Chamber and committees

Our reducing risks in schools guidance sets out the current COVID-19 mitigations in schools.

Current guidance reflects the best scientific and clinical advice, as well as the current state of the pandemic and the anticipated trajectory of infections. The restrictions, which limit non-essential visitors in schools and early learning and childcare settings, include attendance by parents for nativity plays and similar events. However, we know that many schools and settings plan to use other creative means to present these activities, such as streaming them online or holding them outdoors.

The September 2019 Programme for Government commitment to develop proposals for a new medical school was paused in March 2020 due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are currently considering how this commitment can be implemented or linked to the new Programme for Government (PfG) Commitment to increase medical undergraduates by 100 per year and to double the number of Widening Access places over the lifetime of this parliament.

The questions in the census are derived from existing health and wellbeing surveys which have been tested and ethically approved. The questions are completely age and stage appropriate. Local authorities are required by law to plan for children's services in their local area, they have a legal basis to ask children and young people about their lives and wellbeing to help them with this. Local authorities need this data about the health and wellbeing of children and young people in order to:

• plan and deliver better policies for the benefit of all children and families, or specific groups;
• better understand some of the factors which influence the outcomes for children;
• target resources better;
• enhance the quality of research to improve the lives of people in Scotland; and,
• provide a window on society, the economy and on the work and performance of local and central government.

The Scottish Government worked with stakeholders to carefully consider and design a set of sample questionnaires – with each set of questions being age appropriate. The content was developed by representatives and experts from across academia who are experts in conducting research of this nature – experts from public health, Education Scotland, local authorities and schools. The Census has also been ethically approved by independent researchers within the Scottish Government.

The questions, therefore, are considered entirely appropriate for the age ranges they cover.

The Scottish Government has received no complaints from local authorities in relation to the Health and Wellbeing Census.

Local authorities administer the Census in their schools to help identify the issues children and young people are concerned about and to tailor their learning, particularly in Personal and Social Education, and their advice and support. These issues may relate to food and nutrition, sleep, relationships, bullying, sexual health, substance use, physical activity as well as social media use and mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

The Census is entirely voluntary, both for local authorities to undertake and to parents/carers and pupils to take part in. This has been made clear to local authorities throughout.

We are committed to ensuring that all children and young people get the support that they need to reach their full potential.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act 2004 (as amended) places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. Education authorities can ask other agencies (including social work services, NHS Health Boards and Skills Development Scotland) for help in carrying out their duties under the Act.

Children and young people who are unable to attend school due to ill health should continue, wherever they can, to access education. This includes children and young people who are absent from school due to the effects from long Covid.

Where illness leads to prolonged absence from school, Section 40 of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 places duties on education authorities to educate children and young people to their fullest potential and to make special arrangements for the pupil to receive education elsewhere than at school. Alternative educational arrangements could be provided, for example, at home or within a hospital setting.

Guidance to education authorities and other agencies on their duties under the 2004 Act is provided through the statutory Supporting Learners' Code of Practice. Education authorities and other agencies are further supported through guidance on Supporting Children and Young People with Healthcare Needs in Schools and guidance on the Education of Children Unable to Attend School Due to Ill Health.

Scotland’s resilience response structures involve very well established mechanisms for coordinating clear public communications during emergencies, and organisations involved in the response will work together to ensure swift and accurate advice is provided across a range of media.

The specific emergency alert system in place in other countries, used for example to warn of earthquakes, utilises a technology known as Cell Broadcasting. Activating this capability on the UK telecoms network is a matter reserved to the UK Government, and we note that the introduction of this technology, initially anticipated for summer 2021, is now scheduled for early 2022. Scottish Government officials are working with their counterparts in the UK Government to ensure that the deployment of any such capability reflects the devolved responsibilities of our responder organisations.

The COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues published a summary report of the evidence on children, schools, early learning and childcare settings and transmission from COVID-19 on 12 August 2021. This included a brief summary of available evidence on Long-COVID in children and young people , along with a list of references to relevant evidence which may also be of interest. Public Health Scotland also provide a regular review of evidence for the sub-group in relation to COVID-19 and children and young people.

The Sub-Group continues to review the evidence on acute and prolonged health effects of COVID-19, and will update their advice if required in light of new findings.

In addition, the UK wide clinical guideline on managing the long-term effects of COVID-19 produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is continuously reviewed and updated in response to emerging evidence.

For the November 2021 update, the evidence for children and young people was reviewed. A full overview of this evidence reviewed can be found on page 37 of the clinical guideline, accessible at Guideline COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19 (nice.org.uk)

This information is publically available on the Scottish Adoption Register’s Website in the Annual Report for 2021-21

Safety is at the heart of everything we do and the Scottish Government wants everyone in Scotland to receive the best possible care and treatment from our health and care services. Along with NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government has a shared vision for an open and learning culture and we want to learn when there has been dissatisfaction or harm and encourage organisations to identify improvements.

Our commitment to this is strongly demonstrated in the development of our approach to openness and learning in the introduction of the statutory Organisational duty of Candour legislation, and in our commission to Healthcare Improvement Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland to work together on a Joint Commission to make this a reality.

A number of reviews and processes are in scope for the Joint Commission, which will seek to take a human factors/ safety science approach to minimising duplication and reducing variation in review processes as well as supporting and upskilling staff in leading and taking part in these.

NHS Health Boards are responsible for delivering safe, effective, person-centred care at a local level, which includes leading on learning and improvement in areas of challenge and to drive quality; creating an environment that values staff and supports them when concerns are raised; and monitoring and improving the quality of health care which is provides to individuals. The Scottish Government and NHS Health Boards work closely together to ensure local policies and processes are implemented and improved in line with national policy and frameworks.

The Staff Governance Standard, which has legislative underpinning, requires all health Boards to demonstrate that they are ensuring that staff are appropriately trained and developed and that resources, including time and funding, are appropriately allocated to meet local training and development needs taking into account the current priorities of both the service and service users.

Boards are expected to have systems in place to identify areas that require improvement and to develop action plans that will describe how improvements will be made. The Scottish Government also seek assurance from all Boards that they are meeting the Standard through the annual Staff Governance Monitoring exercise.