Community Learning and Development - Six Monthly Update
Renfrewshire Council · 13 May 2025
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 13 May 2025 and its agenda
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_________________________________________________________________________ To: Communities and Housing Policy Board On: 13 May 2025 _________________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive _________________________________________________________________________ Heading: Community Learning and Development - Six Monthly Update _________________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Council’s Community Learning and Development team delivers a range of services across Renfrewshire which aim to improve outcomes for local people and communities. These services are a core element of the work of our local Community Learning and Development Partnership, and in delivering on the priorities which are set out in our Community Learning and Development Partnership Plan. 1.2 This paper provides an overview of activity across our CLD team over the past 6 months, including the findings from the recent follow up inspection of CLD partnership services and the development of the Good Vibes project. 1.3 Section 8 of the paper highlights key priorities for the service over the course of the next 6 months, which include continuing to develop and embed the Connected Communities team structure, of which community learning and development is a key part. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Elected Members: • note the content of the report • approve the allocation of £5,000 of grant funding to Johnstone Castle Learning centre, to provide short term financial support to the organisation as it works to transition from previous Education Category C grant funding arrangements. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Council’s Community Learning and Development team delivers a range of services across Renfrewshire which aim to improve outcomes for local people and communities. These services are a core element of the work of our local Community Learning and Development Partnership, and in delivering on the priorities which are set out in our Community Learning and Development Partnership Plan.
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3.2 As previously reported to this board, the Community Learning and Development function now sits within the Connected Communities Service in the Chief Executive’s Service. This ensures community learning and development is closely aligned to wider strategic and community planning activities, which is very important given the role that the Council’s skilled and experienced team play in delivering positive outcomes for people and communities. More information on the Connected Communities Service and its developing programme of work is provided within section 7 of this report. 3.3 This report seeks to provide an overview of the work that has been delivered by the Council’s CLD team over the last 6 months. This includes information on the recently published follow up inspection report produced by Education Scotland on CLD activities across all sectors in Renfrewshire, which the Council plays a lead role in terms of co-ordinating. 4. Six monthly progress update 4.1 The Community Learning and Development (CLD) team delivers a range of services designed to support and nurture Renfrewshire’s communities: • Youth Services promote and encourage participation in initiatives such as Duke of Edinburgh, Young Scot and Renfrewshire Youth Voice, building young people’s confidence, experience and knowledge. The Street Stuff programme offers free activities to young people in evenings, weekends and over holiday periods, reducing youth antisocial behaviour. Our partnership programme also involves working with schools to deliver a range of activities to support closing the attainment gap as well as improving attendance at school. • Adult and Family Learning upskill individuals seeking support to read, write, use numbers, or speak English. Through ESOL classes (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and the MULTIPLY programme, service users grow and develop life skills. • Community Capacity supports participatory budgeting projects, the Green Spaces and Villages Investment Fund, as well as Team Up to Clean Up. 4.2 Key achievements over the past 6 months include: • Youth Services held an annual Duke of Edinburgh Celebration event in February 2025 in the Paisley Town Hall with just over 500 attendees, made up of young people, DofE leaders, VIP’s and supporting family members. 214 young people were presented with their bronze, silver and gold certificates from Renfrewshire’s Provost. • The Promise Champs group has been active in planning and designing community-based activities and events for other care-experienced young people. They delivered the Promise Present Drive in Christmas 2024, and through the generosity of community members, workers, and local organisations 211 parcels were received and benefited 304 young people. • The Promise Champs also helped to co-design the Love2Care event that took place in the Paisley town Hall on the 19th February and invited young people aged 12-24 with care experience to attend with the support of their Promise Keepers. The event included various workshops and stalls, and young people had an opportunity to co-design Promise youth-led funded events, create and share designs for our Love2Care mural project and give their input on how our Promise Champs programmes could benefit them and other young people in 2025-2026. • The West Partnership Youth Voice Ambassadors Programme has been driving positive social change across Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire, and Glasgow City. The 24 ambassadors are working towards gaining skills to complete their Participatory Democracy Certificate. They were tasked with returning to their local authorities to research issues they felt were important, with the freedom to shape the research direction and decide on actions based on the results. The
