Camphill Scotland
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-04569, in the name of Alison McInnes, on Camphill Scotland. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament applauds the Camphill movement, which has supported children, young people and adults of all ages with learning disabilities, mental health issues and other support needs for more than seven decades; notes that the Camphill movement, founded in 1940 near Aberdeen, has now expanded to become a worldwide movement that boasts over 100 communities in more than 20 countries, including 12 in Scotland; understands that the movement’s approach seeks to provide mutual support and nurture independence through living, learning and working together; congratulates Camphill School in Aberdeen and its eco-committee on receiving a Gold Green Flag award, which it understands was achieved through pupil-led initiatives, including developing an eco-code, litter-picking and encouraging recycling; considers that this is an example of the innovative and ambitious nature of the movement; further believes that the movement’s success has been made possible by the dedication of staff, co-workers and volunteers, and wishes all of those involved continued success in the future.
17:06
I welcome members of Camphill communities from around Scotland who are in the public gallery this evening, and I thank fellow MSPs who supported my motion and enabled it to be debated tonight.
Camphill is a worldwide movement of communities, which support children, young people, adults and older people who have learning disabilities and other support needs. Support is provided through an holistic model of care, support and education. The approach seeks to provide mutual support and nurture independence, through living, learning and working together.
The movement was founded more than 70 years ago in Aberdeen by a group of Austrian refugees, many of whom had had to flee the country in 1939 because they were Jewish. They set up their first community in a rented manse, providing accommodation and food from the garden for the small group of children for whom they were caring. The men were interned as enemy aliens, but the women proceeded to purchase Camphill House on 1 June 1940, which is considered to be the birthday of the movement.
Today, Scotland is home to 12 Camphill communities, from the north-east and through the central belt to Dumfries and Galloway. Many Camphill communities are thriving social enterprises, selling home-made breads and cheeses and handicrafts, running cafes in the community or providing community composting facilities. Strong emphasis is placed on each individual achieving their potential and as much independence as they are able to achieve, to widen their opportunities when they make the move to long-term provision.
Camphill School Aberdeen is an independent day and residential school on the outskirts of Aberdeen. I have visited the school twice this year, and I was privileged to meet members of the pupil council and eco-committee. It was enlightening to talk to pupils. I congratulate the pupils on winning the green flag award—it is an elite few schools that win the gold award without first using the stepping stones of bronze and silver awards, and the green flag is a testament to the pupils’ hard work.
I was also able to visit Simeon Care for the Elderly. When I visited, the home had 17 residents, the majority of whom were very elderly and frail. Some residents used to be in the community at Newton Dee and others are former co-workers, which demonstrates that Camphill can provide support at every stage of an individual’s life. The home is always full and there is a waiting list. Simeon Care is trying to raise £3.5 million for a new home on the same site; it will also provide new outreach services to the other communities. So far, fundraising is going well, but there is quite a long way to go yet.
I am also acquainted with Newton Dee and its lovely cafe and bakery, so I have an insight into the range of services that Camphill provides. I was pleased to host a reception at lunch time and to meet people from the other communities round Scotland. I learned too much to fit it all into this speech, but I know that other members will highlight some of the good work that goes on in their areas. In that regard, Nigel Don expressed disappointment that he was unable to stay for this evening’s debate.
The different communities across Scotland are all united behind the same commitment to help every individual to achieve their potential and as much independence as they can. What has struck me most whenever I have visited is the complete positivity within each community. They are distinctive communities in which education and learning, appreciation of arts and music, concern for the land and the environment and the fostering of mutual respect and understanding combine to create happy and optimistic individuals who share life together in a calm and safe environment. Rather than seeing a difficulty or defining an individual by what they cannot do, Camphill has the determination to look for the positive to unlock each individual’s potential.
Independent scrutiny by the care inspectorate confirms that the communities are offering services of the highest quality. The particular strengths of Camphill, as assessed, lie in its creation of therapeutic environments and its particular staffing, management and leadership models, and that is borne out by the collaborative work that it does with the University of Aberdeen on a BA in social pedagogy.
