1     Getting it Right for Every Child

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is Scotland’s long standing, national commitment to provide all children, young people and their families with the right support at the right time, so that every child and young person can reach their full potential.

GIRFEC is both an approach and framework used by services across Scotland to improve and uphold the wellbeing of children and their families.

Aberdeenshire Council works closely with our multi-agency partners to fully embed the Getting it Right for Every Child Approach.

Children’s Services Plans are an important way to demonstrate how partners are working together in a local area to improve the wellbeing of children and young people. They also help show the progress being made towards Scotland’s National Performance Framework Objectives:

• Our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed

• We have improved life chances for children, young people, and families at risk

• Our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens

Aberdeenshire’s 3-year Plan provides information on how we plan and deliver support to children, young people and families across Aberdeenshire; to make sure they get the right support, at the right time, by the right people.

You can find out more about our Children’s Services Plan at: http://www.girfec-aberdeenshire.org/who-we-are/our-childrens-services-plan/

2     Wellbeing

The Getting it Right approach is reflected in agreed local processes for assessing need and planning support for individual children and young people. In Aberdeenshire, we have a strong ethos of partnership working, with a shared sense of professional accountability for improving the wellbeing of children, young people and families.

Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is about safeguarding, supporting and promoting children and young people’s wellbeing and ensuring support is provided if, and when, this is needed. GIRFEC is:

• Child-centred

• Holistic

• Accessible and responsive

• Joined up

• Rights-based

The concept of Wellbeing is at the heart of the GIRFEC approach and is defined in Part 18 (s96) of the Children & Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, through eight Wellbeing Indicators. These Wellbeing Indicators reflect the Scottish Government’s aspiration for all Scotland’s children and young people to be Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included.

These 8 Wellbeing Indicators need to be met in order for children and young people to grow and develop into confident individuals, effective contributors, successful learners and responsible citizens.

The Getting It Right approach means services will work in partnership with children, young people and their parent/carer(s) and we want every child at our school to feel happy, safe and supported to fulfil their potential.

3     Children’s Rights

Every child/young person has rights in addition to human rights These are called Children’s Rights, and they’re written in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.  They outline what children need to give them the best chance of growing up happy, healthy and safe. Adults such as parents, schools, councils and governments have a responsibility to make sure that children access their rights.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a statement of children’s rights. It has 54 articles that cover all areas of a child’s life and it sets out the political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights that all children are entitled to.

UNCRC is now firmly embedded in Scots Law. This will ensure that rights are binding rather than guiding and all levels of government must apply the rights in legislation, policy and practice.

Children and young people are learning about these rights in school and some schools take part in The Rights Respecting Schools programme, a UNICEF accredited programme to support schools in developing rights-based practice as part of the school ethos.

In our schools we will:

• Raise awareness of Children’s Rights, and how rights can be accessed

• Ensure Children’s Rights are provided and protected by the adults who support our children and young people

• Provide a variety of opportunities for children and young people to get involved in decision-making

• Make sure children and young people’s views influence how we develop services

• Support children and young people to express their views

• Listen to and act on children and young people’s views on what we do well, and what we could do differently

More information for parents on Children’s Rights can be found here

Parent Club Children’s Rights leaflet.pdf

Aberdeenshire Council has endorsed a Children and Young People’s Charter. You can find out more about Children’s Rights and opportunities for participation at:

http://www.girfec-aberdeenshire.org/home/children-and-young-people/

4     The named person

Prevention and early-intervention are seen as key to the Getting It Right approach in achieving positive outcomes for children and young people. By providing support at an early stage, most difficulties can be prevented from escalating.

One way the Scottish Government has decided this should be taken forward, is by making a named person available to every child and young person in Scotland.  From birth to prior to starting school, the named person Service is provided by your Health Visitor. The Education Service provides the named person Service for all children on entry to Primary One, until aged 18 (or beyond where a young person remains at secondary school). In Aberdeenshire the named person will be either the Primary Head Teacher or Deputy Head Teacher and in Secondary School the named person will be that young person’s allocated Principal Teacher of Guidance (with a few exceptional circumstances).

The purpose of the named person role is to make sure children, young people and parents have confidence that they can access help or support no matter where they live or what age the child is. Acting as a central point of contact, the named person can help children, young people or parents/carers get the support they need if, and when, they need it.

The named person can help by:

• Providing advice, information, or support

• Helping a child, young person, or to access a service or support

• Discussing or raising a wellbeing concern about a child or young person.

