Jargon Buster

When talking about additional support needs and looking for support it can be quite overwhelming with different acronyms and unfamiliar terminology.  This is a non exhaustive list that should help understand and identify these in one place. 

ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder

ASL – Additional Support for Learning

ASN – Additional Support Needs

CAMHS – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS are a specialist NHS service. They offer assessment and treatment when children and young people have emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties .  CAMHS are often referred to for the  diagnosis of ASD, ADHD and mental health issues along with other conditions. (Link – Young Minds – What is CAMHS?)

CfE – Curriculum for Excellence

Childs Plan- The Child's Plan has been designed to provide a consistent approach to planning for children who need additional support. The Child’s Plan should be used when extra, targeted intervention or services, not generally available, are needed to promote, support or improve the wellbeing of the child.

CP – Child Protection

CSP- Coordinated Support Plan helps those with additional support needs who require significant support from their school and from other services such as social work and the NHS.  The CSP ensures all services work together to meet the needs of the individual.

DHT – Deputy Head Teacher

ERG – External resources Group. It reflects the Council’s strong commitment to the role of corporate parent, and continues to develop and respond to the changing and sometimes challenging needs of our children and young people.  ERG is where referrals are made from the TAC to consider individual cases that require enhanced support or alternative placement out with Clackmannanshire Council.

GIRFEC – Getting it Right for Every Child. GIRFEC is the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of our children and young people by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. It supports them and their parent(s) to work in partnership with the services that can help them (Scottish Government, 2016).

HI – Hearing Impairment

HT – Head Teacher

IRG- Internal Resource Group.  It reflects the Council’s strong commitment to the role of corporate parent, and continues to develop and respond to the changing and sometimes challenging needs of our children and young people. IRG is where referrals are made from the TAC to consider individual cases that require enhanced support or alternative placement within Clackmannanshire Council.

LA – Learning Assistant

LAC – Looked After Children

LAAC – Looked After and Accommodated Children

Lead Professional-Lead Professionals are usually appointed when children need additional support using the staged intervention process.  The lead professional is often the support coordinator of your child's educational establishment.  

OT – Occupational Therapist

PT – Principal Teacher

SEBN – Social, Emotional and Behavioural Needs

SfL – Support for Learning

Support Coordinator- This person is usually the head or deputy head of your child's educational establishment and they are responsible for overseeing support provided for children.

TAC Meeting – Team Around the Child Meeting.

Targeted Intervention- Targeted intervention is support not generally available for children. Services like health visiting, GPs and school based education are examples of generally available services. Targeted support is likely to vary from child to child according to their individual needs and circumstances.

VI – Visual Impairment

Well being Indicators- The national outcomes for children and young people from the Curriculum for Excellence, are that all children should be Confident Individuals, Effective Contributors, Successful Learners and Responsible Citizens. To achieve this all children need to be Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included. These are known as the Well being Indicators and sometimes referred to as SHANARRI.