurement procedures and responsibilities at all spend levels, and include the reporting requirements of procurement activity, including contracts awards, to committee for either approval or acknowledgement. 2. Report 2.1 In accordance with GCSO 21.10, this report summarises the contract awards since last committee, specifically for the spend range: • over £50,000 but below £500,000 for supplies or services; and, • over £500,000 but below £2,000,000 for works. 2.2 If you require further information regards the contract awards reported, please refer to the lead service area / Chief Officer detailed in the appendix. 3. Measures of success 3.1 All requirements contracted contribute to either the council’s programme of work and/or fulfil a statutory requirement. 3.2 All contract awards secure best value for the council in accordance with their evaluation criteria. 3.3 All necessary diligence has been undertaken in the evaluation and appointment of contractors. 3.4 All contract awards are logged in the council’s contract register. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 – Summary of contracts awarded. James McKinstry Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) 5. Impacts 5.1 Impacts considered as part of the contract award procedures are recorded in the individual contract award reports held by the lead service area. Page 372 of 374
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Appendix 1 – Summary of Contracts Awarded
Contract Ref NLC-CPT-25-040
Title BA Childhood Practice
Classification Services
Chief Officer, Procuring Service Area James McParland, Chief Officer (Education (South))
Competition Governance by Value Lower Threshold Regulated Procurement, procured in accordance with The Procurement Reform
(Scotland) Act 2014 AND The Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016
Procurement Route Open Procedure
No. of Expressions of interest 6
No. of Bids Received 3
Award Criteria Most Economically Advantageous Tender ("MEAT") Scoring Model
Evaluation Scores – Successful 88%
Evaluation Scores – Unsuccessful Range from 56.64% - 70.35%
Award
Details
Value £73,200
Contract Duration 48 Months
Contractor Name UHI Perth
Contractor Size Large Company
Contractor Location Perth and Kinross
Status - Payment of Living Wage? Yes
Status - Living Wage Accredited? Yes
Impacts
this section
highlights which
impacts were
considered for
this contract
award procedure
Public Sector Equality
Duty and Fairer
Scotland Duty ☒
HR Policy Impact ☐ Data Protection
Impact ☐
Environment / Carbon
Impact ☒
Risk Impact ☐ Children’s Rights and
Wellbeing Impact ☒
Financial Impact ☒ Legal Impact ☒ Technology / Digital
Impact ☒
Communications
Impact ☒
Armed Forces
Covenant Duty ☐
Further details regarding these impacts can be obtained from the Lead Service Area / Chief Officer
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