Children’s Hearings Advocacy Expert Reference Group - Training and CPD Sub-Group: minutes July 2022

Attendees and apologies

• Chair, Scottish Government (SG) Pam Semple
• Advocacy Western Isles (AWI), Birgitta Godhavn
• Angus Independent Advocacy (AIA), Craig Bartholomew
• Borders Independent Advocacy Service, Lorna Ratky-Smith
• CAPS Independent Advocacy (CAPS), Jane Crawford
• Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, CHIP Learning and Development Lead (CHIP), Elaine Adams
• Clan Childlaw, Agota Raukyte
• Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS), Edward McKim
• Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross (IAPK), Julie Hutton
• Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross (IAPK) Sarah Fogg
• Partners in Advocacy (PiA),Pauline Cavanagh
• Scottish Children’s Report Administration (SCRA), Melissa Hunt
• Scottish Government (SG) Louise Piaskowski
• Who Cares? Scotland (WC?S), Kay McKerrell

Apologies

• Advocacy Service Aberdeen, Kevin McBeath
• Barnardo’s, Selwyn McCausland
• Clan Childlaw, Vicki Straiton
• East Ayrshire Advocacy Services (EAAS), Annmarie Denny
• Law Society of Scotland (LSoS), Morag Driscoll
• Partners in Advocacy, Iain Templeton
• Scottish Government, Tom McNamara

Items and actions

Items and actions

This note provides an overview of the discussion and key action points from the meeting of the training and continuing professional development (CPD) Sub-Group of the children hearings advocacy expert reference group (ERG).

The meeting took place as a videoconference on Friday 8 July 2022. Papers issued for this meeting included: a draft position paper to be considered by the full ERG; webinar feedback paper; training overview from clan childlaw.  

The chair welcomed Kay McKerrell (WC?S), Edward McKim (CHS), Sarah Fogg (IAPK) and Agota Raukyte (Clan Childlaw) to their first meeting representing their respective organisations.

Note of last meeting on 31 August 2021

The note of the last meeting was agreed.  The chair highlighted the actions from the note and the following updates were given:

Action: (from July 2021 meeting) SCRA and CHIP to develop a paper on the new sibling participation rights and procedure within children’s hearings, which SG will share with children’s advocacy workers and other ERG members.

Update:  this was nearly completed and would be shared with the group shortly (August 2021).

Further update: The final paper on sibling participation rights and procedure within children’s hearings was shared with group members in September 2021.

Action: all to consider and provide any additional detail to input on learning and development resources accessed by staff that would help to populate the skills and knowledge matrix.

Update: additional information received from organisations and incorporated into final drafting documents.

Action: NPN to consider compiling the core learning and development elements within in organisational indications across the provider organisations.

Update: Pauline (PiA) will raise this action at the next NPN.

Action: PiA, CHIP and SG will gather all the feedback and use this to develop the skills and knowledge framework.  This will be worked on over the next couple of months and then shared with this sub-group for final comments or inputs.  It will then be shared with the expert reference group for advice and endorsement.

Update: draft paper for group endorsement is agenda item 4 for this meeting.

Draft paper for ERG approval – Skills and Knowledge Framework for advocacy workers within Children’s Hearings.   

A draft paper for endorsement by this group to be taken to the next expert reference group meeting for approval was issued in advance of this meeting.

The chair opened this item and invited comments and suggestions from the group.  It was agreed that in the section detailing the specific partners with children’s hearings system training/CPD that social work Scotland, together Scotland and Scottish Independent advocacy Alliance be noted in addition to SCRA and CHS.

The group discussed the suggestion from Sarah (IAPK) that the topic of advocacy be included in social work training as a means of publicising the service available to children and young people, and also to inform social workers of the importance of making referrals into the provision.  All agreed this was a good suggestion.  Elaine (CHIP) advised that there was a wider conversation to be had in terms of putting together an induction package for new social workers.  Elaine agreed to take the suggestion to CHIP partners for consideration.  Louise (SG) advised that good practice had arisen whereby an advocacy organisation has strong links with their local university and regularly attends to provide information about independent advocacy to social work students.  The group agreed this was a good practice idea and if not already being carried out by their organisation, they would make any necessary links to strengthen communications to students.  Pauline (PiA) advised that Partners in Advocacy also work with interns on bespoke pieces of work which helps with the communication and publicising of independent advocacy.

The chair thanked members for their contributions to this final agreed position and once amendments are made to the draft paper, it will be circulated to ERG members  in advance of the 28 July meeting.

