Information for practitioners

Practitioners

Getting it right for every child means:

• putting the child or young person at the centre and developing a shared understanding within and across agencies
• using common tools and processes, considering the child or young person as a whole, and promoting closer working where necessary with other practitioners

Resources

GIRFEC guidance

• Pathway wall planner
• Practitioners' guide
• Ayrshire information sharing flowchart
• Team around the child guidance
• Chairing team around the child meetings

Request for assistance 

• Request for assistance proforma
• Request for assistance guidance 1
• Request for assistance guidance 2

Chronology of significant events

• Care Inspectorate practice guide to chronologies

Getting it right for every child: values and principles

Common values and principles are at the heart of the Common Core and the Getting It Right For Every Child approach. These values and principles build from the Children's Charter and reflect legislation, standards, procedures and professional expertise. They bring meaning and relevance at a practice level to single agency, multi agency and inter agency working across the whole of children's services. Together with the Common Core essential characteristics, the values provide a common platform for working with children and young people which all workers can draw from.

1. Promoting the well-being of individual children and young people: this is based on understanding how children and young people develop in their families and communities and addressing their needs at the earliest possible time
2. Keeping children and young people safe: emotional and physically safety is fundamental and is wider than child protection
3. Putting the child at the centre: children and young people should have their views listened to and they should be involved in decisions
4. Taking a whole child approach: recognising that what is going on in one part of a child or young person's life can affect many other areas of his or her life
5. Building on strengths and promoting resilience: using a child or young person's existing networks and support where possible
6. Promoting opportunities and valuing diversity: children and young people should feel valued in all circumstances and practitioners should create opportunities to celebrate diversity
7. Providing additional help should be appropriate, proportionate and timely: providing help as early as possible and considering short and long-term needs
8. Supporting informed choice: supporting children, young people and families in understanding what help is possible and what their choices may be
9. Working in partnership with families: supporting wherever possible those who know the child or young person well, know what they need, what works well for them in their family and what may not be helpful
10. Respecting confidentiality and sharing information: seeking agreement to share information that is relevant and proportionate while safeguarding children and young people's right to confidentiality
11. Promoting the same values across all working relationships: recognising respect, patience, honesty, reliability, resilience and integrity are qualities valued by children, young people, families and colleagues
12. Making the most of bringing together each worker's expertise: respecting the contribution of others and co-operating with them, recognising that sharing responsibility does not mean acting beyond a worker's competence or responsibilities
13. Co-ordinating help: recognising that children, young people and families need practitioners to work together, when appropriate, to provide the best possible help
14. Building a competent workforce to promote children and young people's well-being: committed to continuing individual learning and development and improvement of inter-professional practice.