Oct. 17 2024
Source Page: School-based nurseries plan kicks off with £15 million fundingFound: Thousands of families are one step closer to accessible, affordable and high-quality early years provision
Aug. 30 2024
Source Page: Children and Young People Affected by a Family Member in Prison or Secure Care: Final Report of Short-Life GroupFound: Children and Young People Affected by a Family Member in Prison or Secure Care: Final Report of Short-Life
Mar. 20 2009
Source Page: Healthy lives, brighter futures: the strategy for children and young people's health. 114 p.Found: Healthy lives, brighter futures: the strategy for children and young people's health. 114 p.
Written Evidence Apr. 24 2024
Inquiry: Preterm BirthFound: parents who haven’t had a neonatal experiences. 1.1.Spoons identified a gap in support for families
May. 12 2024
Source Page: Childcare applications for parents of 9-month-olds now openFound: Childcare applications for parents of 9-month-olds now open
Sep. 12 2024
Source Page: School uniform and clothing: Guidance for schools and education authoritiesFound: School uniform and clothing: Guidance for schools and education authorities
Oct. 07 2024
Source Page: Reducing Parental Conflict programme 2022 to 2025 – Local Grant evaluation: Interim reportFound: service organisation into their delivery of local services for families and children.
Asked by: Whitfield, Martin (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to integrate inclusive education policies with accessible childcare initiatives to create a cohesive support system for disabled children from early years through to school age
Answered by Don-Innes, Natalie - Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
The ‘Getting it right for every child’ (GIRFEC) approach lies at the heart of all Scotland’s services, including childcare services, to support children and young people. GIRFEC provides a universal and consistent framework for practitioners, together with families, to assess a child or young person’s needs, identify their strengths and any challenges they face, and consider the most appropriate offer of timely, coordinated support.
Education authorities have a duty under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended) to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their children, this includes supporting children and young people at key transition points, for example, when they transition from ELC into primary school. The Scottish Government provides funding to education authorities for additional support for learning as part of their block grant. It is for individual education authorities to manage their own budget and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.
Early learning and childcare (ELC) settings must provide appropriate support, including making any reasonable changes to the care and learning environment, to ensure that children's disabilities or additional support needs do not provide a barrier to them accessing a full range of experiences, and to ensure that provision meets their individual needs. The ‘Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers Operating Guidance’ is clear that local authorities and settings must work together to support children with additional support needs to access their funded ELC hours.
It is important that local funded ELC offers respond to parents’ and carers’ needs. Local authorities have a statutory duty to consult representative populations of parents and carers on how the statutory entitlement to ELC should be made available. It is also vital that local authorities provide clear and accessible information about funded ELC options, to help parents and carers make informed choices about the best setting for their child and family.
In respect of school age childcare, the Scottish Government has committed to building a system of school age childcare that better meets the needs of all children and their families. As set out in the ‘School Age Childcare Delivery Framework’, this includes reviewing inequalities in access, including for disabled children and families, and exploring how we can reduce barriers and support positive outcomes.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give parents the right to access a deceased child's social media accounts without a court order.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to protecting children online and supporting families who have endured unimaginable losses.
The Online Safety Act contains measures that seek to address challenges faced by bereaved parents when engaging with online services following the death of a child, including provisions to ensure that online services are transparent to bereaved parents about data disclosure, and have a dedicated helpline for bereaved parents relating to requests for information relevant to the death of a child.