Action: SG to amend proposal paper and issue with ERG meeting papers for 28 July meeting.

Action: Elaine to take training/induction package for social workers suggestion to CHIP partners for development/implementation.

Webinar feedback, learning and future plans

The webinar feedback paper was circulated in advance of this meeting. The chair asked for suggestions from group members as how the feedback and suggestions from respondents could be encapsulated into actions for the next webinar/event.

A recurring theme from the feedback was that it would be really useful to hear from advocacy organisations as to how they have been able to establish the provision in their local areas; what links have they made with other partners; what challenges have they come up against; what good practices can they share with others. Pauline (PiA) and Julie (IAPK) volunteered their organisations to present at any future event. They agreed to work together on format, structure and content.

The discussion then moved onto what the structure might be for future events.  Louise (SG) suggested that rather than a national, high level event that we might want to consider going down the localities route. This meant that attendees could look at data in their locality and using a workshop type approach, discuss blockages and ideas for unblocking, as well as being a chance to bring practitioners together locally.

Julie (IAPK) commented that they were already doing area work, and felt it would be beneficial to have a national perspective. The group decided that it would be possible to do both – a hybrid model. The national picture, data, analyses, practice issues and resolutions, could be established and then a “drill down” for each locality could then be incorporated.

The chair thanked everyone for their contribution to this topic and advised the SG team would take away all the comments, thoughts and suggestions and bring a proposal for future activity to the group in due course.

Action: Pam and Louise (SG) to consider shape of next webinar/event and take proposal back to sub group for consideration

Clan induction and refresher training for advocacy workers

Agota from Clan Childlaw advised the group that arrangements had been finalised for the induction and refresher training for 2022-23. It has been decided that to give prospective delegates the best chance of attending events, that there would be 2 induction training dates, 14 September and 21 September 2022.  Consideration had been given to making these events face to face, however due to the current rising numbers of covid, it was decided it would be prudent to make the induction sessions virtual.

The refresher training dates have also been agreed. And, as with the induction sessions, there is more than one date available in order to accommodate as many people as possible. There will be 4 sessions over the year, 2 in November 2022 and 2 in February 2023. Hopefully, this means that organisations will meet their mandatory obligation to ensure advocacy workers attend the refresher training. The dates identified are 15 and 16 November 2022, and 15 and 22 February 2023.  In terms of the refresher training it has been agreed that we will adopt a hybrid model and the sessions will run virtually and also face to face.  We hope that the choice for delegates to either meet face to face or attend virtually will allow for greater participation and discussion. Whilst the venues for the refresher training have not yet been finalised it is likely to be across the central belt  one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh. Organisations are reminded that travel expenses for their staff to attend events can be claimed through their grant offers. We will confirm final arrangements closer to the time for the refresher training. 

In terms of content update of the refresher training a paper had been circulated prior to the meeting which outlined specific areas advocacy workers had asked for further training.  The most commonly requested areas were permanence orders and sibling contact work.  Melissa (SCRA) advised that there is good material in the Scottish Guardianship training materials which could be used to provide quick wins.

Action: advocacy organisations to send contact details of new starts directly to agota.  Agota will liaise with managers to get details for the training dates in September in the coming weeks.

Action: organisations to note the dates for both induction and refresher training and advise staff accordingly, making every possible effort to ensure advocacy workers attend one of the refresher training events.

Action: clan to consider Scottish Guardianship training materials to see if anything can be incorporated into advocacy training events.

Any other business

The Chair then invited group members to provide any updates they wished to make the group aware of.  Edward (CHS) advised that a survey of panel members was due to start soon.  Melissa (SCRA) advised that there was ongoing work looking at partnership working across localities. Elaine (CHIP) advised that there was a lot of work going on around rights and staying together and connected.

Edward (CHS) asked for any suggestions from group members on how to improve feedback and complaints, and was seeking to find more ways to gather that information.  One of his colleagues in CHS will be taking forward some work in this area. Pam (SG) advised Edward about the outcomes tools work that had been developed by advocacy organisations in conjunction with Greyhound and Wren, and which were being used to gather feedback in a host of different ways.  Pam agreed to send this information to Edward.  Julie (IAPK) suggested facilitating a space where young people could peer support.  Pauline (PiA) advised that she would forward contact details from the Scottish Public Ombudsman colleague that she had been working with.

Action: Pam to forward Outcomes Tools to Edward.

Action: Pauline to provide contact details for Scottish Public Ombudsman to Edward.

The chair thanked everyone for their attendance, participation and closed the meeting.