What concerns me is the lack of recognition of the benefits of this approach by statutory authorities and the significant difficulties that parents, in particular, can face in securing funding from local authorities for residential care or education of this nature. Parents tell me that it can be such a battle, and is often only when things are at breaking point that funding is agreed. We should encourage a more co-operative approach, with local authorities supporting the best choice for each individual. It is surely wrong when an overinsistence on inclusion turns, in reality, into isolation and exclusion.
I quote a pupil’s words:
“Before I came to Camphill I wasn’t included in anything. I was pushed to the side, no one wanted to teach me. Teachers would ignore me if I asked questions and other pupils would pick on me. I chose to sit inside for lunch because I was afraid to go outside. I was accepted at Camphill, asked my opinion on things, and given the opportunity to do things such as going to college and also drama and art. I never thought I would be allowed to do these things and actually discovered that I was quite good at them!”
Here is a parent’s view:
“Jack’s life at Camphill has purpose. His daily routine builds into a complete year in which he feels secure and through this, his character is developing. His contribution is valued—he has self worth. While at Camphill he has grown into a person who we are proud of; he has achieved things we’d have never dreamed possible. He has learned to speak. We thank you for this. You are an extended family to us—not just for Jack—a lifeline that we will never forget nor take for granted.”
I urge local authorities and statutory services to consider taking a more person-centred approach to what is appropriate for any individual. I hope that this debate will help to do that, and I will be grateful if the minister, in his response, is able to support that call.
In closing, I pay tribute to the achievements of pupils and residents and to the dedication of staff, co-workers and volunteers in the Camphill movement. I hope that they will continue to flourish.
17:13
I thank Alison McInnes for bringing this debate to the Parliament to highlight the importance and value of the Camphill movement. I also thank the many constituents who emailed me in advance of the debate.
Of the 12 Camphill communities in Scotland, no fewer than five are in my constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine. They cover the range of Camphill’s activities. For children and young people, there is Camphill school. For young adults, there is Beannachar on South Deeside Road. For adults, there is Newton Dee and Tigh a’Chomainn—I apologise for the pronunciation—and for elderly people there is the Simeon Care facility.
I first got to know about the Camphill communities many years ago when a cousin of my mum’s with Down’s syndrome stayed at Newton Dee for a short time and we visited her. I think that her elderly parents thought that she might want to stay there, but she was too much of a Cockney to stay for long out of London.
Since then, I have visited most of the facilities in my constituency. I visited Beannachar on a doors-open day and saw growing there the biggest raspberries that I have ever seen. I do not know whether the plants are talked to, but the community there has a wonderful way with growing crops. The facility is close to my heart, as many Germans come across to do voluntary work there. The rules of compulsory service in Germany mean that conscientious objectors do voluntary work, and a lot of them come to Beannachar. They can often be seen walking to Aberdeen along South Deeside Road.
Newton Dee, as Alison McInnes pointed out, is a wonderful facility. It is nice to go there and have a cup of coffee, buy some bread and just chill out a bit. It is little wonder that it has the highest eco-flag status, because it not only has a wind turbine but the people there are all very much into eco-friendly activities—the woodcrafts are something to behold.
The Simeon Care for the Elderly facility, which Alison McInnes also mentioned, is engaging very much with the community to raise the funds to rebuild that community.
Many years ago, the Camphill philosophy was thought of as being a kind of non-mainstream, hippy philosophy. It is based on self-determination and equality and is focused on providing for each individual’s needs through a supportive community and the creation of a safe and supportive environment for individuals, who are encouraged to develop their own independence through an engagement in community life. Of course, that philosophy has become very much mainstream.
As Alison McInnes said, there are opportunities for councils to make more use of the facilities that are on their doorstep and are provided by the Camphill movement. It is silly that local authorities will set about creating new facilities when Camphill, in and around Aberdeen, already has the facilities to provide for the vulnerable in society.