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Renfrewshire ambassadors researched the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in the area. Their findings led to the creation of a session plan, video, and self-help guide for use in local schools and youth clubs. • Our Youth Assembly took place in November 2024 and brought together 150 young people from schools and community projects across Renfrewshire. Young people took part in workshops and heard from a panel of experts responding to questions relating to the 3 top issues identified by young people across Renfrewshire. The 3 issues chosen by young people were Safety, Violence and Substance Use including Vaping. The event was delivered in partnership with the Young and Equally Safe in Renfrewshire Project, Youth Services and the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership. • The Young and Equally Safe in Renfrewshire campaign coincides with the global campaigns 16 Days of Action and Reclaim the Night. The 16 Days of action ran from 25th November to 10th December 2024 with the Reclaim the Night march held on the 26th November. The Young and Equally Safe project have been working with a group of boys from Linwood exploring misogyny and boys views around Gender Based Violence through the design of a mural that young people will paint at Linwood Skate Park. • Evolve is a youth programme delivered in partnership with Castlehead High School. An S2 girls group received a taster session before embarking on the programme which started in January 2025. The sessions are based in Foxbar Youth Drop In and include group work, embedding core skills including communication, literacies, I.C.T., creative problem-solving, decision-making, working with others and team building. Practical activities include cooking, a choice of outdoor activities, digital, trips out, with a focus on health and wellbeing. • Youth Services has been supporting the council’s Strategy and Place service with youth consultation to help feed into the Council’s Local Development Plan. Teams from both services worked in partnership to visit schools, community groups and during school holidays and using the Place Standard Tool, engaged young people in discussions around their neighbourhoods and facilities, and sense of belonging and pride. This has helped to build a picture on the needs of children and young people in communities and assist with future planning. • The multi-award-winning Street Stuff programme is a long-standing partnership between Renfrewshire Council, Community Safety Partnership & St Mirren Football Club. Street Stuff provides a range of activities, by supporting schools during the day as well as core evening & weekend activities and the popular holiday camps which are free to young people throughout Renfrewshire. Street Stuff is approaching 16 years engaging with young people in Renfrewshire communities. • Street Stuff have continued to support holiday programmes with a range of sporting activities during October and Spring breaks. Camps were located at various locations this year, with all 700 available spots being fully booked. Priority was given to families receiving clothing grants and those involved with social work children's services. Every child and young person attending the camps received a healthy lunch. A range of sporting activities were on offer for young people to participate in. • Renfrewshire’s Youth Team work with partners to enhance the early intervention and prevention approach whilst working with young people. The work they do in response to young people engaging in risk taking behaviour has continued along with educational inputs in schools and working with the wider community. The Youth Team work with young people and their parents/carers to support them to change their behaviour and progress to more positive outcomes. • In partnership with the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, the Youth Team delivered the prestigious Fire Skills course in February 2025 with 8 young people. Over the course of 5 full days the young people learned of the impacts of fires in local communities as well as working as a team participating in a number of team building exercises. • The £150,000 Celebrating Renfrewshire youth participatory budgeting fund is now in its 6th year and will be launched across Renfrewshire’s 7 local
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partnership areas. Young people have been recruited to this year’s steering group and have been working on the fund’s priorities for the coming year. Phase 1 of the process is almost complete with youth groups and organisations being able to apply to the fund from 14th April 2025. Once applications have been processed, eligible applications will be added to a voting platform and young people can then vote for the activities they want to see in their community. Voting will be promoted through community groups and secondary schools. Adult and Family Learning • The Adult & Family Learning team have worked with more than 200 adults to increase their skills and confidence in numeracy though the Multiply programme which ended in March 2025. A range of courses from weighing and measuring in the kitchen to helping children with maths homework left participants feeling better about their own abilities. • Eight Community Learning and Development venues are now designated Digizones with free access to digital devices, Wi-Fi and support to get online safely. West Johnstone, Foxlea, Glenburn, Southend, Bargarran and Moorpark community learning centres, the Youth Services base at West Primary and Foxbar Youth Drop-in have joined with partners including OneRen, Active Communities and ROAR: Connections for Life in promoting digital inclusion across Renfrewshire. • Southend Action Centre hosted 2 events in October and February for local people to meet a range of Community Learning and Development partner organisations who can help them manage in the current economic climate. There was representation from Renfrewshire Council energy advisors; OneRen, Renfrewshire Affordable Credit Alliance; Fairer Renfrewshire; Renfrewshire Carers Centre, Invest, West College Scotland and Paisley South Housing Association and the interest and positive feedback from attendees has resulted in future events being scheduled. • In February, West Johnstone, Glenburn and Bargarran community learning centres hosted Paisley Museum workshops where learners found out about Renfrewshire’s rich textile history. The workshops gave everyone a chance to find out more about the new Paisley Museum and how to be involved through volunteering. