Who’s who: Support Planning and Advocacy Staff
The descriptions below explain the roles of Support Planning and Advocacy Staff who help children and young people get the right help to take part fully in learning and school life. They help organise support, connect families with services, and respond to each child’s needs.
Please remember that each professional’s responsibilities may vary slightly depending on their role and your child’s individual needs. If anything is unclear, you can visit our advice pages or contact the professional directly. They will be happy to explain how they can support you, your child, and your family.
Advocacy Worker / Advocate
Advocacy Workers help children and young people to have their voices heard in decisions about their education.
Key responsibilities:
- Represent children’s views independently in meetings or formal hearings
- Help children understand their rights under the UNCRC, especially the right to be heard and the right to education
- Provide confidential support and practical advice to resolve education-related issues
Their work with children:
- Help children prepare for and take part in meetings about support, transitions, or exclusions
- Explain rights, options, and outcomes in a clear, child-friendly way
- Share information only with the child’s permission, unless there are safeguarding concerns
Advocacy supports children to feel listened to, respected, and empowered in their education.
Careers Adviser
Careers Advisers in schools support children and young people to plan their education and explore future career options.
Key responsibilities:
- Help pupils explore careers that match their interests and strengths
- Provide information on pathways such as college, university, apprenticeships, and work experience
- Offer one-to-one support, including CV and interview preparation
Their work with children:
- Advise on subject choices and post-school options
- Support job applications and practical skills like interview techniques
- Help pupils set and work towards career goals
- Signpost funding and support for students with additional support needs
Careers Advisers are part of Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and mainly work with secondary pupils, with support also available online through My World of Work.
Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) Co-ordinator
A CSP Co-ordinator helps ensure that children with complex or multiple additional support needs get the right help at school.
Main responsibilities:
- Create a written plan outlining the support needed to help the child learn and thrive
- Co-ordinate services and make sure education, health, and social work professionals work together
- Regularly check the plan is working and update it as needed
- Ensure the plan meets legal requirements.
Their work with children:
- Supporting children with complex needs by making sure help is in place
- Involving children and families in planning and reviewing support
- Helping children access the services they need to succeed.
Co-ordinated Support Plan Co-ordinators make sure the right support is joined up and consistent, helping children reach their full potential in school and elsewhere in their lives.
For more information on Co-ordinated Support Plans, please see our page CSP Overview.
Educational Psychologist
Educational Psychologists support children either through direct work with the child or through consultation with parents, teachers, and other professionals, depending on the child’s needs and the stage of support.
Key responsibilities:
- Assessing cognitive, emotional, and behavioural needs through consultation, observation, and, where appropriate, direct assessment
- Working collaboratively with schools to plan, implement, and review strategies and adaptations to support learning and wellbeing
- Playing a key role in the development, review, and evaluation of Child’s plans, Co-ordinated support plans (CSPs) or Staged Interventions
- Advise on transitions (e.g. P7 to S1, school moves, special school placements)
Their work with children:
- Talking and playing with the child to understand their views and experiences, when direct involvement is appropriate
- Observing the child in the classroom and during peer interactions, or drawing on school-based evidence
- Identifying strengths as well as barriers to learning and participation
- Supporting the development of coping skills, self-regulation, and emotional wellbeing
Educational Psychologists help ensure that planning and support in school are well matched to each child’s strengths, needs, and potential.
You can read more about this on our page What’s their role? Educational psychologists.
Lead Professional
A Lead Professional is the person who makes sure all the adults supporting a child are working together when more than one service is involved (for example, school, health, or social work). This person is usually chosen by the school and is the professional best placed to organise and lead the support at that time.
Key responsibilities:
- Coordinate support and communication between services, the school, and the family
- Lead meetings and make sure plans are agreed and followed up
- Keep track of how support is working and review progress
- Help manage changes such as moving school or changes in services
Their work with children:
- Building a positive relationship with the child and family
- Helping the child understand what support they are getting
- Making sure the child’s views are listened to and included
- Supporting smooth transitions and changes
Lead Professionals help make sure support is clear, joined-up, and well organised.
