Item 10 - Services for Children Young People and Families Update Report
West Dunbartonshire Council · 18 March 2026
Back to Educational Services Committee — 18 March 2026 and its agenda
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Education Officer Educational Services Committee: March 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Services for Children, Young People and Families Update Report 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is: a) to inform the Educational Services Committee of progress on support to children, young people and families. 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members of the Educational Services Committee are asked to: a) Note progress on plans to continue developing and improving support to children and families. 3. Background 3.1 West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) is committed to ensuring all children and young people are enabled to progress through Early Learning and School with the support they need. When this support is more or different to what is generally provided for children and young people of the same age, then the child or young person is said to have additional needs. 3.2 The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 lists four interrelated factors which individually or jointly impact on ability to learn: • Learning Environment • Family Circumstances • Disability or Health • Social or Emotional Factors Additional support may be required throughout a child or young person’s educational journey: others may only require additional support for a short period. 3.3 It is recognised that children, young people and families are best supported through effective multi-agency planning and delivery of services. Educational Services work in collaboration with a range of council, Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and third sector colleagues to do so. 4. Main Issues ITEM 10
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4.1 There are currently 11 781 school pupils in West Dunbartonshire Council. 5470 Pupils have Additional Support Needs (ASN), supported mainly in mainstream schools. Approximately 280 pupils are supported in our specialist settings as they require a more specific learning environment. We also have a small percentage of our children and young people with additional support needs supported by day or residential providers in external placements. These often involve young people separated from their peers and their community and can be expensive in comparison to supporting in-house. These costs have increased significantly over the past few years due to increased salaries and increased charges from partner providers for the range of specialist support offered. This has resulted in budget overspends and it is anticipated that there might be mitigation of these to some extent by the ASN strategy implementation. The trajectory of ASN needs in WDC has increased over time (from 36.9% in 2013 to 46.4% in 2025) and has been supported by the investment in our ASN estate expansion. 4.2 In line with National Guidance, we have a presumption to mainstream and almost all children with additional support needs have them successfully met in mainstream settings. Our ASN Strategy identifies and addresses these issues with a focus on the four pillars of inclusive education in Scotland which are: present, participating, achieving and supported, in order that children meet their full potential. Mainstreaming is the ‘central pillar’ to this approach. Our strategy is successfully upskilling staff and building on consistent approaches to meeting learner needs across all settings, ensuring our legal obligations are being met. 4.3 Meeting Learner’s Needs Education Leaders have collaborated to identify key areas of development and focus of the ASN Strategy. Notable areas of update are: ● As part of our commitment to developing inclusive, communication‑rich environments and meeting the needs of all learners, we have expanded our offer of Makaton professional learning. This session, we have trained 30 practitioners in the past two years with sessions delivered by West Dunbartonshire Makaton Tutors. In addition, we have delivered sessions through the WD for Families Hubs, with 13 parents and carers completing a four‑week course and a further 15 currently participating. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with all participants rating the sessions as Very Good. All respondents strongly agreed that their confidence and knowledge had increased,
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their awareness and understanding had improved, and that they were very likely to implement the learning within their home or professional setting. ● Coordinators from Early Years, Primary and Secondary settings have engaged in the ASN Forum, where partners from Speech and Language Therapy delivered sessions on Developmental Language Delay and the effective use of visuals across establishments. This collaborative and multi‑agency approach has been highly influential in strengthening our shared understanding and ensuring that support for learners' needs is delivered jointly and consistently, in line with Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) principles. Feedback from the session indicated that it was highly informative, increased participants’ knowledge and that via the Coordinators, it would be cascaded to all staff to support a more consistent approach within and across West Dunbartonshire. ● Following the review of our GIRFEC processes and suite of documentation in line with the national refresh, recent moderation of GIRFEC plans through the ASN Coordinator Forum