School and Police staff training (FOI)

Request

I would like to know how many people working in schools have undertaken training in neurodiversity, ADHD and autism, as well as what training?

I would also like to know if the Police have received any training in these two areas?

I would like this information to include training for all staff working in schools, so teachers, teaching assistants, deputy heads and headteachers. 

Response

Children, Young People, Education and Skills:

The Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) offer a wide range of training to all staff working in schools and with young people in neurodiversity, ADHD and the Autism Spectrum.

To search each staff members training file to produce the data would take in excess of 12.5 working hours therefore Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

However, some detail for training courses is held that is provided online or face to face.

There are two online courses available on Virtual College (the Government of Jersey’s digital learning platform), the following table shows the number of school staff who have completed this training:

There are also a number of training sessions delivered by staff from the Autism and Social Communication Inclusion Team who are Autism Education Trust (Jersey) trainers. More information about AET is available in the following link:

Autism Training (Autism Education Trust.org.uk)

The table below represents the course titles, the number of staff attending those courses in the academic year 2021 – 2022 and the number of schools that represents:

There are also staff within several school provisions that have specialist training dependent on their level of responsibility in supporting children with ADHD and Autism.

States of Jersey Police:

A broad level of training is provided to all police officers, as well as public engaging police staff in neurodiversity, and ADHD and autism. Continuous professional development programmes also include a range of speakers and specialists in their fields.   

Examples of the type of additional guidance on offer to police officers and staff is available in the following links:

Neuro-diversity (college.police.uk) 

Factors which increase risks to the safety and wellbeing of children and young persons (college.police.uk) 

Autism (college.police.uk) 

Introduction to vulnerability – related risk (college.police.uk)

Police officer training in suspect interviewing includes a recognition of special measures and vulnerabilities. Further information on these subjects is available in the following link:

Special measures (cps.gov.uk) 

Article applied 

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations. 

(2) Despite paragraph (1), a scheduled public authority may still supply the information requested on payment to it of a fee determined by the authority in the manner prescribed by Regulations for the purposes of this Article.

(3) Regulations may provide that, in such circumstances as the Regulations prescribe, if two or more requests for information are made to a scheduled public authority –

(a) by one person; or

(b) by different persons who appear to the scheduled public authority to be acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign, the estimated cost of complying with any of the requests is to be taken to be the estimated total cost of complying with all of them.