The improvement of health and wellbeing has been identified as one of the key priorities in the national improvement framework, because we recognise that children need to feel safe and cared for throughout their time in school in order to flourish and achieve positive learning outcomes.

In the recently published document “Delivering Excellence and Equity in Scottish Education: A Delivery Plan for Scotland”, we confirm our commitment to review initial teacher education programmes, and we have committed to working towards every professional who works with children being trained on attachment, child development and child protection.

Many members will be aware of the particular needs of looked-after children, but there are many other children in our schools who face challenges. Teachers should, therefore, be equipped with a range of skills to manage those children’s behaviour in the classroom.

Recently, I have been dealing with a number of constituents whose children have been further traumatised due to the failure of school staff to adapt their approach to the individual child’s circumstances. One told me that their children were shouted at despite the school staff having been made aware of a history of paternal abuse in their household that led to very real anxiety. When one of the children brought the matter up with the school in question, they were told that no child could be treated any differently from any other.

Does the Cabinet secretary agree that we need to address the way in which teachers are trained to handle the specific needs of children in our schools who face attachment disorder, trauma and loss ?

The Cabinet secretary will be aware that children who have been fostered or adopted often have attachment issues that are greater than those of other children. Will he or one of his colleagues commit to meeting the adoption agencies in Scotland to discuss what further support they can get from Government and local authorities in regard to issues involving children at school?

I thank Mr Balfour for his question. I am involved in much of that dialogue already. I assure him that, having engaged—as the First Minister has engaged—very recently on the question of support for looked-after children, we recognise that we need to have an approach that directly addresses the challenging and complex needs of such children and ensure that we can provide the best support and outcomes possible.

Sustainable and consistent fostering and, ultimately, adoption can be options that can be taken forward, but they must be applied carefully and directly to meet individual children’s needs. I assure Mr Balfour of my interest in exploring how we can better meet the needs of looked-after children in those circumstances and put in place the support that they require to ensure that they can fulfil their potential. It is their right to be supported by the state to enable them to do that.

6. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to require local authorities to carry out additional training for teachers and other school personnel on how to deal with children who have an attachment disorder or are affected by trauma and loss. (S5O-00236)

I make two points to Mr Cole-Hamilton. First, it is absolutely essential that every child’s circumstances are taken into account in the way in which their education and wellbeing are supported by individual schools and members of the teaching profession. That approach is driven by the Government’s agenda of getting it right for every child, which is widely shared and supported by local authorities. We must ensure that we adapt and take forward an approach that is appropriate to the needs of every young person.

Secondly, if Mr Cole-Hamilton has any concerns about how individual children have been dealt with, the appropriate course of action is to raise those directly with the individual school concerned, as well as with the education authority, which has immediate responsibility for the management of the school. That is the position provided for in statute.

I reiterate my general view that it is essential that we properly equip the teaching profession to provide for the needs of all young people in their care. The Government’s priorities and our delivery plan are designed to do that.