Chamber and committees

Did CERG have any influence on key Scottish Government policy decisions? Did you feel that it had status and was listened to?

The Social Work Scotland submission includes the sentence:

“What we do know is that this has been a lengthy and traumatic period of national and worldwide insecurity.”

It is important to highlight that.

The submission also mentions

“parental mental health, domestic abuse, and problematic parental alcohol and substance use.”

With our remit, the committee is trying to be as holistic as possible. Schools have a major part to play in the recovery, but I am interested in the witnesses’ perspectives on a multidisciplinary approach. They have touched on it in relation to early intervention, social work and community support services. There are so many agencies that I am a wee bit concerned that we are not as joined up as we could be. Do the witnesses have any perspectives on that?

What I am hearing suggests that there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between overarching policy and the way in which it is implemented at local level. It is interesting to know that.

I am reassured by your answer.

Where do you think that that pressure—the focus on attainment that you talked about—is coming from?

Thank you for emphasising the need to take a holistic approach in tackling poverty. As a teacher for more than 30 years, I taught many demographics in many areas of multiple deprivation, and a lot of what you are saying about seeing the child and the whole family has resonated with me.

Over the years, including recently during Covid, has there been a change in culture in education and a greater awareness of the impacts of deprivation? As we recover, how can we ensure that learners and families are at the heart of that recovery and that the focus is on them rather than on systems and the mechanistic side of things?

That is all right. It was interesting to hear what you had to say about that.

I turn to Satwat Rehman. My original question was about a cultural change in education, greater awareness of the impacts of deprivation and putting families and children rather than systems at the heart of the recovery.

I remember talking about the phrase “readiness to learn” quite a lot in the profession.

I want to move the discussion on a little. I do not want to take away John Dickie’s opportunity to speak, but I am conscious of the time. I am thinking about interventions that can help the situation. We always need to measure things somehow—we need to have proof of outcomes. I am thinking about clothing grants and free school meals, for example, but also about universal credit cuts and benefit caps, which have been mentioned in written submissions. Can you give me some examples of interventions that have had either a positive impact or a negative impact on children and families?

I would like Stephen McGhee to come in. I want to focus on support for families. Let us say that a digital device is provided to a household for educational purposes and to improve digital literacy, which Linda O’Neill mentioned. The family has to get involved in order to achieve that, does it not? How can we best support the entire family—in supporting the child—and improve their digital literacy skills in order to gain maximum benefit from digital devices?

That is a fair point. I would not dismiss any of that. I acknowledge the importance of considering the whole child and taking a holistic approach, notwithstanding the fact that my line of questioning focused on digital provision.