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and highlighted the interest in visiting the museum once it reopens. • Learning for Sustainability is now embedded across Adult and Family learning programmes with intergenerational and cross-cultural learning that supports the passing on of traditional skills. From growing and cooking their own vegetables in Southend Action Centre to repurposing ring-binders into lap-top bags in West Johnstone Campus, learners are rediscovering the satisfaction in mending and repurposing items rather than sending things to landfill. • In acknowledgement of the devastating impact of suicide in our communities, the team now have a staff member trained to deliver both SafeTalk and ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) to colleagues, partners and community groups. It is hoped that this will help raise awareness of suicide and support people acquire the skills and confidence to have open and non- judgemental conversations with people at risk. Team up to Clean Up / Environmental Taskforce • The Team Up to Clean Up Campaign continues to promote participation across Renfrewshire’s communities. Over the course of the year almost 5,000 active volunteers participated in 3,583 clean-up events, removing over 19,000 bags of litter from Renfrewshire’s streets and open spaces. • From October 2024 to March 2025 the Team Up’s social media Facebook group increased in membership from 6,800 to over 7,500. Participants are joining at a rate of over 100 requests per month with 2 events in particular boosting participation; a post regarding neighbours joining forces to clean up their street after Storm Eowyn had a reach of over 104,000, and Team Up’s Winter Warriors sub-campaign further boosted the group’s reach and increased membership numbers.
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• The Winter Warriors sub-campaign offered volunteers who requested to participate a Community Winter Maintenance kit which included a grit spreader, 2 bags of salt, waterproof gloves and a snow shovel. Active group members were prioritised, having already demonstrated a level of commitment to their neighbourhoods and efforts were made to distribute kits evenly across Renfrewshire’s towns and villages. • A Santa Dash Litter pick was delivered in December by pupils of Gleniffer High School who cleaned up the area surrounding their school, including Durrockstock Dam. • The Big Spring Clean launched on 22 April and will run until 30 May. Twenty- three schools have already volunteered to participate in delivering clean-ups to the local area surrounding their school. • Flytipping is a detrimental issue for communities, it reduces civic pride, brings down neighbourhoods and, in some cases, may cause infestations. Renfrewshire’s Environmental Taskforce works to reduce flytipping incidents across the authority. The Team investigates to determine the source, and arranges removal, keeping communities cleaner and safer. • Over the past 6 months the Taskforce has erected cameras in rural flytipping hotspots to detect those responsible for the crimes and deter instances in these local beauty spots. 6 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued over the course of the past 6 months. The Taskforce has worked with several landowners to remove flytipping from their sites and secure their land to prevent recurrence. • A Day of Action was delivered with Police Scotland and SEPA in October 2024. Transit van type vehicles were stopped and a check caried out on their load, as well as the intended destination. Education was a key part of this activity ensuring relevant licenses and paperwork were in place and waste carriers were aware of the obligations. • A further promotional event was delivered at Paisley’s Farmers Market in October arranged through the West of Scotland Rural Crime group. This event highlighted the plight of landowners in regard to resource and impact flytipping has on rural roads and open space. SEPA and Neighbourhood Services supported the event through attendance and the display of a flatbed vehicle full of the previous day’s flytipping. 5 Good Vibes Only 5.1 As part of the Council budget agreed on 29 February 2024, £100,000 was allocated to support work to strengthen engagement with young people across Renfrewshire’s communities through the development of a youth-led programme which will provide opportunities for young people to improve their safety, health and wellbeing and get involved in activities which will enhance and promote their community. 5.2 Prior to the summer period in 2024, officers from the Community Learning and Development team engaged with a range of partners from across Council Services, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, OneRen and Street Stuff, to consider options for piloting this approach in Renfrewshire, with a strong focus on building on the strength of existing partnership working and data intelligence. 5.3 A new youth development initiative was scoped which involved targeted youth work on an outreach basis initially in two pilot communities – Linwood and Gallowhill. The aim of the pilot was to engage with young people aged 12- 25 on a multi-agency basis and to assess potential safety, health and wellbeing issues being experienced by young people. This information could then be used to inform future partnership initiatives, including the targeting of specific support for young people. Whilst Gallowhill was one of the initial pilot areas, partners involved in providing the outreach such as Street Stuff, quickly identified that young people from this community were at times travelling into Paisley town centre, so further engagement was also undertaken there also.