You can find further information on the role on the Scottish Government page Lead professional (GIRFEC).
Local Authority ASL Officer
A Local Authority Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Officer helps schools provide the right support for pupils with additional needs and ensures that local policies and practices are followed.
Key responsibilities
- Monitor ASL provision across schools and ensure consistency
- Advise schools on legal requirements, best practices, and available resources
- Guide staff training and support professional development
- Help plan and manage transitions between schools, classes, or specialist provisions
Their work with children
- Check that each child’s needs are being met in school
- Help design, review, or adjust support plans and strategies
- Ensure children have access to the resources or specialist support they need
ASL Officers play a vital role in promoting fair, effective, and inclusive support for all learners.
Mediator / Mediation Worker
Mediators facilitate meetings between pupils, families, and education professionals to assist them to find solutions for conflict, communication issues and relationship breakdowns
Key responsibilities:
- Mediators are neutral and impartial trained professionals who encourage constructive communication between families and education professionals to help them work together
- Arrange informal meetings in a safe, confidential space for participants in dispute to have conversations to help them make plans and move forward from a ‘stuck’ position
- Build trust and understanding, restore and repair relationships, and promote good communication through listening and talking
- Ensure the focus remains on the needs of the child or young person
- Take account, and listen to the views of the child or young person.
Mediators help to reduce conflict and ensure all voices are heard and respected. To find out more, you can visit our page on Mediation.
Named Person
Every child in Scotland has a Named Person. They are the first point of contact for a child’s wellbeing in school or early years settings. The Named Person, who is usually a Health Visitor before starting school and a Headteacher or senior staff member at school, acts as a first point of contact for a child’s wellbeing and support.
Key responsibilities:
- Act as a first point of contact for any concerns about a child’s wellbeing
- Support children and families in finding advice, guidance, or services if extra help is needed
- Co-ordinate with school staff, health professionals, and other services to ensure smooth communication and support
- Monitor general wellbeing and help children access early support
Their work with children:
- Listen to children’s or families’ concerns about learning, health, or wellbeing
- Share guidance and signpost to the right support
- Help children settle into school or transitions between stages
- Keep an eye on overall wellbeing and ensure children have access to the right help when needed
The Named Person focuses on general wellbeing and early support for all children, helping families and staff work together to make sure each child is supported and able to get the most from their education and school life.
You can find out more about this role on the Scottish Government page Named person.
Social Worker
Social Workers support the safety, wellbeing, and rights of children and families, helping children attend and engage fully in school.
Key responsibilities:
- Safeguard children and promote their care and wellbeing
- Work with families facing social, emotional, or practical challenges
- Address issues affecting school attendance and participation, such as school ‘avoidance’, exclusions, or housing and financial difficulties
- Work with schools and other services to provide joined-up support
Their work with children:
- Provide emotional and practical support to help children attend and engage in school
- Help put arrangements in place, such as transport, routines, or referrals to other services
- Support children to feel safe, understood, and confident in their school environment
- Offer individual support to care-experienced children, including during transitions
Social Workers help remove barriers to learning by supporting the whole family and working closely with schools and other services.
Virtual Headteacher
A Virtual Headteacher is a senior education leader who ensures care-experienced children get the right support in school. Virtual Headteachers do not run a physical school but work across many schools to support care-experienced pupils.
Key responsibilities:
- Promote the rights of care-experienced pupils and positive working relationships
- Support schools to provide trauma-informed and wellbeing support
- Work with schools and services to plan transitions into education, training, or work
- Review attendance, progress, and wellbeing
Their work with children:
- Ensure clear plans for education, care, and post-school pathways
- Listen to and advocate for children’s views
- Help children settle into new schools and feel supported
Virtual Headteachers help ensure care-experienced pupils are supported, included, and able to thrive in education. You can find out more about the role on the CELCIS page Virtual School Head Teachers.
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