
Willingness v capacity – what are the implications?
Published 6 February 2025
Early Years Scotland Policy & Engagement Manager, Lorna Kettles, writes about the difficulties ELC settings face in being able to support children with additional support needs (ASN).
How many times have you said ‘I’m really sorry, I’d love to help, but I can’t’? Sometimes, we say we can’t help because we either don’t really want to, we feel like we’re being asked too much or because perhaps the person asking for help is perfectly able to do the thing themselves (I’m looking at you, my 14-year-old, when you say you’re hungry and look pointedly at me when you’re perfectly capable of making toast or noodles or a bowl of cereal yourself). Other times, however, we say it because it’s something we struggle with ourselves, we have little understanding of what’s being asked – while we are willing to try to do our best, we are not going to be able to give the level of support needed in order to help the person achieve what they need to. In the first instance there is an unwillingness, but in the second there’s an inability.