Ready to Act - A transformational plan for Children and young people, their parents, carers and families who require support from allied health professionals (AHPs)

Foreword by the Acting Chief Health Professions Officer

The AHP National Delivery Plan, AHPs as Agents of Change in Health and Social Care, states:

AHP Directors will work with AHP leads for children’s services and AHP leads in social care to develop a transformational children and young people’s services plan to meet the evolving needs of this care group and to provide an equitable and sustainable national model that reflects the early years agenda and the move towards integration of health and social care.

Ready to Act, a transformational plan for children and young people, their parents, carers and families who need support from AHPs, delivers on this and acknowledges the significant responsibility of AHPs in ensuring children and young people have the best possible start in life.

The plan’s ambitions are designed to maximise children and young people’s well-being. We have committed to delivery of children and young people’s services in integrated joint boards, supporting collaboration among practitioners across professions and agencies to deliver child-centred outcomes.

Much excellent practice exists in AHP children and young people’s services in Scotland. The ambitions will build on this best practice to continue the improvement journey and ensure all children and young people in Scotland have equal access and opportunities to engage with AHP expertise.

Successful implementation of the plan will require local and national co-operation and joined-up thinking, with a commitment to strategic collaboration across health, social care, education and the third sector and, crucially, involving children and young people, their parents, carers and families as partners. The plan recognises their essential role in achieving well-being outcomes. The need for effective and collaborative partnerships sets a clear direction of travel for AHPs as part of integrated joint boards and in partnership with communities.

Quality improvement methodologies will underpin all implementation activity, providing essential data to inform the spread of service change and innovation.

AHPs are essential to the successful development of single plans for children and young people and their expertise at universal and targeted service delivery levels will support children and young people in achieving the well-being outcomes that matter to them. A vital aspect of any service change is the involvement of children and young people in decisions that affect their lives: evidencing their participation at all ages and in all aspects of AHP activity will be essential.

The implementation of the ambitions at local service level will support AHPs in meeting their duties in relation to the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

The life-course framework of the Active and Independent Living Improvement Programme places children and young people at the start of a healthy, active and involved life journey. An essential component of supporting young people to meet their well-being needs will be workstreams that facilitate the transition to adult services. The information and strategies they learn from and use in their younger lives will be pivotal in ensuring better life chances for the population of Scotland.

AHP directors will ensure the implementation planning process in NHS boards is fully endorsed and supported to ensure that AHPs in children and young people services are truly ready to act.

Tracy MacInnes
Acting Chief Health Professions Officer