has evidenced notable improvements in practice. Almost all (90.9%) Coordinators demonstrated increased confidence in creating personalised Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Timely (SMART) targets for learners, and there was a clearer correlation between long‑term targets and the short‑term targets set for pupils in almost all (90.9%) of the plans reviewed. Use of the updated documentation has strengthened the inclusion of pupil voice within the majority (54.6%) plans. Across the plans reviewed, almost all (81.8%) showed clear evidence of learner progress. This moderation activity was welcomed by Coordinators and demonstrates measurable improvements in GIRFEC practice across our schools with a clear understanding of where to continue professional learning and development. ● Our Specialist Settings will engage in professional learning through trio and quad learning rounds during February and March. This collaborative model will enable practitioners to visit one another’s establishments to observe Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Support (SCERTS) practices in action, focusing on meeting learners’ social communication and emotional regulation needs through adapted and personalised transactional support. This professional learning approach will further strengthen staff skills and enhance inclusive practice across our specialist provision. 4.4 Child Protection As part of our ongoing participation in the West Partnership group for Knife Crime and Misogyny, Officers will be presenting at a programme‑sharing
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event providing opportunities to showcase and learn from good practice. Our presentation will highlight adaptations to our approaches to addressing misogyny in the Secondary School curriculum, which has been developed in partnership with St Mary’s Primary School Alexandria, for use in primary settings and which align with the existing West Dunbartonshire Health and Wellbeing curriculum. The Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) programme implementation has progressed effectively within Vale Of Leven Academy and Saint Peter The Apostle High School, with plans to further embed and develop in the remaining three high schools. The programme focus will dovetail with a range of curricular work in relation to inclusive practices, tolerance and respect. In response to the training needs identified through the latest staff survey, a two‑day MVP training programme will be delivered within West Dunbartonshire, facilitated by the national MVP Lead. Consideration will also be given to extending invitations to partner organisations, including Women’s Aid, Youth Engagement Officers, and Youth Council/W4U staff, to enable them to support and co‑deliver elements of the programme where this would enhance local practice. Child protection single‑agency training continues to be delivered as a rolling programme for staff across Education Services to ensure ongoing compliance with statutory responsibilities and consistent practice. Chronology training and advanced child protection training for Senior Leadership Teams remain in place. The current advanced session focuses specifically on domestic abuse, reflecting its continued prioritisation within WDC and its significance as a key risk factor in local child protection. Evaluation informs us all staff report increased knowledge and competence following sessions. In collaboration with the link attainment advisor from Education Scotland we are further developing the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and Cost of the School Day (COSD) supports and guidance. This will ensure they reflect the ‘School Shouldn’t Cost’ manifesto and provide enhanced and updated guidance for staff. This update aims to strengthen consistency across establishments and ensure that financial barriers to participation are systematically identified and reduced. Pupils and staff from Our Lady and St Patricks High School represented West Dunbartonshire Council at the Cost of the School Day Young People’s Summit on 30 September 2025 in Glasgow, where the contributions from young people helped shape the final manifesto. 4.5 Support for Care Experienced Children and Young People Tracking and monitoring systems are established to support our care experienced young people achieve positive outcomes, reduce gaps in attendance and attainment and improve engagement. Ongoing collaboration with partner agency Care Connections, Y Sort It, ensures support is effectively allocated between services and progress is reviewed with a focus on helping pupils develop the 6 West Dunbartonshire’s Competencies for Learning. Targeted support provision is proving to have a positive impact as data from previous intervention period shows 45% of pupils' attendance
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increased by average of 9.5%, 32% of pupils remained at 100% and 23% of pupils' attendance decreased by average of 2%. Of data from Pre & Post Child Inclusion Research into Curriculum Learning Education (CIRCLE) Participation Scale scores obtained; 94% of pupils showed an average increase in pointage of 5.6% with increase in scores ranging from 2% to 20% over the intervention period. 71% of planned outcomes were achieved during the intervention period with progress being evidenced against the other 26% of outcomes identified for pupils. The Keeping the Promise Award Programme continues to be embedded throughout our schools using a Train the Trainer approach with the aim of developing a shared understanding of our roles as educators and corporate parents. To date 23 establishments across Early Years, Primary and Secondary have now achieved the We Promise Award at establishment level. 