Calling all parents: survey on Parent Forums

Just as politicians are busy trying to persuade everyone to vote in the General Election, so we are urging everyone to respond to the Scottish Executive's consultation on proposals to abolish school boards and replace them with Parent Forums. These changes will affect everyone – not just existing school boards and PTA committees. The new forums will have all the powers of existing boards but will be designed by parents to suit the circumstances at their school. To make commenting easier, we have designed a simple survey (please see more information on the back page) that we would like returned by 31 st May .

Child protection and police checks - update

In Backchat 83, we advised that, due to the implementation of the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003, PTAs should get everyone checked and should approach the Central Registered Body in Scotland (CRBS) for help with this. This was a broad-brush statement which was the best advice that we could offer at the time. Now, thanks to helpful discussions with officials both within the Scottish Executive and CRBS, we are able to offer more precise and accurate advice. The full advice is available on our website www.sptc.info or in leaflet form; the following is a summary.

Child protection and police checks - update

In Backchat 83, we advised that, due to the implementation of the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003, PTAs should get everyone checked and should approach the Central Registered Body in Scotland (CRBS) for help with this. This was a broad-brush statement which was the best advice that we could offer at the time. Now, thanks to helpful discussions with officials both within the Scottish Executive and CRBS, we are able to offer more precise and accurate advice. The full advice is available on our website www.sptc.info or in leaflet form; the following is a summary.

Who should be checked?

Everyone appointed to a childcare position after April 11 th should be checked. In PTA terms this means those specifically asked or expected to help at pre-planned events to supervise children e.g. in running crèches, on rotas for walking buses, those taking an after-school class or club; those supervising children waiting to go to such classes/clubs; those organised to help at planned school discos.

• The requirement for checking applies to new appointees, not to those who are continuing in the same childcare role.
• It is illegal to get someone who is not in a childcare position police checked e.g. PTA/PA members who never supervise children but only make the tea or collect money cannot be checked.
• If the PTA only runs family events – family quizzes, discos, etc – and it is clearly stated that these are family events and no arrangements are made to look after/supervise children - no one Is in a childcare position (even if some children turn up unaccompanied) so by law no one can be checked .
• Where someone is asked to help out on an ad hoc basis , with no pre-planning or expectation of future involvement in PTA/PA activities, they would not be regarded as having been appointed to a childcare position and so cannot be checked.

Checks fulfil two purposes:

• They determine if someone is fit to carry out a specific childcare duty/position. Checks are therefore specific to the proposed post. Not every criminal conviction can be seen as meaning that someone is unfit for a childcare role – for example a conviction for shop-lifting.
• The checks are also to determine whether the person is on one of the UK Lists of those deemed unfit to work with children. It is a criminal offence to appoint someone who is on one of these Lists to a childcare position.

Who is responsible for checks?

Checks cannot be transferred from one position to another so the PTA/PA is responsible for undertaking checks for all its activities. They cannot rely on checks that have been done for another purpose e.g. for someone's work, or by the school.

How are checks done?

As voluntary bodies, PTA/PAs can get volunteers checked free of charge.

• They can register with CRBS who will then undertake the processing of Disclosure Checks, the administration of certificates and handle confidential information. However, registering with CRBS is time consuming and requires the PTA/PA to provide their constitution and documents on their childcare policy.
• Alternatively the PTA/PA can approach one of the local intermediary organisations (listed on the CRBS website www.crbs.org.uk ). The level of support offered by these groups varies and PTA /PAs may still need to handle sensitive personal information themselves. They should appoint one of their members to handle this information confidentially and in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
• Local authorities may act as inter-mediaries for PTA/PAs but as non-voluntary bodies they have to pay for checks and may pass this charge on. PTA/PAs should approach the LA to agree a local contract.

The legislation and police checks are only one, very specific aspect of child protection. It is important that PTA/PAs think generally about child protection and put in place sensible policies for all those involved. They need to work out how they will cope safely with a child who is injured/upset and in need one-to-one care; operate a system of mutual and agreed adult-to-adult supervision; supervise children who are not collected at the end of the event etc.

Finally – the solution?

The whole business of police checks is very complicated. It is ongoing and applies to all new appointments. It is therefore worth noting that where a PTA/PA never takes on a supervisory role with children, only runs events for adults or whole families (with no planed arrangements for the supervision of children), they never appoint anyone to a childcare position as defined by the Act and so no one needs to be, or indeed under the law can be checked.