I pay tribute to the Camphill movement, its organisers and its users, whose professionalism, care and hard work have made a world of difference to the lives of individuals and families across Scotland.
17:17
I am delighted to contribute to this debate on the Camphill movement in Scotland, and I thank Alison McInnes for securing time in the chamber to highlight the valuable work that Camphill and its many volunteers and staff undertake. I also welcome the Camphill staff who are in the gallery.
As we have heard, Camphill is an international organisation that supports people who have mental and physical disabilities, and helps people of all ages with additional support needs to live full and active lives in their communities.
In Scotland, Camphill works in 12 areas. Although there are no current operations in my region—Glasgow—I know that Camphill has built a strong reputation across the country as an inclusive and dynamic organisation that provides benefits not only for those with whom it works directly, but for the wider communities in which it operates.
Although Camphill has a dedicated and talented staff team, it is fortunate in that it is also supported by a team of active volunteers who undertake a variety of roles in the charity. Those volunteers provide crucial support to full-time staff members and help to increase the quality of life for Camphill residents across the 12 centres in Scotland. I am sure that the contribution of those volunteers has been instrumental in the recent positive assessment of Camphill by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland, which found that the centres are performing well for their residents and, in particular, are providing a high-quality staffing and leadership structure for all staff and volunteers. That is an excellent result for the charity. It rightly recognises Camphill as a first-class provider of care for people who have additional physical and mental health needs.
However, it is my view that no disabled person should receive lower-quality care simply because of where they live. More needs to be done to replicate models of best practice like Camphill in other areas of Scotland—particularly in Glasgow.
It is a sad reality that caring for people who have additional needs is a costly and often complex process in which no one-size-fits-all approach can be adopted. Therefore, we should seek to learn from examples of organisations that are meeting the needs of those whom they support and inspire, in order to ensure the same standards and approaches throughout the country, irrespective of whether the provider is public, private or charitable.
17:20
I, too, congratulate Alison McInnes on securing the debate, and I welcome the members of the Camphill communities who are in the gallery today.
There are two Camphill projects in my region, which is South Scotland. One is at Loch Arthur, which my colleague Aileen McLeod will talk about in more detail later. The other is at Pishwanton in East Lothian, to which I intend to devote most of my speech.
Pishwanton Wood is a place of learning, but not in the traditional sense. The facility consists of 60 acres of varied plant and animal habitat at the foot of the Lammermuir hills south-east of Edinburgh. It has belonged to the Life Science Trust since 1996, when it was bought as a base for the demonstration of Goethean science and art in action. Ever since then, it has been used as an outdoor classroom, and has gradually developed indoor facilities over the years.
The focus on inclusion is apparent in how the land is worked. Pishwanton Wood is not a closed community; people with learning difficulties work alongside students and volunteers from the area in a manner that promotes therapy for the people and the land. The work of the community at Pishwanton not only promotes inclusion and integration of people with learning disabilities, but is important for Scotland’s dedication to a sustainable future. It is a flagship for sustainable environmental practice, with beautiful handcrafted buildings made of natural materials. The team listens to the land in order to care for it and develop it in a way that marries the best of human intention for sustainable ecological action with what the land itself is trying to become.
Pishwanton Wood is also a centre of environmental education, research and therapy, which offers opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to renew and deepen their relationship with nature. Using Goethean scientific holistic methodology, people are encouraged to explore ways of integrating biodynamic land management, agriculture, building, horticulture, and woodland management and conservation activities to create a practical demonstration of sustainable land use.
It was my great pleasure at the reception at lunch time today to meet David, who is one of the young men who work at Pishwanton, and to discuss with him the opportunities that the community has given him. David told me that he has been working on a new chalet that is being built for indoor teaching. I saw the foundations that he had been digging and the joinery and tiling work that he has been doing. The building project has given that young man an opportunity to do meaningful work and to develop his skills, particularly in woodwork, with the correct training and in a nurturing environment.
