Minister for Children Celebrates Highland Pathfinder Project
Adam Ingram, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Children and Early Years, visited Inverness today (Tuesday) to mark the implementation of the Government programme, Getting it right for every child in The Highland Council area. In a unique partnership with the Scottish Government, The Highland Council is the first Scottish local authority and community planning partnership to implement Getting it right for every child, which is a programme to reform assessment and planning processes, reduce bureaucracy and achieve better outcomes for children and families.
Mr Ingram met with senior officers and elected members, before undertaking visits to local services in Inverness. There he met staff and managers, as well as local families, including at an Action for Children project. He then spoke to a group of around 100 staff, including social workers, teachers, nurses and police officers in the Council Chamber.
In welcoming Mr Ingram, Catriona Burns, Highland’s Youth Convener recognised his personal commitment to the reform programme. She said: “Getting it right for every child should mean that every child in Scotland will have access to the range of services they need to reach their full potential, no matter what their abilities, background or any challenges they may face. This is about making sure that no young person slips between our fingers, or falls through the gaps.”
Pam Courcha, Chair of Highland’s Joint Committee on Young People. was pleased that Mr Ingram saw early evidence from his meetings and visits during the day of better outcomes for children, which will have confirmed that better services are ultimately about people working well together across agencies.
During the meeting in the Council Chamber, Adam Ingram said: “This government is committed to giving every young person the chance to fulfil their potential and that means supporting children and families at the first opportunity. By ensuring agencies work collaboratively when necessary to put the child’s needs at the centre we can best enable them to intervene early, help families and mitigate any risks before they are allowed to develop.
“That ethos and improving outcomes are at the heart of our Getting it right for every child programme and Highland have been truly instrumental in leading the way on this agenda. The fantastic and innovative work being taken forward here and is an example to areas across Scotland as we move to roll GIRFEC out more widely to support our priorities.”
Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chair of the Highland Council Housing & Social Work Committee thanked Mr Ingram for his comments, and praised the commitment of staff across the authority. She said: “We have always been committed to improving services for children in the Highlands, and the implementation of Getting it right for every child is a tremendous achievement. It is a tribute to all of the staff working in agencies in Highland. It is they who have put new processes in place, which mean that the child will always be at the very centre of these processes.”