A postcard from the Highlands
A new regular feature highlighting exciting new projects across Scotland kicks off with a look at how collaborative working in the Highlands is helping to improve outcomes for children and young people.
Confident individuals, effective contributors, responsible citizens and successful learners – the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence paint an attractive vision for Scotland's children and young people. Achieving these outcomes will not be simple but Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is one initiative which is helping to make it happen.
GIRFEC is a Scottish Government programme that aims to improve the outcomes for all children and young people by ensuring that all relevant agencies – education, health, social services, police and the voluntary sector – are working together and sharing key information to get the right help to children at the right time in their lives.
The Highlands local authority has been working as a pathfinder area, pioneering the principles of GIRFEC for three years, and is reaping the rewards from interagency working. 'All the key agencies have a role to play and the main focus must always be around the needs of the child and their family,' says Ann Brady, Chief Executive of the Care and Learning Alliance, which offers a broad range of childcare and family support services throughout the Highlands and promotes the importance of collaborative working.
'A unified approach from all agencies at the right time is important in ensuring that each child gets the help they require,' explains Ann.
Every child is different
Recognising each child's individual needs and gaining a holistic view of their circumstances – family life, health and their community – is vital. Once this has been established, agencies can then pull together to put into practice a plan for each child.
GIRFEC allocates each child a named contact who ensures the plan is followed and that all agencies do what is required of them. In an Early Years context, this is likely to be the child's designated health visitor, so it's essential that the health professional can liaise effectively with other agencies. 'Each professional must be aware of their individual responsibilities to the child and, when appropriate, how to work effectively with others to ensure they are met,' explains Ann.
For Gillian Newman, Voluntary Sector Lead of the Getting it Right for Every Child team, although it may signal a step change for many organisations, the positive results of the GIRFEC approach are indisputable. 'Working in the Getting it Right for Every Child processes will bring changes in culture and practice for all practitioners working with children and families,' says Gillian. 'As it is an early intervention model, some of the most powerful benefits will not be seen until the children grow up but we’re already seeing many great benefits from this collaborative, child-centred way of working.'
The rollout of GIRFEC across Scotland could help make the aim of providing a personalised level of care for each child in Scotland a reality.
- Posted on 08 September 2009 under Collaboration, Multi-agency approaches, Early years, Issue 16, Postcard from....
- Tagged as multi-agency approaches, highland.
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