One of the first things that I did when I was elected was visit Loch Arthur in Dumfries and Galloway. There, I was struck by the opportunities that people have to develop their skills. People with learning disabilities are as varied as everyone else, but often people with certain learning disabilities can do things that other people, who do not have disabilities, cannot do quite so well. For example, they can do methodical work. I have a learning disabled sister—she has Down’s syndrome—who is much more methodical than I am; she is much more organised and can pay attention to detail. There are many people who, if they were given a supportive environment, without interruptions and distractions, in which they could work to a routine, could perform at a high level in spite of their disability.
I congratulate Camphill, and I congratulate Alison McInnes again on securing the debate. I endorse the point that she and Maureen Watt made, which is that Camphill offers an important model that local authorities would do well to pay more attention to.
17:25
Like other members, I begin by applauding and thanking Alison McInnes for bringing the motion to the chamber and I echo the delight in being able to participate in the debate.
I first became aware of the Camphill movement early in my MSP career, if it can be called that, when my wife and I attended an open day—Maureen Watt said that she had the same experience—that was held by the Loch Arthur community at Beeswing, which is in what is now my constituency. I am delighted to welcome the three representatives from Loch Arthur to the gallery. At that open day, I bought some of the most delicious cheese and bread that it has ever been my pleasure to consume. What is probably more important is that I learned a great deal more about the Loch Arthur community and the Camphill movement.
The subtitle on the website of the Loch Arthur Camphill community—as it is known—is “A life of many colours”. I can think of no more fitting description for that extraordinary place. It is a community of nine houses that are occupied by more than 70 people. The houses are not just somewhere for a group of individuals to live. As the movement says,
“We want each house to be a group of people who benefit from and enjoy living together.”
Loch Arthur is a self-help society that caters for every level of disability and need through mutual care, friendship, respect and support. However, it is also a working community, and an incredibly effective one at that. It is based around a farm and a large garden, which are highly productive and have gradually expanded to include a creamery, which is increasingly renowned for its fantastic cheeses—I can still taste the Criffel cheese that I had at lunch time, which is strong as well as fantastic—as well as a bakery, a woodwork shop and a weaving workshop. Since the end of November, the community has had a magnificent new purpose-built cafe and farm shop, which sells the full range of Loch Arthur products, all of which are produced to the highest standards of certified organic production.
Loch Arthur is a massive success story that has come up against many a hurdle since its establishment in 1984—not the least of which was the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001, which resulted in the wholesale destruction of much of Galloway’s livestock. That situation reduced many a hardened Galloway farmer to tears, so I simply leave it to members’ imagination to picture how the Loch Arthur community felt when it was caught up in that horrendous scenario.
However, as always, Loch Arthur bounced back—not just to where it was before, but to the extent that only a year ago it was awarded the BBC’s food and farming award for being the best food producer of the year, which is just about the highest accolade that can be got and which is a truly outstanding achievement and recognition for a truly outstanding community. I suspect that that is typical of Camphill communities across the country.
I do not want to give the impression that Loch Arthur is in any way a closed community; it is very much the opposite. It is now an important local employer—it has 17 employees from outwith the community. It sponsors students on the BA in social pedagogy to which Alison McInnes referred. That course was developed as a successful partnership between the University of Aberdeen and the Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools in Aberdeen. I was more than happy to join the community in opposing changes to that course that the Scottish Government, through the Scottish Social Services Council, sought to make in 2011. Those changes would have had a detrimental impact on Loch Arthur and I am delighted that they were successfully opposed.
The Loch Arthur community recently presented its own production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”. There is surely no finer way to describe that community and the Camphill movement than by quoting from that great work:
“How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in’t.”
I applaud the work and the ethos of Camphill, from which we can all learn a great deal.
17:29
I too congratulate Alison McInnes on securing the debate and I welcome the members of the Camphill movement who are in the public gallery. I will focus my remarks on the Camphill movement’s contribution to the south of Scotland and on the community that I am most familiar with—Loch Arthur in Beeswing.
