Recording Information and Planning
Shared Record
A major feature of the Getting it right for every child approach is that, where it is appropriate, information should be shared about the child or young person. When a child or young person needs extra help from more than one set of professionals or services the child or young person should not have to keep repeating the same information.
For example, the school, the GP and the social worker might recognise key elements from their records that everyone should see in order to help the child or young person effectively. Only when this is necessary and appropriate will these pieces of information come together for the professionals to share, with the consent of the child and/or family where possible.
Agreed plan
Similarly, when trying to help make things better for children and young people, several professionals might need to come together with the child and their family, and possibly carers and other key involved adults, to create an agreed plan of action to make things better. All relevant people should participate and agree the best way forward between them.
This plan will be recorded and shared appropriately with everybody involved and co-ordinated so that each individual - child, sibling, parent, carer or professional - knows what they have to do, who has to do it, how they should to do it, by when and why.
Scottish Executive Ministers have set out an expectation that all children going to a hearing will have a plan by December 2007.