Council Agree to Family Engagement over Supporting Learners Service Review
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Education Committee today (25 November) agreed to begin the process of engaging with families over the future shape of Supporting Learning Services.
Following a rigorous eight month service review, members of the Committee agreed to develop a local Area based model for the delivery of the Supporting Learners Service which aims to improve outcomes for all young people, rejecting an alternative option for a more centralised approach. The proposed model would see the establishment of four Area supporting learning teams across the region to ensure that decisions are made much closer to the families affected. The proposed option also aims to ensure that resources are managed more effectively and efficiently by further targeting the most vulnerable in our communities.
Councillors also agreed that the Education Department should establish a series of Family Engagement Forums specifically for parents of children in the region with additional support needs to discuss the planned changes and allow parents to raise any issues they have.
Chair of Education Committee Councillor Jeff leaver said, “Following a rigorous eight month service review, the Education Committee was unanimous in its view that changes were needed within the service. It has built up over many years in an ad-hoc manner where there is not only clear duplication but gaps in provision. “
“The decision to develop a local area based model will see significant improvements. It will refocus the service to meet the needs of pupils in each local community but also create a proper career path and parity of esteem for non-teaching staff, which has been missing. I don’t think anyone can say with any credibility that significant change is not needed. We need to ensure that resources are focused on the basis of need.”
“But I appreciate that change is difficult and the Council now needs to engage with families over the prosposals. That’s why we agreed to establish Family Engagement Forums across the region to ensure that families are at the centre of developing the new model”.
Commenting on the fact that the Review will lead to savings in the Service budget Councillor Leaver said,
“It is unfortunate, but unavoidable that this Service Review is taking place against a back drop of Government cuts, which means the council is being forced to save £32 million over the next three years, on top of the £40 million we have saved in the last three years. However, these proposed changes will mean that despite being the largest part of the Council’s budget, Education will continue to be protected and have to take a smaller share of savings than many other council services. The rigorous Service Review process has also minimised the impact of the savings by proposing a far more effective model. Any proposed savings are only draft at this stage and will be subject to consultation between now and the budget being agreed in February. People, including teaching unions, will have an opportunity to put forward alternative savings. If they are concerned about the impact of these savings then obviously they will propose alternatives, which I look forward to seeing.”
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