The Scottish Government Response to the 'Consultation on the Draft Statutory Guidance for Parts 4, 5 & 18 (Section 96) of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014'

6 Connecting with GIRFEC

6.1 We are working with partners across Government and children's services in Scotland to deliver a comprehensive communications and engagement programme, ensuring the organisations and practitioners delivering GIRFEC duties and services understand how the incoming legislation will impact their work. We are also working extensively with third sector networks supporting children, young people and their families to ensure they understand what the new services mean for them and how they can benefit.

Children, Young People, Parents and Carers

6.2 Working with partners across children's services in the Public and third sectors and a range of parent networks, we are identifying appropriate channels and specific information needs of different audiences in order to effectively inform them about GIRFEC and the incoming legislation. Activities include:

• Case studies - We are collating real life stories of where concerns, addressed early enough, have or could have improved a child's or young person's life. Told from the perspectives of the child, young person or parent and the professionals involved, they will show the benefits of the GIRFEC approach and availability of the Named Person service in practice.
• Information roadshow - A series of Q&A events to take place across Scotland will offer the public - parents and young people in particular - an opportunity to ask their own questions about GIRFEC legislation and the Named Person service and hear more about how it will impact families across the country. Information on these events will be available on www.gov.scot/gettingitright and publicised on our Twitter feed @girfec as they are confirmed.
• Digital engagement - www.gov.scot/gettingitright is being updated to offer a more accessible central information source, hosting all GIRFEC publications and case studies, and signpost audiences to other information sources relevant to their interests. Members of the public will also have the opportunities to engage directly with the team behind GIRFEC through Twitter and Facebook Q&A events.
• Public information campaign - Following the publication of the statutory guidance and in advance of the GIRFEC duties coming into force in August 2016, we will run a public information campaign to ensure people know how the GIRFEC duties will operate and how children, young people and families can access the Named Person service.

Practitioners

6.3 We are working with bodies who have responsibilities under the Act to inform and support professionals undertaking new GIRFEC duties. Alongside the development of practice materials, the range of co-production and communication support includes:

• Conferences and seminars: - the National Team regularly contribute to annual and one-off sector events to educate practitioners on various elements of the incoming legislation and provide updates on implementation progress.
• GIRFEC Knowledge Hub site - The Knowledge Hub is an online platform for public service collaboration, offering easy, centralised access to information and guidance materials for managers and practitioners involved in implementing the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act. The GIRFEC Knowledge Hub site has been redesigned to offer more accessible and tailored support to practitioners to encourage them to share examples of good practice in their fields and benefit from peer support.
• National communication materials: - Reflecting the national framework and standards of practice being introduced, we are working with local authorities, third sector organisations and Public Sector bodies to identify materials that will help inform and promote the GIRFEC approach and related services within the local context. This includes a Communication Pack providing a clear explanation of what the new duties are and how they are intended to support children, young people and their families, and the Named Person Myth Buster addressing some of the misinformation currently circulating.