Finding the 'Right' Support for a Young Person
"Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of children and young people by offering the right help at the right time from the right people."
The Children & Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 enshrines the common values and principles of GIRFEC which apply across all aspects of working with children and young people.
The Child Planning Framework recognises that potentially everyone at some point will need support and as such, children and young people need support from a wide range of people around them including family, friends and professionals such as school staff. A fundamental principle of this framework is that as far as possible children, young people and families are supported by universal provision as this reduces the needs to move into additional and/or targeted support. This model aims to improve integration, co-ordination and delivery of mental health and wellbeing programmes and to offer a consistent level of support and interventions across East Lothian.
Mental health and wellbeing support is not “one size fits all” therefore there needs to be a range of options available and on offer which are also relevant to the needs of a community.
Universal
Universal support promotes the holistic development and wellbeing of all child and young people. It should enable positive and effective relationships around the child to allow them to feel informed and involved.
Provided for all CYP by Health, Education, Connected Communities, libraries and third sector organisations (e.g. pastoral support, health & wellbeing curriculum, focus on nurture, LGBT, Who Cares, Signposting, infant mental health, youth work, growing confidence, inclusion, respect for all, child poverty, parenting support, building resilience programme, drop in's)
Additional
An additional level of support is available for some children and young people a specific need has been identified through the Child’s Planning process. This support will involve partners in delivering a range of preventative support services that explicitly aim to protect and promote the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people but are not universal or a specialist service. The aim of this support will be to prevent further more intensive interventions being required at a later stage.
Access via request for assistance to Single Point of Access (e.g. school counselling, seasons for growth, LIAM, mental health youth workers, therapeutic services)
Targeted
Targeted support and interventions are for children and young people with higher level of complex needs and will be provided through a multi-agency partnership approach including specialist providers such as CAMHS. The key focus will be on reducing immediate risk and putting in place bespoke packages of therapeutic interventions and care.
Access via request for assistance or action from a child's plan to specialist/targeted services (CAMHS, social work, Educational Psychology)
Links to GIRFEC website:
