The Getting it right for every child Group in Moray have produced the final draft of the Local Integrated Assessment and Planning (LIAP) Pack  or view a PDF version (535 Kb) for consultation. Your comments and feedback would be helpful in assisting us in developing the pack in its final format for implementation in April 2009".

• What is Getting It Right For Every Child?
• What are the key aims of Getting It Right For Every Child?
• What are the Principles and Values of Getting It Right For Every Child?
• What are the Core Components of Getting It Right For Every Child?
• What is the Assessment Triangle?
• What is Getting It Right For Every Child in Moray?
• Current Work
• Local Integrated Assessment and Planning (LIAP) Processes
• Further Information

What is Getting It Right For Every Child?

Getting It Right For Every Child is a national Government programme which promotes integrated working and partnership between professionals and families, to provide the right help for a child or young person at the right time. Getting It Right For Every Child is about all children and young people. Local authorities, including all statutory and voluntary agencies, are required to work in this way. Together, professionals and families can ensure that Scotland’s children and young people meet the wellbeing indicators of being safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included; and can achieve their potential.

What are the key aims of Getting It Right For Every Child?

• Children and young people get the help they need when they need it
• Children’s/young people’s views are central to decision-making processes
• Lead Professional co-ordinates help by pulling together a Team Around The Child
• This Team is accountable to the child and family, and to each other, for completing actions agreed in the action plan
• Local Authorities’ assessment and planning processes are streamlined to ensure better outcomes for children/young people, in one consistent approach
• Professionals share information appropriately, and in line with their agreed protocols, for the benefit of the child
• Professionals work in partnership with parents to meet identified needs
• Local Authorities work towards one single plan to meet the child’s needs
• Children and young people and parents/carers are integral to the process of action planning and decision making and work together with professionals to take responsibility in seeking appropriate solutions

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What are the Principles and Values of Getting It Right For Every Child?

For all professions, there are legal powers and duties, professional protocols, quality standards and a range of professional guidance. Getting It Right For Every Child is relevant to a wide range of professionals and there are some underpinning principles within the approach that have broad application across relevant agencies. These principles are described here as values.

Values inform or influence choices and action across a wide range of role and context. Successful evolution in culture, systems and practices across diverse agencies may depend partly upon a shared philosophy and value base. The summary below is both practical and relevant to professionals in supporting parents to ensure that each child reaches and maintains their full potential:

Child at the centre: The experience and needs of each child are central, and their views should be considered. Involve children in decisions about their lives in ways and at a pace which suits the child, their age, stage and circumstances.

Holistic approach and early intervention: Whatever your professional role, try to consider the whole child. Although your involvement with a child may be short-term, as far as may be appropriate in each case, do consider the child’s needs for longer term support. 

Confidentiality and information sharing: Respect the right to confidentiality for children, and for families, while recognising  that the duty to safeguard children comes first.

Safety: Recognise each child’s right to be safe. Being safe and feeling safe are fundamental aspects of well-being. If concerned about risk to a child, be alert to the implications for other, perhaps equally vulnerable children in the situation.

Promoting opportunities and valuing diversity: Actively promote opportunities for children who face discrimination and extra barriers. Respond positively and creatively to diversity among children and families, and colleagues.

Partnership with families: Recognise how parents, family members and those in the child’s network, are (or may with help become) the most significant contributors to meeting a child’s needs. In many circumstances they can lead the plan of action. Listen to those who know the child well, have a sharp sense of what the child needs, of what works well in the child’s family and of what may not be helpful.

Building on strengths: Work to engage the strengths and resources within the  family network in plans to address needs and risks for the child  (as far as this is safe and  achievable).

Bringing help to the child: If you can play a part in a plan of help, consider how help can be brought to the child rather than automatically passing on information and responsibility.

Bringing  help together: Play your part in ensuring that children and families experience a  co-ordinated and unified approach when several professionals are involved. Try to ensure that families are not subjected to stressful repetition of information, avoidable delay, or to assessments without a plan of action to help.

