Nurture in Scotland: Survey findings

In terms of quality assurance, local authorities tended to take several approaches as demonstrated by the responses below (Figure 5).

‘We have an evaluation and accreditation model that sits alongside the programme and we gather feedback at regular time points via survey from practitioners but also from termly coaching sessions with school leads’

As most nurture groups were school funded it was expected that evaluation would be through school self-evaluation processes. There could therefore be variability from setting to setting in the approach taken. One authority used their Nurture network to facilitate peer pairs/trios for moderation. 

Authorities that centrally funded their nurture groups tended to have a more systematic approach to evaluation. Pre and post Boxhall profiles, the Stirling Wellbeing Scale and Getting it Right for Every Child Wellbeing indicators were examples of measures used.

‘There is a Quality Assurance Team made up of experienced Nurture practitioners, this team provides a QA visit every two years… All Nurture Group children are assessed using the Boxall Profile to assess suitability for the group, monitor progress and set targets. This data is collected as an authority and analysed each year to maintain integrity of the model.’

One authority has developed a ‘How Nurturing is our school toolkit’.

Most local authorities involved other agencies in their approach. For some this was via a multi-agency steering group or community of practice,

"Social work, family wellbeing and 3rd sector organisations are all part of our Nurture Community of Practice. We are developing our professional learning programme with this group for next year."

Seven out of 17 Local Authorities involved Health staff.  School nurses and  health visitors were often trained in the approach and  services such as CAMHS or speech and language therapists advised on or delivered aspects of training. Five Local Authorities reported involvement of Social Work staff, staff in Children’s Home or Promise leads.

There was involvement of some third sector organisations such as Barnardo’s and Scottish Mediation.

Two responses described working with other authorities to share ideas around nurture, in one case to benchmark their accreditation process.

The most commonly cited work linked to nurture was that of the development of trauma informed practice. Specific aspects of nurture that were a focus were also listed here such as attachment, attunement, resilience and the window of tolerance. Work was also cited around emotional regulation, emotion coaching, safety intervention and de-escalation. 

Links to other relational approaches such as restorative practices were made as well as incorporating nurturing approaches in response to staged intervention, the review of Additional Support for Learning implementation, The Promise, Realising the Ambition and in work to support children and young people with Emotionally Based School Avoidance.

As part of their strategy, several authorities had invested in a specific approach:

The Solihull approach: the NHS Solihull Approach supports mental health and wellbeing in parents, children, and school staff through an evidence based model

DDP (Dyadic developmental psychotherapy): this approach is based on a theoretical understanding of attachment and intersubjective relationships and the impact of developmental trauma. Linked to this is PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy), which as an approach is a way of thinking, feeling, communicating and behaving that aims to make a child feel safe.

NVR (Non-violent Resistance) is a trauma-informed approach that offers parents/carers/professionals a programme that supports them to focus on the possible unmet needs behind violent or controlling behaviours. 

NME (Neurosequential Model in Education) is a classroom based approach to support children and school staff to learn more about brain development and the impact of developmental trauma on a child’s ability to function in a classroom.

Emotion Coaching, based on the research of John Gottman, uses moments of heightened emotion and resulting behaviour to guide and teach the child and young person about more effective responses. 

LIAM (Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management) is a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) informed intervention, for anxiety in children and young people, aimed at treating mild-moderate anxiety symptoms in primary and secondary school aged children and young people aged 8 and 18 years.

Lego Therapy[1], based on the work of Dr Daniel LeGoff, is a play based intervention to support the development of collaborative play skills. While mainly used with children who have autism or social interaction difficulties it can be used with all children.

Family Learning is an approach to engaging families in learning that has an impact on both children and adults. Family learning encourages family members to learn together as a family, with a focus on intergenerational learning.

Cool in School is designed to support children in developing and maintaining positive relationships; becoming more confident in tackling challenging situations and enabling them to have a better understanding of their responsibilities in school and beyond.

Seasons for Growth is a small group programme for children and young people and adults who have experienced loss. It aims to strengthen social and emotional wellbeing by exploring the impact of the change and loss on everyday life and learning new ways to respond to these changes.

Types of professional learning

A range of examples of professional learning were given that relate to different aspects of the national model of professional learning.

Sometimes professional learning had a specific audience, for example Early Learning and Childcare or staff in Children’s homes and at other times it was a universal offer.

Learning as collaborative

Nurture networks for practitioners, networks for champions or ambassadors, training following a shared audit of practice, schools following an accreditation process.

Learning by enquiring

Action Research programme, small tests of change, enquiry learning.

Learning that deepens knowledge and understanding

Self-directed modules on nurture, direct training, coaching, deepening individual nurture principles.

Who delivers this professional learning?

Nurture-related professional learning was usually delivered by a combination of Psychological Services with Local Authority Officers and/or school staff. Four of the respondents utilised external providers.

Reach of professional learning

Respondents to the survey were asked about the extent to which establishments were trained in nurturing approaches. The results were as follows:

Professional learning on nurturing approaches has been widespread across sectors.

Prevalence of Nurture Groups

When asked whether there were nurture groups in the varying Local Authority settings the responses were as follows:

In Early Learning and Child Care settings 76% of Local Authorities did not have nurture groups, while the remaining Local Authorities had nurture groups in a minority of these settings. In primary schools, 76% of schools had nurture groups in a minority of settings, 12% had no nurture groups and  the remaining 12% reporting nurture groups in most settings. In secondary settings, 24% did not have nurture groups,  53% had them in a minority of settings and 24% had nurture groups in most settings.

Funding of Nurture Groups

Nurture groups were mainly funded by schools, often using Pupil Equity Funding with a minority of authorities providing central funding.

Nurturing approaches were part of the Local Authority improvement plan in 16 of the 17 of Local Authorities that responded, highlighting the significance of this approach in Scotland.

In several authorities, priorities related to nurture were subsumed within a wider strategy such as Supporting all learners, a Relationships Framework, an attachment strategy or Compassionate and Connected Communities.

While several authorities cited strengthening universal approaches and embedding them as current priorities, some were at earlier or later stages of their nurture journey and priorities reflected this context.