Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)

Getting It Right for Every Child is about ensuring that ALL children have the best start possible and that when additional needs are identified that they receive the right support by the right person at the right time.

The Getting It Right for Every Child approach helps practitioners across all services meet the needs of children and young people, working together where necessary to ensure children reach their full potential. The ambition is that they become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

For the majority of children the universal services, i.e. Health and Education, provide all that is necessary for a child and young person to progress successfully through their childhood and teenage years, however there are some whose outcomes are improved by additional support and the Framework for Assessment assists with understanding when more input is required whether from one agency or multi agency.

West Lothian is committed to Early Intervention, ensuring that as soon as a need is identified it is addressed at the earliest opportunity. The Integrated Assessment Framework has been produced to facilitate the process of collecting information about what is happening to children and their families using the "My World Triangle" and "Wellbeing Indicators" to assess need/risk and inform decisions about the actions necessary to support and protect the child/young person.

N.B. The Integrated Assessment Framework does not replace Child protection procedures in any way.

* Please view the GIRFEC Multi-Agency Staff Guidelines document for further information and diagrams.

NEWS

C-Me, the West Lothian children's information sharing system is a GIRFEC Learning Partner:

There is ongoing work with the Scottish Government GIRFEC team focused on Chronology Recording and using the outcomes from a series of national workshops in September 2009 to influence the national approach to chronology developments by producing potential datasets that will be tested in the C-Me system in West Lothian.

Integrated Assessment Framework being piloted electronically within the C-Me system:
In support of the GIRFEC programme and collaborative multi agency working there has been the development of the facility to undertake integrated assessments electronically within the C-Me system and currently this is being piloted in two areas within West Lothian (the Bathgate and James Young Cluster Resource Group areas). The pilot began on 2nd November 2009 and completed on the 1st April 2010 followed by a period of evaluation.

Documents

 Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) Multi Agency Staff Guidance (700KB)