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5.4 Over the course of the summer 2024 partners engaged with over 400 young people and gained significant insight into the views of young people they came into contact in the evenings and at weekends. This included initial information about what young people would like to be involved in within their communities and the issues they were experiencing. The engagement process itself was also invaluable to local partners in terms of safeguarding young people, providing advice and support in specific cases to young people that were putting themselves in potentially unsafe situations. 5.5 Young people have been involved in the development of the initiative from the outset, including coming up with the ‘Good Vibes Only’ name. Based on discussions with young people and partners we came up with a fun and interactive education programme building on the Safekids approach to address the issues identified and explore the views of young people further around what they would like to see in their areas, signposting where possible. This is being led by the Community Learning and Development Team, who will coordinate all inputs and monitor outcomes associated with the programme. The educational workshops commenced on Thursday, 7th November at Foxbar Youth Centre with 14 young people participating as the first cohort. 5.6 Based on the interaction and discussions with young people and our partners and overall learning to date, a programme has been developed for delivery over the course of the next 2 years. There are three key pillars to this programme: • An outreach programme which will be undertaken at least 3 times per year across different communities, with the aim of targeting young people who are at risk of offending behaviour, developing educational awareness programmes to raise awareness of the dangers of such behaviour and diverting young people into more meaningful activities. • Delivery targeted programmes of youth work and activities within specific communities identified through our outreach work and our wider partnership working. This will include commissioning groups and organisations to deliver specific targeted opportunities. Initial research with partners and with young people have lead to initial work being scoped in relation to Paisley Town Centre and in Johnstone Castle. • Safe kids - Safe Kids 2025 is being delivered at St Mirren Football Stadium this year as part of the ‘Good Vibes Only’ programme with a range of community safety partners. Workshops covering issues such as antisocial behaviour, internet safety, alcohol and drugs awareness, environmental crime, rail safety and water safety are all being developed. All Primary 6 pupils, approximately 1800 across Renfrewshire, will attend the workshops over a 3-week period and will be given an information booklet reinforcing the learning that took place and can be shared with family members. Follow up activities in P7 and S1 will be provided on matters such as Water Safety in the lead up to the spring and summer holiday periods as well as Fire Safety in the lead up to Bonfire night. 6. HMI Inspection of CLD in Renfrewshire 6.1 As previously reported inspectors from Education Scotland visited Renfrewshire Council in February 2024 to undertake an inspection of community learning and development (CLD) activities across Renfrewshire delivered by the Council and all partners. During the visit, HM Inspectors talked to learners and community representatives, CLD leaders, managers, staff, volunteers, and other key stakeholders. 6.2 The inspection report noted that whilst the work delivered on the ground was regarded as positive, key actions required to be progressed at a strategic level by partners to improve governance, strategic planning and outcomes and performance monitoring. Specifically the findings required the following action: • As a matter of priority, the local authority and its partners should strengthen the leadership and governance of CLD in line with legislative requirements. This
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includes continuing with plans to establish a CLD strategic partnership and formalising appropriate networks to improve the governance of CLD. • CLD partners should agree and set clear outcomes and measures of success. There is a need to develop partnership priorities at a strategic level. Leaders with responsibility for CLD should ensure arrangements are in place to improve reporting across partners and support joint planning for improvement. 6.3 Significant work has been undertaken to strengthen leadership and governance, including the establishment of two new forums which provide oversight and drive improvements collectively. These were formed as we worked in partnership to develop the Renfrewshire Community Learning and Development Partnership Plan, which was approved by board in October 2024. Work has also been progressed with local partners to develop a new outcomes framework which will support partners in monitoring and assessing the impact of the wok that they are doing collectively through the Partnership Plan. 6.4 In March 2025 inspectors returned to Renfrewshire to assess progress made on the key points raised again speaking to learners and community representatives, CLD leaders, managers, staff, volunteers, and other key stakeholders. 6.5 On 14th April 2025, the formal report on the follow up inspection visit was published by Education Scotland. The feedback provided was positive and indicate good progress was being made by partners in terms of addressing the original inspection findings. These are summarised below. Areas of positive progress 6.6 Inspectors reported that strategic leaders have taken appropriate steps to strengthen the leadership and governance of CLD, which includes involvement of a wider range of partners. They recognised that partners are sharing intelligence, which strengthens links between the CLD plan and Renfrewshire’s Community Plan and increases the understanding and visibility of CLD priorities. Members of the CLD Partnership Forum, who are responsible for the delivery of CLD planned priorities at an operational level, benefit from strengthened connections and networking. They are more aware of partners’ contributions to the successful implementation of the CLD plan. 6.7 The inspectors noted that partners have a good understanding of local need and have considered consultation feedback from learners and community members. These views helped to inform the four priorities and high-level actions in the CLD plan. All CLD partners were noted as being involved in the CLD governance groups are committed to deliver on these partnership priorities and actions across the life of the plan. The inspection team also found that CLD partners are taking appropriate steps to strengthen arrangements to improve reporting across partners. Areas for development. 6.8 Whilst positive in relation to the progress made it was recognised that new governance arrangements are still in the early stages of implementation and require more time to embed and demonstrate impact. Specific recommendations were also made to further strengthen the links between different fora. 6.9 It was noted that CLD partners are not yet routinely reporting or monitoring progress with the CLD plan or identifying and mitigating risk and that CLD partners should continue to finalise their draft shared measures and outcomes framework. This work is underway but it was recognised this needed to continue to allow targets to be set and progress monitored. 6.10 The inspection report notes that written updates on these areas for development will be requested during this year. Further updates on the partnership work which is taking place to address these recommendations will be provided in the annual report prepared in relation to the CLD Partnership Plan later in 2025.
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7. Connected Communities 7.1 As reported to the Leadership Board in February 2025, a key transformation priority for the organisation over the next 3-5 years will be the development of the Connected Communities model and approach, which at its heart, will aim to strengthen the relationships that the Council has with local communities in Renfrewshire, including the ambition to make it easier for local people to access the support they need from different services, significantly aligned with the principles of early intervention and prevention. 7.2 This programme will be led by the Head of Policy and Partnerships, and to ensure there is a strong core central function within the Council to support the delivery of the programme, a service redesign has recently been progressed to establish a new Connected Communities function within the Chief Executive’s Service. This function brings together officers working together on our community empowerment, poverty and inequality programmes such as Fairer Renfrewshire and our community and learning and development teams, and will ensure that we have the right resources in place to build capacity across communities, encourage participation and involvement, and strengthen the relationships that our services have with communities and citizens. Completion of this internal service redesign is an important building block for the wider Connected Communities programme. 7.3 As noted in the Leadership Board paper, significant strides have been made in recent years in terms of supporting community capacity and participation, progressing innovative and inclusive new approaches such as participatory budgeting, Local Partnerships, new community grants, regeneration programmes, Lived Experience Panels and youth engagement initiatives. The COVID pandemic and cost of living crisis more recently have further strengthened our local approach, but our learning during this period has identified the opportunity to develop this further. 7.4 There are several key “pillars” of the programme that have been initially identified. Some of these will involve new projects or initiatives, whilst others will build on existing programmes of work, making sure there are stronger links across services and partners, or greater opportunities for local communities and citizens to get involved going forward. These include activities in relation to: • Community investment and capacity - Greater co-ordination of Council grants and support to develop community capacity and growth • Voice and influence - Strengthening our approach to consultation and engagement through lived experience panels or participation forums and developing new options which support people to get involved in shaping local plans and services • Place based working - Identifying opportunities to share information on what is happening in local communities – between Council services and with communities themselves • Exploring new models of advice and support - Working with people who access Council services to explore whether we could make that initial contact and request for support more joined up at an earlier stage, rather than as needs become more complex. • Making every contact count - We will take forward a programme of training, development and engagement with our workforce which will support our aim of making every contact count – ensuring there is a consistent approach to this across the Council. 7.5 The structure of the new Connected Communities core function will play a key role in delivering these priorities for the organisation. Regular updates on the development of the programme will continue to be reported to Elected Members going forward. 8 Key priorities for the next six months 8.1 The team have identified the following key priorities which will be progressed over the next 6 months:
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• Working with partners to respond to the feedback from the HMI Inspection follow up visit • Progressing the key actions detailed in the CLD Partnership Plan including mapping youth provision locally and wider engagement with local people, learners and partners. • Embedding the new service structure as part of the overall Connected Communities programme • Implementing a new management information system in partnership with other key services. • Delivering the Summer of Fun holiday activity programme for low income families in Renfrewshire, in partnership with a range of organisations across Renfrewshire. £100,000 of funding was allocated through the Council’s budget in February 2025 to deliver this programme. • Continue to work with the Resettlement Team and other partners to support New Scots, developing a range of activities including ESOL, Community Capacity and family supports which support resettlement. 8.2 Elected members are asked to note that officers are currently working with Johnstone Castle Learning Centre (JCLC) in response to financial sustainability concerns raised by the organisation. In recent years, Johnstone Castle Learning Centre has been the sole applicant and recipient of Education Category C grant funding, which came to an end several years ago. The funding to JCLC continued to be provided on a tapered basis between 2022 and 2024/25, with active support being provided to the organisation by Council officers and Engage Renfrewshire to manage this process and to support wider external funding and Council funding applications. The funding for 24/25 was retained at £10,000 rather than final amount of £5,000 in 24/25 originally set out by officers in 2022, to allow the organisation further time to progress these funding applications. 8.3 In line with Section 5 of the report, officers are seeking to develop proposals with JCLC as part of the Good Vibes programme, however recognise that JCLC requires further support and funding in the short term to maintain its immediate operations. 8.4 It is therefore proposed that £5,000 of interim grant funding be provided to Johnstone Castle Learning Centre, to support their final transition from Education Category C funding. As this funding stream is no longer in operation, the funding will require to be drawn from existing budgets within the Connected Communities service and can be provided on a one-off basis. 8.5 Subject to a funding agreement being put into place with the board of the organisation, officers will then seek to move discussions forward at pace to support Johnstone Castle Learning Centre to develop plans for its ongoing financial sustainability including in relation to wider Council funding streams. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The report recommends the allocation of £5,000 of funding from existing budgets to support the final transition from previous Education Category C funding arrangements, which are no longer applicable. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None 3. Community/Council Planning – The report details a range of activities which reflect local community and council planning themes. 4. Legal – None
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5. Property/Assets – None 6. Information Technology –None 7. Equality & Human Rights - The recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None 9. Procurement – None 10. Risk – None 11. Privacy Impact – No ne 12. COSLA Policy Position – None 13. Children’s Rights – The activities of the service play an important role in terms of working with children and young people to understand their rights and to achieve positive outcomes in relation to these rights in practice. 14. Climate Risk – there are a range of actions and activities throughout the Service Update Report which support the Council’s Plan for Net Zero __________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers: None