Question reference: S6W-25236
- Date lodged: 5 February 2024
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Current status: Answered by Natalie Don on 8 March 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement mechanism has replaced the (a) Family Support Commissioning and Procurement Short Life Working Group and (b) Parental Involvement Act Statutory Guidance Working Group.
Answer
The Family Support Commissioning and Procurement Short Life Working Group was a subset of the Family Support Advisory Group, set up to provide recommendations on the key theme of holistic family support. Following task completion, engagement on this issue has reverted to the Family Support Advisory Group, as well as engagement with broader stakeholders as part of delivery of the Whole Family Wellbeing Programme.
The Parental Involvement Act Statutory Guidance Working Group was set up to refresh statutory guidance. The group met four times over the course of 2019, and developed draft amended guidance. Due to COVID-19, the Group decided to pause this work given the limited capacity of education authorities and schools to prepare for and implement refreshed statutory guidance at this time. Officials are considering how best to strengthen parental engagement following the OECD PISA 2022 results and the respective Muir and National Discussion reports, which highlighted a growing appetite for more “meaningful engagement” opportunities for parents.