Some members will recognise the name Loch Arthur from another context. As Alex Fergusson so rightly pointed out, last year Loch Arthur won the prestigious BBC food and farming award for best food producer and Loch Arthur cheese has won numerous other awards since 1991. I hope that members had the opportunity to sample Loch Arthur cheese—Alex Fergusson certainly did—at the lunch time reception that celebrated the work of Camphill communities across Scotland. Given those awards, I make no apology for urging anyone who is visiting Galloway to drop in at Loch Arthur’s new farm shop and cafe, which opened at the end of November.
That ambitious new development is an indication of Loch Arthur’s success as a social enterprise but it is also a fundamental part of the underlying philosophy of the Camphill movement. Loch Arthur is not a closed community but one that is very much part of, and contributes to the wellbeing of, the wider community that surrounds it. It is also a significant local employer, contributing meaningfully to a rural economy.
Dave Mitchell from Loch Arthur speaks of that new development as not just a response to customer demand, but a means by which the public can have an encounter with the Loch Arthur community. It is a means of introducing people to the Camphill movement’s wider aims through the excellent produce and beautiful surroundings that the Loch Arthur community has created.
I do not want members to think therefore that I am interested in only the social enterprise aspects of Loch Arthur or in the food that it produces—although I assure members that it is extremely delicious. Loch Arthur’s primary purpose, after all, is to care for adults with varying support needs. There is a great deal of relevance in the model of supported living that the Camphill movement espouses.
More than 70 people live at Loch Arthur in nine houses, as Alex Fergusson said. Of those 70 people, 28 have disabilities and live in supported tenancies. The community revolves around the importance of the home life that they create in their shared households and the importance of people of all abilities having meaningful work to do and being empowered to contribute to the wellbeing of the community as a whole. In a sense, the success of the social enterprise and the community’s core aims are indivisible.
The Camphill movement’s emphasis on respect, the value of the individual irrespective of their abilities or care needs, the importance of sustainability and the nurturing power of a caring community enrich Scotland. Loch Arthur’s successful social enterprise links the aims and objectives of its community to the wider community as a whole. The success of its excellent produce validates Loch Arthur’s ethos of work in which everyone can participate, whatever their ability.
The Camphill movement has grown and flourished over a 70-year history in this country. I join other members in whole-heartedly wishing Loch Arthur and all of the Camphill movement’s Scottish communities every success for the future. I pay tribute to the dedication and commitment of the staff and the volunteers and all the valuable work that they do.
17:33
I congratulate Alison McInnes on securing the debate. I too had the opportunity to visit Camphill School Aberdeen in the summer. A young man called Steven welcomed me and explained what Camphill had meant in transforming his life and the lives of others. I am delighted that I was able to welcome Steven and his friends to Holyrood on their visit today and that they are in the public gallery this evening.
Alison McInnes and Maureen Watt were right to highlight the importance of the city of Aberdeen to the worldwide Camphill movement. The theory and practice of what we now call holistic education are what characterise the movement—that is one more export of which Aberdeen can be justly proud.
I live just downhill from the Camphill estate—or downriver, I should say—but when I visited it this summer, I discovered an even closer connection. When those progressive thinkers and educators fled from Nazi tyranny in Austria, the first place where they made a home in Britain was in the old manse at Insch—the village in Aberdeenshire where my late father was the minister and where I lived in my teenage years. That was the origin of the community that, after the outbreak of war, set up home at Camphill with the support of the publisher, SW Macmillan.
The teachings of Rudolf Steiner about addressing the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of every pupil, and celebrating our humanity, could hardly be more diametrically opposed to the inhuman creed from which those refugees had fled. It is therefore an honour that Aberdeen and the north-east are home to the Camphill movement, and that Scotland is the first among the 20 countries where its philosophy has been put into practice.
When I met Steven and co-ordinator Laurence Alfred at Camphill in the summer, they told me about the opportunities that young people who have learning disabilities enjoy, such as access to an education, to practical skills and to vocational qualifications, allowing them to work and live as part of a real community within the safe environment that Camphill provides. It is the first school in Aberdeen to hold the prestigious autism accreditation after scoring 100 per cent in a parent satisfaction survey. In its latest report, Education Scotland graded Camphill school as excellent in three of the eight areas that were inspected and very good in the other five: a record that speaks for itself.
