The Scottish Government

. . .

August 2008

Since February this year the Getting it right for every child team has travelled north and
south from Shetland to Dumfries, and east and west from Stornoway to Aberdeen,
engaging directly with well over 1,000 practitioners across all sectors. As part of the
Getting it right for every child Roadshow we delivered 13 events, 90 workshops, 20
presentations, we listened to your queries and discussed your thoughts and ideas. Valuable
feedback has been received in a post event evaluation. This information will help the
Getting it right team to shape future plans and national activity with greater knowledge of
the needs of partners.

What is clear is that enormous progress is being made right across Scotland.
Implementation of the Getting it right for every child approach is being driven at a local
level and areas are at different stages of implementation. Our task is to support this and
provide clarity over the core components, principles and values that support the approach.

Work underway in pathfinder areas, with learning partners and in other areas is increasing
our knowledge and understanding about how the approach is being implemented - more on
this in our next newsletter in the autumn. The Getting it right team is committed to
supporting a learning exchange via the Learning Community - which goes live in the Autumn
- with updates on our web section and through the production of tools and materials.

An Information Pack setting out practice tools that can be used by anyone who works with
children and young people will be made available by October.

To support implementation of the Getting it right for every child approach the Scottish
Government is establishing a national group to provide strategic oversight and
strengthen connections across the children's services landscape. The group will bring
together individuals from Government, local authorities, the police, education, health and
social work who are committed to driving forward implementation.

The aims of the Group will be to:

• develop and maintain a strategy for the implementation of Getting it right for every child
  across Scotland
• oversee the progress of the pathfinders, learning partners, and e-Care framework, and
  advise on how best to apply the lessons emerging from the programme across Scotland
• oversee the evaluation of the programme; consider the implications its findings have on
  implementation, including a review of the practice model and tools
• advise on how best to embed the Getting it right for every child principles within
  professional practitioner training.

Invitations will be issued shortly, and updates from the group will be made available via the
Getting it right newsletters and the web section on the Scottish Government website.

With COSLA, the Scottish Government launched a National Domestic Abuse Delivery
Plan for Children and Young People. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000
children and young people affected by domestic abuse and this is the first time a joined up
approach to the problem has been taken that focuses on improving their lives. The views and
recommendations of children and young people have been taken into account as part of the
development of the plan.

The Delivery Plan, drawn up in partnership with COSLA and other key agencies, sets out a
common framework based on Getting it right for every child principles and values and the
aims of the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland (2000). The Delivery
Plan contains thirteen priorities for action to be progressed over the next three years to
enable more effective protection, provision, prevention and participation for all children,
young people and their families affected, or at risk of being affected by domestic abuse in
Scotland. The experiences and findings of the four Getting it right for every child domestic
abuse pathfinder areas have been incorporated in the plan.

Getting it right for every child is hosting a workshop as part of the Scottish Learning Festival
taking place in Glasgow on Thursday 25 September at 9.30am. The focus of the workshop is
the application of the Getting it right for every child approach in schools. The workshop is
being facilitated by Julia Swan from ADES, and Head of Education at Falkirk Council.

The session will demonstrate how Getting it right for every child supports culture, systems and
practice change across children's services. Delegates will hear how this interdisciplinary
approach applies in schools and how working in partnership with other professionals can
benefit children. If you are attending the Scottish Learning Festival, please consider booking a
place.

In September the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde are hosting a three-day
international conference at Glasgow's Grosvenor Hilton Hotel.

Building on the successful "Children's Hearings at the Crossroads" conference in 2003, this
ambitious event aims to discuss key themes arising from the integration of children's services
and to explore contemporary policy and practice relevant to all children in Scotland.

The conference has a broad range of contributors from across the spectrum of children's
services and hopes to attract involvement not only from academics, but from policy makers,
professionals and anybody involved in the delivery of education, health, youth justice and
social work services.

The key themes of the conference are:

• Children's voices, citizenship and inclusion
• Building better childhoods
• Changing children's services: challenges for education, social work and health care
  professionals

The conference takes place on the 24th, 25th and 26th September.

