Residential schools

The request was successful.

Dear Aberdeen City Council,

What controls are in place to ensure that children/young people who are looked after away from home in residential schools are safe ?

What controls are in place to ensure that children/young people who are looked after away from home in residential schools are not being discriminated against in terms of The Equality Act 2010?

What controls are in place to ensure that children/young people who are looked after away from home in residential schools are having their Human Rights upheld?

What controls are in place to ensure that residential schools for Looked After Children follow all up to date legislation and guidance regarding restraints and seclusion?

Do council have an Independent person who Audits all cases of restraints and seclusion?

Who is responsible for ensuring disabled Looked After Children have their needs met in Residential Schools?

Yours faithfully,

Anne Minty
ASK Autism North East trustee

Foi Enquiries, Aberdeen City Council

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Access to Information Team, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen City Council

1 Attachment

Reference: FOI-317062794
Date of request: 17/03/2021
Title of request: Residential Schools

Dear Anne Minty,

Thank you for your completing your Freedom of Information Request.

We aim to answer all requests within 20 working days.

You will receive a response via email and an update in [1]your self-serve
account.

For information about how we handle your request please see our [2]Freedom
of Information privacy notice.

For information about your appeal rights please see [3]Freedom of
Information reviews and appeals.

Kind regards

Access to Information Team
Aberdeen City Council | Customer Development | Customer Experience |
Customer
Marischal College | Broad Street | Aberdeen | AB10 1AB
[4]www.aberdeencity.gov.uk | Twitter: @AberdeenCC |
Facebook.com/AberdeenCC

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Access to Information Team, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen City Council

Reference: FOI-317062794
Date of request: 17/03/2021
Title of request: Residential Schools

Dear Anne Minty,

Thank you for your information request and please accept our sincere
apologies for delay in providing you the response. We have completed the
necessary search for the information requested. Our response is now
detailed below.

What controls are in place to ensure that children/young people who are
looked after away from home in residential schools are safe?

The following are examples of system and process mechanisms which
structure our safeguarding duties toward looked after children:

 • Statutory duty to have Looked After Reviews

• Role of Independent Review Officer within this process

• Regulated services who provide the provision provide and employ staff
who are registered with Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)

• Care planning review and monitoring keeping prof roles accountable

• Inspection of providers by Care Inspectorate

• Contracting and Commissioning frameworks which follow legal duties re
contracting frameworks and purchasers activities

• Children's Specialist Services Forum (CSSF) function within the above
process and systems

• Role of Children’s Hearings and Scottish Children's Reporter
Administrator (SCRA) add a further dimension of scrutiny and legal
protections

 

What controls are in place to ensure that children/young people who are
looked after away from home in residential schools are not being
discriminated against in terms of The Equality Act 2010?

 • ACC strive to at all times be fully compliant with the Equality Act
(2010) and this is part of the contracting framework which must be
satisfied when services are purchased

 

What controls are in place to ensure that children/young people who are
looked after away from home in residential schools are having their Human
Rights upheld?

 Please see the response provided to above question, this provides an
overview of legal duties which are largely compliant with United Nations
Convention for the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

Scottish childcare legislation is compliant with United Nations Convention
for the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

 

What controls are in place to ensure that residential schools for Looked
After Children follow all up to date legislation and guidance regarding
restraints and seclusion?

 • Providers all registered with Care Inspectorate (CI)

• Providers are required to follow a schedule which identifies levels of
reporting re restraint practices to Care Inspectorate 

• CI have a schedule of actions in response to above

• CI can make unannounced visits/enquiries should they have concerns re
how restraint practice is reported

 

Do council have an Independent person who Audits all cases of restraints
and seclusion?

 • ACC do not have ONE person who assumes an audit role as described

• Audit which scrutinises practices is part of service quality assurance
and takes place at a team level

• The Children's Specialist Services Forum (CSSF) has oversight of
safeguarding issues in relation to provision matched to children’s needs
and can ask for review and enquiry should this be an area highlighted in
reports

 

Who is responsible for ensuring disabled Looked After Children have their
needs met in Residential Schools?

 • All looked after children who are in placement have the same recourse
re safeguarding practice as described above

We handled your request for information in accordance with the provisions
of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

If you are dissatisfied with the way we have handled your request or the
content of it, you are entitled to ask for an appeal. You can do this from
your [1]Aberdeen City Council self service account.

For more information on your right to review, please visit [2]Freedom of
Information Review and Appeals.

We hope this helps with your request.

Kind regards

Access to Information Team
Aberdeen City Council | Customer Development | Customer Experience |
Customer
Marischal College | Broad Street | Aberdeen | AB10 1AB
[3]www.aberdeencity.gov.uk | Twitter: @AberdeenCC |
Facebook.com/AberdeenCC

Your personal data is very important to us. Please refer to [4]information
on why and how we use your data.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail (including any attachment to it) is
confidential, protected by copyright and may be privileged. The
information contained in it should be used for its intended purposes only.
If you receive this email in error, notify the sender by reply email,
delete the received email and do not make use of, disclose or copy it.
Whilst we take reasonable precautions to ensure that our emails are free
from viruses, we cannot be responsible for any viruses transmitted with
this email and recommend that you subject any incoming email to your own
virus checking procedures. Unless related to Council business, the
opinions expressed in this email are those of the sender and they do not
necessarily constitute those of Aberdeen City Council. Unless we expressly
say otherwise in this email or its attachments, neither this email nor its
attachments create, form part of or vary any contractual or unilateral
obligation. Aberdeen City Council's incoming and outgoing email is subject
to regular monitoring.

References

Visible links
1. https://integration.aberdeencity.gov.uk/...
2. https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services...
3. https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk /
4. https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/your-dat...