As has been said, Aberdeen is home to a total of five Camphill communities that provide residential and day care, education and training, and care and support for people of all ages, from young children at the kindergarten, to Simeon Care for the Elderly. Today, for the first time, I had the opportunity to meet Jeannie Carlson from Simeon Care for the Elderly—she is among those who are in the public gallery. She explained that her unit at Bieldside is the only Camphill community in this country that is designed for older people and she talked about the £2 million fundraising campaign that has been launched to expand the residential care home and build a day care centre that would provide much-needed respite for elderly residents and their families and carers.
I was interested to hear that those plans will involve applying the logic of Camphill’s approach to younger age groups to those who are facing some of the toughest challenges of old age, such as dementia. Aberdeen previously had a pioneering home at Thorngrove that specialised in dementia care, but three or four years ago it was a victim of local authority cuts. It would be marvellous to have a unit that can give a national and international lead in supporting people at such a challenging time in their lives, and it would be fantastic to see all that has been achieved so far projected forwards and outwards to meet the needs of more people in more age groups and more communities in the future, in Scotland and around the world.
17:37
I congratulate Alison McInnes on bringing the debate to the chamber. I also thank Laurence Alfred of Camphill in Aberdeen for taking the time to show me around the campus on Deeside yesterday afternoon, and the many residents, pupils and co-workers from Camphill communities across Scotland who came to Parliament today. I had the pleasure of sampling what was probably the smelliest but certainly the tastiest cheese from the award-winning cheese range at Loch Arthur, as well as some of the jams that were on display. I have taken away an order form to ensure that I get my Christmas cheese board sorted.
What I saw when I visited Camphill yesterday was what I would consider to be the embodiment of whole-life learning and the notion that learning does not just exist in the classroom or the school but is part of life. That was very clear from the discussions that I had with Laurence as I was going around the site. Indeed, I was drawn to the Education Scotland report that Lewis Macdonald cited that was issued in January this year. It talks about the particular strengths of the school:
“Happy, relaxed children and young people who feel safe, valued and respected.
The dedication and enthusiasm of staff and their sensitivity to individual needs.
Use of the natural environment to develop children and young people’s communication, personal, social and vocational skills.”
We heard about the fantastic eco award that the Camphill school in Aberdeen received. The report goes on to mention:
“The breadth of the curriculum including therapeutic support services.
The effective implementation of a clear and shared vision for care and education of the coordinators.”
That speaks volumes for the school’s ethos.
During my visit, the community feel of the school campus was very clear. The community ethos is also demonstrated by some of the fundraising efforts that are taking place. Indeed, I note from documentation that has been provided to me that the school is trying to develop the swimming pool and intends to raise £70,000 to spend on new equipment for the swimming pool.
The school does not just raise funds for local issues. The spring and summer school newsletter states that
“Camphill school Aberdeen has raised £1029.00 for Tools for Self Reliance”
in Africa. That speaks volumes for the hard work ethos of the school.
One issue that was raised with me during my visit was the fact that the local authority has categorised Camphill as an out-of-authority school. Geographically, it is in the city of Aberdeen, but children who go there are categorised in the same way as if they were being sent on a placement to Cornwall or Bristol. The issue has been raised with the chief executive of Aberdeen City Council. Part of the getting it right for every child agenda should be that we look at the kind of environment that is provided at Camphill.
Another crucial issue is what happens to the funding for children when they reach 16. It is possible that such children might no longer be afforded the opportunity to remain in the Camphill environment, despite the fact that, on balance, it is probably the best thing for them. Local authorities need to consider that carefully when they take decisions regarding those young people.
People of my generation, and possibly people more widely in the north-east community, will probably be aware of Camphill in the context of the controversies that existed around the Aberdeen western peripheral route. It would be a great pity if that were the only thing for which Camphill was known. From my visit and from members’ speeches, it is clear that there is a whole lot more to it and that people really should take the time to find that out.
