Learning Together GIRFEC Getting It Right For Every Child

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GIRFEC - A LEARNING TOGETHER GUIDE AT UNIVERSAL STAGE Legislation Aspects of Getting It Right For Every Child have been incorporated into The Children and Young People (Sco) Act 2014 to ensure that Scotland’s children receive the most appropriate supports in a timely manner. Children who move between Authorities will also benefit from this way of working particularly in relation to those who receive a coordinated targeted intervention and therefore require a Child’s Plan. The overarching themes from all recent legislation is that every child in our care has the right to the very best opportunities and that as the universal provider, we have a duty to effectively plan to meet the needs of all. Meeting the needs of all children incorporates academic, social and emotional supports and there will be times when schools and other agencies such as Social Work, Health and Third Sector organisations work together to provide the support required. The various people providing this support are often referred to as partners to the plan, which also includes parents/carers and the pupils themselves. In order to ensure that children and young people get the right support without needless repetition of information to a range of helping professionals, the Named Person will be enshrined into the legislation of the Children and Young People (Sco) Act as a single point of contact. How does my role support GIRFEC? Whatever post you hold in school, your role will involve fostering supportive relationships with pupils and therefore there is potential to gauge pupils’ wellbeing in relation to the wellbeing indicators. Passing both positive and concerning information to the Named Person is crucial and enables the Named Person to have a balanced understanding of the child and a holistic understanding of their wellbeing. All staff should be familiar with the wellbeing wheel, which is part of the National Practice Model for assessing wellbeing. “Supporting parents, and providing services which increase stability in their lives, means children are more likely to perform better at school, become more resilient in their response to challenge, and develop into healthy adults." Sir Harry Burns, formerly Scotland's Chief Medical Officer GIRFEC promotes ‘primary prevention’ and ‘early intervention’. Primary prevention involves us all being observant and listening to children and identifying if something has happened/could happen that would impact negatively on their wellbeing, e.g. we may know that a child is about to face a bereavement and take action to ensure that appropriate supports are in place. Early intervention involves us taking action as soon as we recognise that a child’s wellbeing is being adversely affected. Both ‘primary prevention’ and ‘early intervention’ relies on our having good relationships with children, young people and families and being highly observant. GIRFEC guides us to involve children, young people and families in planning. We have a duty to think carefully about the communication needs of individuals and families to ensure that children and families understand what is happening and why it is happening. Children and families should feel listened to and valued. 4
GIRFEC - A LEARNING TOGETHER GUIDE AT UNIVERSAL STAGE The approach guides us to work in partnership across and beyond our service to ensure that any barriers to wellbeing/learning are quickly identified and supported appropriately. It is important that we know which partners work with children and young people in our locality so that we can tap into their expertise as appropriate. The shared language and processes of GIRFEC helps practitioners focus on the child as a whole and collaborate to meet the holistic needs of the child. To work effectively together to support our children and young people we must all understand the language of GIRFEC and be open to working in collaboration with others, recognising that the unique skill sets of others may be of benefit to the child/young person or family. Wellbeing At the heart of Getting it Right for Every Child is the wellbeing of children and young people. Research found that eight aspects of wellbeing directly influence long term outcomes for children and young people. These eight areas are sometimes referred to as the ‘Shanarri Indicators’ or ‘wellbeing indicators’ and are part of the GIRFEC National Practice Model. The wellbeing indicators are set in the context of the ‘four capacities’. The four capacities are at the heart of the Curriculum for Excellence. (More about the four capacities can be found in Section 4.) 2 – THE NAMED PERSON “Once a concern has been brought to their attention, the Named Person – who will be the first point of contact for the child and their family – needs to take action, help, or arrange for the right help in order to promote, support, and safeguard the child’s development and wellbeing. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright/named-person The Person service has been put in place to ensure that there is a single point of contact for families seeking support and guidance. When the supports required are provided by education only, the Named will co-ordinate any supports that have been put in place, keeping the chronology up to date, communicate regularly with parents/carers and oversee planning. Who is the Named Person? • From birth until attending Primary school the Named Person will be the Health Visitor • In Primary School the Named Person will usually be the Head Teacher • Secondary Schools, in most instances, the Named Person will be the Principal Teacher Guidance/ Principal Teacher Pupil Support but may be a member of the Senior Management Team 5
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Learning Together GIRFEC Getting It Right For Every Child

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