Personal and Social Education Delivery and Implementation Group: terms of reference

Role of the Implementation and Delivery Group

The Implementation and Delivery Group has been formed to facilitate implementation of the recommendations from the review of personal and social education (PSE) in Scotland. The review of PSE was a recommendation from the 10‑year Mental Health Strategy published on 30 March 2017. Further traction for a review came from the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee, who produced a report on how PSE is taught in Scotland. This report also recommended a review of PSE.

PSE encapsulates a wider policy context of health and wellbeing in the Curriculum for Excellence. This includes, Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC), the Early Years Framework, children’s rights, and, the Building Safer Communities programme, which collectively contribute towards the Scottish Government’s aim of making Scotland the best place in the World to grow up.

The remit of the Implementation and Delivery Group is to: f

• plan, insofar as possible, delivery of the 16 recommendations of the PSE review provide oversight and quality assurance of the implementation of the recommendations including ensuring the recommendations and implementation process are compatible with and help uphold and promote the requirements of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 
• engage with children and young people throughout the implementation process, ensuring their perspectives inform the process and final delivery in a meaningful way
• develop a consensus on work to facilitate implementation of the recommendations

In carrying out their remit, the Implementation and Delivery Group will have responsibility for ensuring:

• the agreed, timetabled action plan is taken forward appropriately
• regular updates are provided on the progress of the recommendations detailed in the timetabled action plan

Timescales

One of the recommendations specifies that implementation and delivery of the recommendations should be progress sufficiently by the end of the current Parliamentary term. The Implementation and Delivery Group will ensure the recommendations are facilitated for implementation, insofar as possible, by the end of March 2022.

Responsibilities

In addition to attending meetings, members may be expected to obtain feedback from their organisations in order to progress the work of the Implementation Group. Members should expect that some of this work could take place out with meetings.

There will be flexibility for the Implementation Group to influence the agenda of meetings, but it will focus on delivering its Terms of Reference. Particular tasks may warrant the establishment of Sub Groups, consisting either of a subset of members or involving co-opted others, which will be agreed by the Implementation Group depending on how priorities progress.

Members

The Implementation and Delivery Group will be jointly chaired by COSLA and the Scottish Government. Membership is comprised of:

• Association of Directors of Education (ADES)
• Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS)
• Children’s Parliament (CP)
• Connect
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
• Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)
• Education Scotland (ES)
• General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)
• Interfaith Scotland (IS)
• National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT)
• National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) 
• School Leaders Scotland (SLS)
• Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES)
• Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD)
• Scottish Government Education Policy Leads (SGDL)
• Health and Wellbeing policy
• Learner Journey policy
• Teacher Workforce policy
• Scottish Guidance Association 
• Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA)
• Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP)
• Voice Community

Secretariat will be provided by Scottish Government officials from the Learning Directorate's Support and Wellbeing Unit.

Members have been selected as key representatives of education sectors. Additional members (for example, from rural and/or islands settings and representatives of young people) can be proposed at any point by existing members. A majority acceptance for new membership from by Implementation Group members will be required before an invitation is issued.

Working environment

The success of the Group will depend upon mutual trust and respect and may, at times, require a degree of sensitivity around discussions in seeking to arrive at a consensus and, ultimately, take forward the recommendations. Open and frank discussion is encouraged and supported with a general summary of key discussion and action points produced by the Secretariat following meetings. The Secretariat will publish all minutes and supporting papers on the Scottish Government website for health and wellbeing in schools.

March 2021