More information can be found online or by contacting Barbara Reid at b.reid@educ.gla.ac.uk,
or telephone: 0141 330 6107.

60 years of the NHS
The Getting it right for every child approach is recognised in the Better Health Better Care
Action Plan to improve health and health care in Scotland. The Action Plan promotes the view
that supporting early years development, good health choices and behaviours amongst children
and young people should set children on a trajectory where they can sustain good health
throughout their lives.

This approach was championed in June at the NHS Scotland event - the NHS 60th Anniversary
conference that took place at the SECC in Glasgow. The Getting it right team hosted a stand at
the event and supported a workshop with a cross-government panel and two speakers - the
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Harry Burns; and Prof. Jonathan Kotch - who provided fascinating
presentations on the importance of attachment, early intervention and wellbeing in the early
years, and their significance for child development.

Review of Nursing in the Community
The new community nurse model pilot continues to run in four health board areas in Scotland.
This pilot was established an earlier consultation which raised concerns around difficulties in
engaging with community nurses who had a diversity of roles and titles, and a lack of whole
family lifespan focus.

Addressing the Needs of Children and Families
The community nursing team will continue to provide the universal service defined within
Hall 4 to all families. This service includes an assessment of family needs carried out in
partnership with parents and carers, a programme of health promotion and an emphasis on
strengthening parenting skills and capacity.

Community nurses will play a key and sometimes lead role in identifying needs for vulnerable
families in the context of early intervention and prevention in the wider multi-agency setting.
Community nurses will continue to identify and meet family's needs within the context of both
Hall 4 and Getting it right for every child. The forthcoming early years and early intervention
strategy will provide further opportunities to support children and their parents as part of a
joined up multi-agency approach which puts children at the centre.

Beyond the early years, the Scottish Government is also investing in the development of multi-
disciplinary school health teams to respond to the needs of children. These teams will include
community nurses giving families continuity of support from early years through to school
leaving and into adulthood.

Infant Health and Nutrition - New Post
Establishing good nutrition and developing healthy weaning practices is essential and will
influence children's immediate and long term health. In recognition of the importance that is
placed on breastfeeding and children's early eating pattern, an Infant Nutrition Co-ordinator for
Scotland has recently been appointed. The role is to lead the development and implementation of
an infant nutrition strategy, providing advice and support to Ministers, NHS Health Boards and all
those involved in infant nutrition. This post supports a major strand of maternal and child health
policy, as well as wider policy, to promote health and tackle health inequalities. Much of this is
covered in the publication Healthy Eating, Active Living: an action plan to improve diet, increase
physical activity and tackle obesity (2008-2011).

Ministerial Task Force on Health Inequalities
" Equally Well" is a report of the ministerial task force on health inequalities, which sets out the
context in which the Scottish Government intends to improve health across some of the poorest
sections of society.

In this publication Adam Ingram, Minister for Children and Early Years, highlights how this agenda
is supported by early intervention: "Early intervention is a hallmark of this Government's approach
to improving the lives of Scots and delivering the better Scotland that we all want to see. The early
years of a child's life are a key opportunity to build resilience and reduce the impact of inequalities
on health outcomes."

The report states that children's circumstances in the earliest years of life are critical to future
health inequalities and that action is needed across a range of services to end the cycle of health
inequalities which passes from parent to child. It maintains that vulnerable groups, such as looked
after children or those who live in a house where alcohol or drugs are misused, require particular
help. It also points out that children should by encouraged to enjoy learning and to stay in
education beyond the age of 16.

We are increasingly being asked for our key messages as well as electronic copies of the
Getting it right for every child logo to support others in the production of their local materials.

A selection of Getting it right for every child materials is available for download via the
Getting it right for every child Tools & Resources web section. This includes a Style Guidance
document which can also be downloaded. This document sets out how materials can be
prepared by others that are in keeping with the Getting it right for every child house style. It
also includes colour shades, writing styles, copies of the logos, and a set of PowerPoint slide
templates.

For further information or guidance, please contact Lorraine Spalding or Jenny Massey.

Download Printable Version (PDF)