17:41
I congratulate Alison McInnes on the motion for this debate on Camphill Scotland, which has of course achieved cross-party support. We have heard from members about the quality of the support that the Camphill movement provides for children, young people and adults of all ages with learning disabilities, mental health issues and other support needs.
Camphill communities in Scotland support more than 400 children, young people, adults and older people through a mixture of residential and day support. More than a third of those people are under 26. I welcome the contribution that third sector partners, including Camphill Scotland, make to delivering services for people with learning disabilities.
As we have heard, the entire Camphill movement takes its name from Camphill estate in the Milltimber area of Aberdeen, where the Camphill founders opened their first community for children with special needs in June 1940. As Lewis Macdonald said, the origins of the movement are all the more remarkable, considering that many of its founders were fleeing Nazi persecution at that time. The expansion of Camphill to become a worldwide movement with more than 100 communities in more than 20 countries, including 12 in Scotland, is a credit to the dedication of the staff, co-workers, volunteers and everyone else who has contributed to its success over the decades.
Alex Fergusson, Aileen McLeod and Mark McDonald pointed to the achievements of Camphill in the field of food, not least in cheese, and I felt that I could almost smell that achievement keenly, given that my last sustenance was a bacon roll at 8 am in Stornoway airport.
The debate has provided a valuable opportunity to mark the contribution and achievements of Camphill internationally. The Camphill school in Aberdeen has played a major role in the success of the movement. The school provides care, education and therapy services for children and young people aged three to 19 with additional support needs arising from autism and complex physical disabilities.
Through the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, the Parliament set a clear expectation that every child or young person in Scotland should have any additional support needs identified and met. In response to the point that Alison McInnes made about the relationship between local authorities and Camphill, it is certainly the case that organisations such as Camphill play a crucial role in augmenting local authority provision and supporting some of our most vulnerable young people. The 2004 act places duties on local authorities to meet children’s needs, and those apply just as much to placements in independent schools as they apply elsewhere. Following the completion of Peter Doran’s review of complex needs provision last month, we are now taking forward his recommendations in order to ensure that every pupil gets the right help at the right time and in the right place.
In the joint Education Scotland and care commission inspection report on Camphill School Aberdeen that was published in January 2012, all the quality indicators were ranked very good or excellent. Particular strengths of the school include: happy, relaxed children and young people who feel safe, valued and respected; the dedication and enthusiasm of staff; and the use of the natural environment to help to develop children and young people’s skills.
As noted in the motion and by several members, the Camphill school also achieved the eco-schools green flag status earlier this year. Along with the Royal Blind School, the Camphill school is the only independent all-through—that is, from three to 18—additional support needs school to hold green flag award status in Scotland. A further 14 all-through ASN local authority schools have also attained green flag award status.
Camphill Scotland also deserves credit for its role in promoting the development and wellbeing of Camphill communities, including encouraging communities to work together and helping them to learn from one another and collaborate for common benefit. That community and ecological aspect of the Camphill schools was highlighted by both Joan McAlpine and Maureen Watt. In addition, Camphill Scotland engages with national policy and legislative changes, including self-directed support, the “The same as you?” learning disability policy and the children and young people bill.
The Scottish Government is now working on a new strategy document for people with learning disabilities that maintains the principles and direction of travel that were established by “The same as you?” Progress needs to be maintained on reducing barriers and discrimination so that the aspirations of people with learning disabilities to live meaningful, fulfilled, independent, included and healthy lives can be met.
The national drive to move away from long-term residential care for people with learning disabilities towards support in the community has been incredibly successful, as the vast majority are now supported in their local communities, including in Camphill communities. Having choice and control is also critical to achieving independence for those with learning disabilities. The on-going work on the passage of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Bill and the wider self-directed support strategy will have a clear part to play in all of that.
By way of conclusion, let me say that Camphill provides an outstanding education in its broadest and most inclusive sense. With that in mind, I very much welcome this opportunity to recognise its achievements.
Meeting closed at 17:47.