Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is Scotland's framework for public services to coordinate their support for children and families. It requires services like social work, health, education, police, and housing to share information and work together, particularly through earlier intervention. Examples show GIRFEC has led to improved outcomes for children in the Scottish Highlands by changing professional practices and cultures. Services are now more streamlined, staff work better across agencies, and focus is placed on the child's needs rather than bureaucratic outputs. Successful culture change depends on shared vision, leadership, training, and consistent systems for assessment.

1. Getting it right for
every child (GIRFEC)

2. What is GIRFEC?
• Scotland’s approach to supporting children and
young people
• A framework for all services working with
children and families to deliver a coordinated
approach
• Builds on existing good practice in Scotland
• English equivalent is Every Child Matters

3. Key features
• All services – social work, health, education,
police, housing and voluntary organisations – are
required to adapt their practices and work
together,
• particularly on information sharing
• Encourages earlier intervention by professionals
to avoid crisis situations at a later date

4. GIRFEC in the Scottish Highlands
• Improving outcomes for
children and families
• Changing professional
practice
• Changing professional
cultures
Photo: http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/art-89236

5. Improving outcomes for children and
families
Examples of progress
•The number of children on the Child Protection
Register has fallen
•The length of time looked-after children have
been waiting for permanent and adoptive
placements has fallen

6. Changing professional practice
Examples of progress
•Procedures for working with children and young
people are more streamlined and consistent
•Staff are working more effectively on a multi-agency
level
•Training in new ways of working has improved staff
confidence and capability

7. Changing professional cultures
Examples of progress
•True sense of ownership of GIRFEC amongst
professionals working with children and young people
•A common language is used across all the services and
agencies involved
•Child is placed at centre of process – focus on
outcomes rather than outputs

8. What makes successful culture change?
•A shared vision across all services
•Professionals reflecting on their role, and how,
as individuals they can effect positive change
•Leadership demonstrated at all service levels
•Staff training for current and future changes
•Consistent and shared systems for recording and
assessing impact of culture change

9. Example of multi agency working
WithScotland
A multi-agency resource for people working with
complex child protection issues
•advice,
•expertise
•training
•research
http://withscotland.org

10. IRISS uses Wikipedia to share information
about GIRFEC and place it within worldwide
approaches to child protection:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_it_Right_for_Ever
y_Child_-_GIRFEC
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_protection#United_
Kingdom

11. Bryan Kirkaldy, Chair of Getting it Right
Working Group, talks about Fife Council’s
approach to GIRFEC