Supporting informed choice: Support children and families in understanding what help is possible and what their choices may be.

Teamwork between professionals and agencies: Respect the contribution and expertise of other professionals; and co-operate with them to meet the needs of children, as far as may be appropriate for your role and context. For example this may be through consultation, sharing information, shared assessment, planning, action, or material support.

Professional boundaries and standards: Recognise that sharing responsibility between agencies does not mean acting beyond our competence or responsibilities. Take action if safety or standards are compromised, whether that means alerting your own manager/employer or another appropriate authority.

Individual development: Commit to professional learning and development. This may be through training, supervision, teamwork, or application of research evidence. Commit to improve inter-professional practice in work with children and families.

Values across all working relationships: Recognise that respect, patience, honesty, reliability, resilience and integrity are qualities valued by children, families and colleagues.  Be sensitive to the impact of the work upon other professionals. Beside the well-being of children and families, consider the well-being of colleagues and value their support.

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What are the Core Components of Getting It Right For Every Child?

A Focus on improving outcomes for children, young people and their families based on a shared understanding of well-being.

An integral role for children, young people and families and those with a relevant interest in reaching the decisions that affect children’s lives as part of assessment, planning and intervention.

Maximising the skilled workforce within universal services to address concerns at the earliest point themselves, where they can, bringing others around them as needed.

A common approach to gaining consent and to sharing information where appropriate.

A co-ordinated and unified approach to identifying concerns, assessing needs, agreeing actions and outcomes based on indicators of well-being.

Streamlined planning, assessment and decision making processes that lead to the right help at the right time for the child.

Consistent high standards of co-operation, joint working and communication, across Scotland, where more than one agency needs to be involved.

A confident and competent workforce in the statutory universal and targeted services as well as the independent sector.

A lead professional to co-ordinate and monitor multi-agency activity, where necessary.

The capacity to share demographic, assessment, planning and outcome information electronically within and across agency boundaries through the national eCare programme where appropriate.

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What is the Assessment Triangle?

In order to understand fully how a child or young person is growing and developing, it is important to consider all aspects of his/her life including health, education, developing social skills, confidence, independence and the ability to form relationships. The Assessment Triangle enables workers to follow the three paradigms to assess the needs of a child or young person holistically.

The Assessment Triangle considers the whole child’s physical, social, educational, emotional, spiritual and psychological development.

The Assessment Triangle provides the basis for both initial and integrated assessments. It ensures that assessments are holistic and applies to all children including unborn children and young people. 

It takes account of the strengths and achievements of children and their families as well as needs and risks of harm. It incorporates the principles of listening to and taking into account the views of children and young people and working in partnership with parents/carers.

What is Getting It Right For Every Child in Moray?

The multi agency Getting It Right For Every Child Group is tasked with taking forward the national programme in Moray. The group has representation from social work, education, health, police, housing and the voluntary sector. The work of the group focuses on streamlining processes within children’s services in line with Getting It Right For Every Child principles and values.

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The Getting It Right For Every Child Group has been reviewing LAP processes. This will be replaced by Local Integrated Assessment and Planning (LIAP) Processes and this work is now in a consultation stage. Following this consultation, multi agency training will be held to implement and support the new procedures. The Group is also currently examining connections and pathways between different planning contexts within children’s services and harmonising these processes with Getting It Right For Every Child principles and standards.

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Local Integrated Assessment and Planning (LIAP) Processes:

There is a final draft LIAP Pack which is subject to formal consultation, and will be available from the end of September 2008 in final draft form. It will be available to access on the web in due course.

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Further information:

The Getting It Right For Every Child Group is formally represented by the following:

Gill McGhie
Getting It Right For Every Child Development Officer
The Moray Council
149 High Street
Elgin
Moray
IV30 1DS
Tel:01343 563053       Mobile: 07890 275550

Email: gill.mcghie@moray.gov.uk.

For further information on the Scottish Government team, please contact: