Inter‐professional collaboration and the implementation of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1981

Abstract

This paper draws upon quantitative and qualitative data from a four‐year study conducted in Scotland to examine the impact of the special educational needs sections of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1981. The particular focus of the paper is the examination of inter‐professional collaboration in the process of drafting a Record of Needs. The origins of the special educational needs legislation are considered and changes are set in the context of relevant social policy literature. Role conflict and confusion were experienced by educational psychologists and educational administrators with inter‐professional collaboration being patchy and restricted to a minority of the 17 administrative areas. The position of health board personnel was seen to be marginalized, in part a consequence of a perceived power struggle between doctors and psychologists ‐ a phenomenon already addressed in the literature.