• Being a key contact point for other professionals if wellbeing needs are identified for a child or young person.

There is no obligation for children and young people or parents to accept any offer of advice or support from the named person. Non-engagement with a Named Person is not in itself a cause for concern. The named person Services are currently delivered on a national policy basis.

For more information you can contact your child or young person’s named person directly, or go to:

https://www.gov.scot/policies/girfec/named-person/

The named person for your child/young person is: Margaret Ferguson, Head Teacher

5     The Child’s Plan

The Getting It Right approach makes sure children and young people are provided with a range of support, which is proportionate and put in place to meet assessed need. This is reflected in Aberdeenshire’s staged approach to assessment and planning for individual children and young people, shown below.

• Universal Services (Core Provision)

• Universal Services (Support Generally Available)

• Universal Services (Targeted Support) Targeted and Specialist Services (Multi-Agency)

For a small minority of children or young people, there might be higher levels of wellbeing need or risk identified. These children may require a level of targeted support, which needs to be co-ordinated on a single or multi-agency basis through a Child’s Plan.

Where a child or young person needs one or more targeted supports, the benefit of a Child’s Plan will be discussed with them and their parents/carers. An assessment using the National Practice Model (My World Triangle/Resilience Matrix) would help to identify any wellbeing needs (Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Resected, Responsible, Included) and highlights strengths and pressures in the child’s situation.  Families are fully involved as key partners in these discussions.

The Child’s Plan will outline what action will be taken by the child, their family and professionals, and detail how these supports aim to help improve the child or young person’s Wellbeing and overcome any difficulties.

A Lead Professional will be identified to co-ordinate and manage a multi-agency Child’s Plan. 

Information is available on the Aberdeenshire Getting It Right for Every Child Website:

http://www.girfec-aberdeenshire.org/

6     Educational Psychology

The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) provides a service across Aberdeenshire from the early years to school leaving age. 

When there are concerns about a child or young person’s learning or wellbeing an Educational Psychologist can work with the family and school to assess the child or young person’s needs and plan supports to meet those needs. 

Consultation with people who know the child or young person best forms the basis of Educational Psychology assessment.  The purpose of a Formal Consultation meeting is to explore and understand the concern and support people to come up with solutions that will work in their context. 

More information can be found on the EPS website: Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology Website

7     Universal Inclusive Offer to all Children and Young People

Aberdeenshire Council is committed to children and young people being educated within their local mainstream school. Education staff work with the families of children with additional support needs to identify their needs and agree the adaptations that are required to meet those needs. This may include, for example, curricular adaptations, teaching and learning approaches, support strategies, environmental adaptations, communication requirements, specialist equipment or staff undertaking professional learning.

All Aberdeenshire Schools take a solution-focused approach to overcoming any barriers to inclusion. They seek advice and support from relevant Education Support Services and multi-agency partners as appropriate.

A whole school inclusive approach embeds practices in the everyday life of a school that are known to be effective in supporting pupils with additional support needs. These practices often also benefit other learners who do not have additional support needs.

There are a number of whole school inclusive approaches that are being implemented in all Aberdeenshire schools as part of our universal offer to all children and young people. These include:

1. The CIRCLE Resource to support inclusive learning & collaborative working.

2. Play Based Learning Approaches and Playful Pedagogy.

3. Staff who have the knowledge and skills required to understand and support autistic learners.

4. Staff who adopt dyslexia friendly approaches and who are able to identify and respond to difficulties that pupils with dyslexia may encounter.

5. Staff who are trauma informed and adopt nurture approaches to sensitively support children who may have experienced trauma or adversity. 

6. A supportive and effective communication environment which uses every means of communication available to ensure learners understand and can be understood.

7. Use of restorative approaches to restore and maintain good relationships when there has been conflict and harm.

8. Staff who are culturally responsive, aiming to connect pupils’ cultures, languages and life experiences with what they learn in school

More information on Aberdeenshire Schools’ universal offer to children and young people can be found here: Inclusion in Aberdeenshire Schools

8 Support for Learning

Children and young people may require support for learning at some point in their lives for a range of reasons. Some children may need a lot of support all the way through school. Others may need only a small amount for a short time.

A child or young person has additional support needs if, for any reason, they need extra or different help than others their age to benefit fully from their education.  Reasons for requiring support might include:

• Missing school because of an illness or long-term condition

• Having a physical disability

• Being a young carer

• Experiencing barriers to communication

• Changing school a lot

• Being looked after or care experienced

• Difficulty in regulating emotions and behaviours

• Having a difficult family situation

• Experiencing a bereavement

• Social and emotional factors

Each school cluster has an allocation of Teachers of Additional Support for Learning (ASL) who are employed to support pupils with additional support needs.  They work across each cluster in primary and secondary in partnership with school staff, parents and other professionals, if appropriate. They identify barriers to learning, assess children’s needs and support learning and teaching through a relevant curriculum.

