What is Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC)?
Getting It Right For Every Child also known as GIRFEC is the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of our children and young people by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. It supports them and their parent(s) to work in partnership with the services that can help them.
Parents, carers, and families have ultimate responsibility for ensuring that their children's needs are met to support their wellbeing.
In Dundee, we will put the rights and wellbeing of children and young people at the heart of services that can support the child, young person and families. This support will be provided in partnership with parents in universal services: such as, nurseries, schools, health visitors and third sector organisations working in communities.
We will support children, young people and their families to ensure:
- Children get the best start in life;
- We build on the family's strengths to help them become more confident parents or carers;
- We provide assistance and support when needed to improve the child or young person's wellbeing and development.
The purpose of the Getting It Right for Every Child approach is to offer preventative solutions and/or support that improve outcomes for the child or young person to sustain or improve their wellbeing.
Further information is available in the Scottish Government Website.
This new approach does not change the way you would report child protection concern.
GIRFEC provides a common approach to thinking about wellbeing and co-ordinated planning. This helps to ensure that targeted support is provided where it’s required to help a child or young person.
What is a Named Person? - The role of a Named Person
A Named Person is a central point of contact if a child, young person or their parent(s) want information or advice, or if they want to talk about any worries and seek support. The Named Person can also, when appropriate, reach out to different services who can help.
Access to a Named Person is part of the Getting It Right For Every Child approach to promote, support and safeguard the wellbeing of children and young people.
A Named Person will be available to children and young people across Scotland from birth to age 18, or beyond if still in school.
This means a child, young person, parent, or someone who works with them, knows who they can approach for help or advice if they need it. A Named Person will normally be a health visitor for pre-school children and a head teacher, guidance teacher or other promoted member of staff for school aged children and young people.
The Named Person will work with children, young people and their parent(s) to get the help they need, when they need it.
The Named Person service will help families and the services that support them to work in partnership.
A Named Person will be by law, a clear point of contact available to parents, children and young people to make getting help and advice more straightforward and joined up. There is no obligation to take up the offer of advice or support.
Named Persons have no new legal powers to compel parents, children or young people to accept advice, support or help.
Every child’s needs and circumstances are unique and a Named Person will work with a child or young person and their parent(s) to offer the right advice and support. Information about their needs and circumstances may be shared with a Named Person if it’s relevant to understanding what help they may need and it supports their wellbeing, this will be done in discussion with the child and their parent(s), unless there is a child protection concern.
Effective communication, including sharing relevant information where appropriate, is essential to ensure children, young people and families get the right help at the right time.
A Named Person will support specialist services, such as social work and mental health services, as they continue to respond to the needs of vulnerable children and families. A Named Person does not remove the responsibilities of others working with children, young people and families or change current child protection procedures. The police and or social work will continue to be contacted immediately if a child is believed to be at risk of significant harm.