Report on Work Experience Consultation

In January 2005 we sent a consultation on work experience to all our members. Although the survey was more relevant to secondary schools, we also sent it to primary schools to raise awareness of the issue with prospective secondary parents. We asked members to discuss work experience either within the PTA committee or more widely. We are very grateful to everyone who took the time and trouble to respond.

Response

We heard back from 428 individuals in 45 schools (23 primaries; 20 secondaries; 1 primary/secondary and 1 not identified) across 21 local authorities.

Respondents were asked to vote for one of three options and the results were:

Option 1 - the status quo - attracted 43.2% of the votes overall but 63.5% of the secondary votes.

Option 2 - for change, but no specific alternative system - attracted 9.6% of votes overall and 10.5% of secondary votes.

Option 3 – for an alternative system where work experience is more flexible and includes a series of “taster weeks” throughout the year. This was the most popular option overall, attracting 47.2% of the votes, but only 26% of secondary votes.

Comments

As always, the comments put some flesh on the numbers. The survey prompted a number of PTAs to find out about work experience for the first time: primary parents spoke to parents and/or teachers who already had children in secondary schools whilst the parents in one secondary school took the opportunity to discuss the school's policy with the staff for the first time. They discovered that not all S4 pupils went out on a week's work experience “due to lack of meaningful placements and increased health and safety restrictions”. Some youngsters left that particular school having had no work experience.

Personal experience was very important in determining how PTAs voted; whilst one secondary school wrote that the “current system is a waste of time for most pupils” another reported that “the current system…..works well here”. A number of secondary schools said that it would be difficult to plan if youngsters went out of school throughout the year in ones and twos, rather than as at present in two or three clearly defined weeks.

This practical consideration was the main reason why primary and secondary schools had such different views on the options. Primary parents looked at work experience from the outside and were attracted to the “idea” of a scheme that would provide their youngsters with opportunities to explore different careers. The secondary schools were often strongly influenced by teachers who pointed out the practical difficulties of a more flexible scheme. Rural schools also doubted whether, if work experience moved to a system of taster weeks, anyone would provide such weeks in their more remote areas.

The full report is available by post or on our website www.sptc.info

SPTC PARENT FORUMS SURVEY

Y ou may remember that we detailed the Scottish Executive's plans for Parent Forums in Backchat 83 . They propose a new way of getting parents involved in the life of the school. If you need to be reminded of this, then go to our website at www.sptc.info where you will also find details about the official consultation. A copy of this consultation has been sent to every school. It is really important that this reaches as many parents as possible - not just those on PTA/PA committees or school boards.

To help you, we have put together a simple survey – similar in design to previous SPTC surveys - and ask you to use it as a vehicle for discussion either within your PTA Committee or on a wider scale. With this in mind, why not follow the example of other PTAs and photocopy the survey or ask the school to include it on their website or in their newsletter?

We need your replies by 31 st May so that we can include them in our official response. Please don't forget to enter the name of your school so that we know who has replied.

SPTC has set up two regional meetings to discuss the Parent Forums and Police checks. These are:-

Forfar Academy , Taylor Street Forfar

on Wednesday 20 th April at 7.30 p.m. and

Victoria Primary, Middlefield Road , Falkirk

on Wednesday 27 th April at 7.30 p.m.

These are open meetings, and all are welcome, but it would help us to provide sufficient teas and coffees if you could contact the office if you intend coming.

Please also contact the office if you're willing to host a meeting at your school (i.e. take out the let and provide the teas etc.).

Parent Forums - Consultation Meetings

The dates and venues so far agreed are:

19 th April:

Dundee – Morgan Academy

20 th April

Musselburgh Race Course

21 st April

Stirling City Chambers

25 th April

Ayr Baptists Church Centre

26 th April

Glasgow (West): Anniesland College

27 th April

Glasgow (Central) – Renfield St. Stephen's Church Centre

28 th April

Stornoway – Nicolson Institute

3 rd Mayl

Oban High School

A meeting is also being planned for Hawick, but no details are yet available.

You are asked to register for the meetings by phoning: 0131 557 6767 or emailing jane.herbstritt@civicforum.org.uk