Child's Planning Support

Child's Planning Support is accessed by the Team Around the Child when an assessment of wellbeing highlights potential gaps for which further advice and guidance is being sought. This assessment will outline strengths, achievements, development needs, and existing interventions under (relevant) wellbeing indicators:

Safe

Healthy

Achieving

Nurtured

Active

Respected

Responsible

Included

The analysis and recommendations will clearly and succinctly outline the Team Around the Child's opinion as to the types of targeted and/or specialist support(s) and intervention(s) that would further support the child's plan. This must include both parent/carer and learner voice.

What's the Team Around a Child (or TAC)?

This is the phrase commonly used to refer to the group of adults supporting a child/young person. It is an inclusive term that includes: parents, carers (or other family members with a significant supporting role), and all professionals from education, social work, Police Scotland, NHS Grampian and/or the 3rd sector (charity). The TAC can also include an advocate. The child/young person is a key member of their TAC.

The Child's Planning Support Forum represents a collaboration of education, social work, health and 3rd sector professionals. This multi-agency Forum reviews the Child's Plan and makes recommendations based on the information provided within the context of Aberdeen City Council's legal duty to the presumption of providing education in a mainstream setting. The Forum meets five times per academic year: dates are agreed (and shared) up to 18 months in advance, normally in January each year. It is the Named Person's / Lead Professional's responsibility to ensure a Request for Assistance is submitted in accordance with key dates as late requests cannot routinely be accepted.

What's a Named Person and/or Lead Professional?

Every child/young person in Scotland has an adult who fulfils the Named Person responsibility:

  • Child under ten days of age - Midwife

  • Child under school age (not yet in Primary 1) - Health Visitor

  • School-aged learner (Primary) - Head Teacher

  • School-aged learner (Secondary) - Guidance Teacher (sometimes called PT Guidance or PT Pupil Support)

What could the outcome include?

The Forum may suggest additional targeted support within the mainstream/zoned school setting. This could be provided by an Outreach Service or education/multi-agency partner - an additional Request for Assistance may have to be submitted to ensure the necessary consent exists.

Another outcome of Child's Planning Support can be an offer of/recommendation for Specialist or Enhanced Provision.

Find out more about what this means:

I'm not happy with the Forum's suggestions - can I appeal?

No. Child's Planning Support is a request for assistance process designed to help the Team Around a Child through the provision of multi-agency advice, guidance, and/or the offer of support.

A request for assistance can be re-submitted should the Team Around the Child feel a learner's circumstances have changed / warrant further review. This should be undertaken in conjunction with the calendar of key dates. The child's plan should be updated to reflect the changes in the child's circumstances.

This does not alter a parent's right to apply for any school of their choosing at any time (by submitting a placing request).