Pupil Support Assistants (PSAs) assist teachers in promoting achievement and raising the standards of pupil attainment.  They provide general support in relation to the needs of the class and individuals’ care, health and wellbeing and safety and to promote a secure and safe environment.

9     Enhanced Provision and Complex Needs Provision

Aberdeenshire Council is committed to meeting the additional support needs of children and young people in their local mainstream school.  Planning starts an exploration of what steps need to be taken for their local school to be ready to welcome them.  This includes consideration of, for example, curricular adaptations, teaching and learning approaches, support strategies, environmental adaptations, communication requirements, specialist equipment or staff professional learning needs.

All 17 Academies are Enhanced Provision Schools, and there is a dedicated Primary School within each of Aberdeenshire’s 17 school clusters.  Enhanced Provision Schools have enhanced staffing and resources to meet additional support needs.  Some children may require outreach support from the Enhanced Provision to ensure their needs are fully met in their mainstream setting.  This may involve advice and consultation to staff, or direct support to the pupil from, for example, an Enhanced Provision Outreach Practitioner, Pupil Wellbeing Worker or Nature Nurture Practitioner.  Some children and young people will require more targeted support through an Enhanced Provision place.  This involves them physically attending the Enhanced Provision on a full-time or part-time basis.  Such placements are offered from Primary 3 upwards. 

A very small number of children and young people will require access to specialist staff and resources beyond that which can be provided within a mainstream or enhanced provision setting due to the significance and complexity of their learning needs.  Aberdeenshire’s Complex Needs Provision includes four Special Schools and five Provisions which are integrated within mainstream settings (often referred to as Integrated Complex Needs Provision).  Both types of Complex Needs Provision meet significant and complex learning needs, with pupils accessing the Complex Needs Provision which their home address is zoned to.

For more information on all our resources and policies go to:

http://asn-aberdeenshire.org/

10 Child Protection

Physical and emotional safety provides a foundation for wellbeing and healthy development. Child protection is the responsibility of all who work with children and families regardless of whether or not they come into direct contact with children. All staff must be fully informed of their responsibilities with respect to keeping children safe. All services working with children, young people and families are expected to identify and consider the wellbeing of children and to share concerns appropriately. Our Child Protection processes uphold children’s rights.

Aberdeenshire Child Protection in Education Guidance provides guidance for school-based staff on protecting children and young people.  The guidance can be found here Child Protection in Education  It is based on the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021- updated 2023.

The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019 provides children with the same rights as adults against assault by a parent or person with charge or care of them.  The Aberdeenshire Guidance can be found here: Multi-Agency-Equal-Protection-Guidance-.docx

Within our school we have a designated member of staff appointed to be responsible for Child Protection matters. If there is the possibility that a child could be at risk, the school is required to follow the Child Protection Procedures laid out for Education.

This may mean that the child is referred to Social Work, the Police or the Children’s Reporter. In our school the designated staff are the Head Teacher, supported by the Depute Head Teacher.

Remember – if you suspect a child is at risk, do not rely on someone else to notice.

If you would like to speak to someone, seek help or pass on information or concerns:

You can speak to designated staff in our school

Social Work Monday to Friday during office hours contact your Children & Families local Social Work Office

Evenings & Weekends call the Out of Hours Service on 03456 08 12 06

Police Emergency 999, Non-Emergency 101

Signs of abuse can range from poor personal hygiene and hunger to unexplained injuries or self-harm.

If a child or young person tells you they are being abused:

•                stay calm and listen to them

•                never promise to keep it a secret – tell them you must let someone else know

•                remind them that they are not to blame and are doing the right thing

•                report it, but leave any investigation to Child Protection agencies

Protecting Aberdeenshire’s children and young people is everyone’s business, further information can be found on http://www.girfec-aberdeenshire.org/child-protection/

11     Further Information on Support for Children and Young People

The following websites may be useful:

Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC)

http://www.girfec-aberdeenshire.org/

Aberdeenshire Council

https://asn-aberdeenshire.org/

Support for All

https://young.scot/campaigns/ayefeel/

Enquire – National Parent Information Service and Helpline

http://enquire.org.uk/