12 additional establishments are currently engaging with the programme with a staff lead having gained initial I Promise certification. 95% of staff who have completed the evaluations shared that as a result of the training, they have a greater understanding of the Promise and how they can more effectively meet the needs of CECYP in their settings. The positive impact of the training programme can also be observed across West Dunbartonshire with attendance data indicating that CE pupil attendance across all schools increased from 83.6% in 2023-2024 to 85.5% in 2024-2025. Attainment data shows that from 2023- 2025 attainment gaps in reading are reducing from 23% in 2023 to 16% in 2025, gaps in writing from 32% to 16% and gaps in numeracy reducing from 26% to 22%. 4.6 Developing Respectful and Tolerant Relationships In preparation for Anti-Bullying Week (10-14 November 2025), a focus on delivering a coordinated and evidence-based approach to fostering an inclusive and respectful school environment has been developed. Schools are preparing a range of activities designed to promote and embed the values of respect and kindness across all stages. This work will encourage pupils to move beyond simple definitions, engaging in critical self-reflection on how these values translate into tangible actions and behaviours within the school community and beyond. Our service is committed to ensuring all staff are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to understand and effectively respond to complex issues. We are promoting key professional learning opportunities/development including: Respect Me Scotland Resources: Staff can gain access to two new professional learning resources developed in partnership with Respect Me, Scotland's Anti-Bullying Service. These resources are designed to deepen understanding and improve responses to bullying, hate crime, and prejudice- based behaviours, ensuring a consistent and informed approach.
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Targeted Training: We are supporting staff development via a range of professional learning opportunities including the Developing Racial Literacy course, facilitated by Education Scotland and the Digi Discourse program by TIE (The Inclusive Education). These are vital in supporting staff to effectively address contemporary and pressing issues such as racism and misogyny with young people. 4.7 Improving Attendance Attendance at school remains a priority for all establishments. Data is monitored closely and focuses on key cohorts of pupils each month. This allows for the identification of trends and areas of need. Our detailed analysis demonstrates improvement in all aspects measured compared to the same period last year. This increase reflects the collective ownership of Education Staff and Leaders in ensuring consistent approaches to recording, monitoring and pupil support. Whilst we recognise the impact of improvements on overall data, we recognise that continued focus and support is required for pupils considered persistent non-attenders i.e. those who have attendance below 80%. Individual establishments have been asked to: . know who the pupils are .analyse their absence to identify patterns, causes or trends leading to poor attendance and . contact parents and carers to raise concerns and offer support to improve. It is our intention as an Authority to continue with our Attendance Improvement Plan this session, focussing on our Care Experienced pupils, those most disengaged in learning and who have Interrupted Learning. (App.1 School Pupil Attendance Report February 2026) 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no people implications as a direct result of this report. However, it should be noted that in line with the recommendations in the ASN Review we must ensure we have a well-trained, high-quality workforce who are equipped to support the range of needs and rights of our children and young people. 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 The projected additional funding required for the learning estate expansion has been approved and planned for in current and future budgets. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 If the Council is unable to ensure appropriate support to children and young people, we will not be meeting their needs under the terms of the Children and Young People Act 2014 (Equalities Act 2010). 7.2 If the Council is unable to ensure appropriate support for all children, young people and staff this could result in reputational damage.
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8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 As noted in the previously produced Equalities Impact Assessment, the ASN strategy and subsequent supports and guidance developed will enhance the quality of the service provided to all children, young people and staff and therefore can be seen to have a positive impact in terms of the equalities. 9. Consultation 9.1 Legal Services and the Section 95 Officer have been consulted in relation to the content of this report. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 This report reflects the Council’s aspiration to reduce inequalities for the people of West Dunbartonshire. Gillian Hamilton Chief Education Officer Person to Contact: Claire Cusick, Senior Education Officer Services for Children and Young People E-mail: claire.cusick@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Wards Affected: All Wards Appendices: App.1 School Pupil Attendance Report February 2026
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