Our GIRFEC Approach
Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is the national framework that informs how all services should approach their work with children, young people and families, whether they are providing Universal, Targeted or Intensive support. In East Renfrewshire this specifically applies to staff working within the following agencies:
- Education
- Health and Social Care Partnership
- Voluntary and Third Sector
The GIRFEC approach provides a common language, key questions, core components and underlying principles that guide the work of all professionals from these agencies. These are summarised in the National Practice Model which includes the wellbeing wheel, my world triangle and resilience matrix.
Children and young people who are safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included are more likely to experience positive mental wellbeing. The wellbeing wheel offers a shared understanding of wellbeing and asks us to consider the needs of children in a holistic way.
Mental wellbeing is supported and promoted when children and young people have the resources they need across most areas of their lives, as illustrated in the My World Triangle. Where these resources are limited or absent, mental wellbeing may be at risk. It is therefore important to consider the child or young person’s experiences in all areas of their lives (e.g. at home; at school; with friends). This will support practitioners in their decision making about who needs support and what type of support is required.
All children and young people are likely to experience some degree of adversity that has the potential to impact negatively on their mental wellbeing. Children and young people will differ in their resilience – their capacity to meet life’s challenges. How a child or young person manages a difficult time will depend upon factors such as the support around them, the coping strategies they have and the significance they place on the event(s) they are experiencing.
All practitioners have a responsibility to use the National Practice Model and ask the following Key Questions to guide their approach when supporting and nurturing the mental wellbeing of children and young people:
- What is getting in the way of this child or young person’s wellbeing?
- Do I have all the information I need to help this child or young person?
- What can I do now to help this child or young person?
- What can my agency/service do to help this child or young person?
- What additional help, if any, may be needed from other services/agencies?
- What is the view of the child and family?
