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What is inclusion?

This section describes the background to practice in West Dunbartonshire. It gives a short description of inclusion and highlights what this means for West Dunbartonshire Council and Educational Services.

 



Inclusion became a discussion point in education with the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Until recently it has not been clear what inclusion actually means.  In fact, it is often simply mistaken for the integration of children from special schools into mainstream settings

 

A change occurred when the Standards in Scotland’s Schools Act (2000) shifted the focus from integration to inclusion. That is, education authorities are now compelled by law to assume that all children can be taught in a mainstream school.

 

Unlike integration which is built on the idea that we can ‘diagnose’ and ‘fix’ the needs of children and young people, inclusion accepts children and young people for who they are and requires that schools and systems change to accommodate their needs.

 

Therefore, mainstream schools and class teachers are expected to accommodate all children and young people and make sure they are full and active members of the class.

 

Inclusion, then, applies to all pupils and relates to the ways in which educational systems are thought about, organised and delivered.

 

 

Further information

A guide for Parents on Additional Support for Learning Act

- from the Scottish Government

 

The Code of Practice

 

Enquire publications

- for parents from the Enquire website

 

Parents Guide to additional support needs tribunals for Scotland

 

Publications by The Disability Rights Commission

 

Outside the Box

- a resource pack on Moving on to adult life for children with disabilities

Planning for children's services in West Dunbartonshire Council

There is a strong tradition in West Dunbartonshire Council of promoting inclusion. The council’s vision as stated in the Community Plan is to:

 

“improve prosperity and inclusion for all citizens, deliver better and more efficient services, and improve West Dunbartonshire as a place to live, work and visit”

 

The Planning Framework

The planning framework in West Dunbartonshire has six levels, whose scope covers high level planning at the community level, the Community Plan, right down to Personal Plans (PDP) for each staff member. The levels in between are shown in the diagram:

 

An image of the Planning Framework from SOA
Source: SOA from West Dunbartonshire

  • The Community Plan is the highest level plan and sets out the vision for our community.

  • SOA or Single Outcome Agreement identifies areas for improvement and sets out how the Community Planning

    Partners and the Scottish Government will deliver better outcomes for the people of West Dunbartonshire and Scotland.

  • Corporate Plan gives details of the Council's plans to fulfil our mission and aims over the next 4 years.

  • Departmental Plan gives details of what Educational Services will do to fulfil our mission and aims over the next 4 years.

  • Service Plans how and what services will be provided over the next financial year by a specific service with Education.

  • Personal Plans gives details of what each staff member will do towards their team's objectives over the next year.

 

 

The Integrated Children’s Service Plan

The Children (Scotland) Act, 1995 gave local authorities the duty to prepare and publish a Children’s Services Plan. This plan will give details of their intentions for services for children, young people and their families and is jointly prepared by all departments who work with children and young people.

 

The 2001 policy “For Scotland’s Children – Better Integrated Children’s Services” aimed to improve outcomes for children and their families. It suggested that improvements are made by better joint working between agencies who provide children’s services, particularly health, social work, education and the voluntary sector. Through this joint working key priorities and emerging issues are identified and are then reflected in the planning of West Dunbartonshire’s Children’s Services.

 

The West Dunbartonshire The Integrated Children’s Service Plan 2009-12 (1.14MB)covers all local plans, objectives and strategies for improving services and outcomes for children and young people. This plan combines the following:

 

  • Children’s Services Plans

  • Education Improvement Objectives and Progress Reports

  • Child health elements of Local Health Plans, Joint Health Improvement Plans and Child Health Strategies

  • Youth Justice Strategies

 

 

Planning within Educational Services

Promoting inclusion in Education Services is a long term and challenging aim, but one which is driven by both national and local priorities. The Integrated Children’s Service Plan 2009-12 (1.14MB) and the WDC policy document Promoting Inclusive Education are the basis for all policy and planning for pupil support. The main aim is to build up services for all children while providing good quality specialist, targeted resources where they are required.

 

Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) sets out framework for an inclusive approach to children's services in Scotland. This is a national programme that aims to improve outcomes for all children and young people. In particular, it supports the government’s goal that:

 

  • our children have the best start in life

  • our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens

  • we have improved life chances for children, young people and families at risk

 

The main idea of Getting it Right for Every Child is a common approach across all agencies that supports the delivery of useful and timely help to all children and young people as they need it. The national programme aims to:

 

  • meet the needs of children and young people leading to better outcomes for them

  • joint working among agencies leading to a more effective approach to the way the needs of children and families are met

  • the removal of institutional, cultural and procedural barriers

 

The Integrated Assessment Framework is a common means for all agencies and professionals to assess children’s needs and to share information about them. This is now merged into the broader GIRFEC Assessment, Analysis and Recording practice model that seeks to make sure that assessment leads to an integrated plan (where necessary) leading to improved outcomes.

 

The Integrated Assessment Framework and the Child’s Plan (610 KB)