East Dunbartonshire Council collects this information about you and your child or young person in order to support your child in school or an early years centre. This information will be discussed either at a Team around the Child meeting, a Support for All meeting or a Pupil Support Group meeting.
You will be given access to the information that is shared at Team around the Child meeting, a Support for All Meeting or a Pupil Support Group meeting in advance of the meeting or during the meeting itself. This information will only be shared within Team around the Child meeting, a Support for All meeting or a Pupil Support Group meeting.
Children aged 12–15 have other specific rights. They were given these rights to make sure that their views are listened to and that they are properly involved in decisions about their education and support. These rights will be of particular use to children whose parents may not be able to act for them (for example, young carers or looked after children).
They include:
- ask the local authority to find out if they have additional support needs
- ask the local authority for a specific assessment to find out if they have additional support needs and what support they need
- receive information and advice about their additional support needs
- be told about any decisions regarding their use of their rights
- be asked if they are happy for the information to be shared with relevant agencies when they leave school.
Before a child can use their rights, the school or local authority must agree they have the capacity to do so. The school or local authority must also check that a child’s wellbeing will not be negatively affected by using their rights.
Depending on the right your child wants to use, the school or local authority must check whether your child has the maturity and understanding to:
- carry out an action (such as request an assessment)
- understand any information or advice the school or authority might give them about their additional support needs or their rights
- understand the information in their plan (such as a co-ordinated support plan)
- give their view (for example, during mediation)
- make a decision (such as to let their information be shared with other agencies when they leave school). When checking if your child has capacity to make a decision, the school or local authority will consider whether your child is able to discuss their decision, remember what their decision was, and understand what it might mean for them.
The school or local authority will use any available evidence it has about your child’s learning and development to decide if your child has capacity or not. It might, for example, consider their progress in school as well as their attitudes to their own health and wellbeing.
Before your child (aged 12-15) makes use of their rights, the school or local authority must decide if your child’s use of their rights will negatively affect their wellbeing.
Professionals will look at several areas of wellbeing to decide whether your child’s use of their rights will negatively affect their wellbeing. They will consider whether it will affect your child being:
The Council does not use an automated process for making decisions about you or the services you require.
