Exploring the tensions of the Getting it Right for Every Child policy

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  "An exploration of the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) policy approach: Finding the balance among its tensions"

• IRAS ID

  232568

• Contact name

  Nikoletta Komvoki

• Contact email

  nikoletta.komvoki@stir.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Stirling

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 7 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  In keeping with the aspiration to make Scotland the best place to grow up, the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) policy approach has been developed in Scotland since 2004 to promote children’s wellbeing. The two key principles within the GIRFEC are the promotion of early intervention practices as well as the seamless collaboration among stakeholders, such as families, educators, the police, social care and health services.

  Because the GIRFEC principles have been enshrined in law in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act (2014) (Scottish Government, 2014), Health Visitors along with all the professionals working with families are required to adapt their practices to the new legislative changes at the ground level. From policy to practice, however, there are tensions brought up within GIRFEC. Due to the relatively new legislation, very little has been known about how professionals’ new practices are perceived by Health Visitors, parents and pre-school age children, which creates a research gap in the literature.
  
  This qualitative study aims to critically explore how professionals (mostly Health Visitors), parents and pre-school age children understand and negotiate the tensions in GIRFEC between:
  • The provision of universal services to all children (wellbeing) and the provision of additional support to the children requiring extra help (protecting from risk)
  • Early intervention via the health visiting service perceived as support and perceived as intrusion
  • Data sharing as a result of children’s services integration and breaching the right to the protection of personal data

  In the case of pre-school age children in particular, the present study aims to examine whether it is possible to obtain their views and experiences on the services they receive, with a focus on health visiting. Through child-friendly methods, which will act as ‘prompts’ for discussion, pre-school age children will have the opportunity to describe the actions and traits of the relevant professionals they come in contact with (including Health Visitors), what they like/expect from them, what they like/would like to change in their interactions with them and what the “ideal” Health Visitor/social worker/teacher would be for them.

  The study will be a case study of one Scottish NHS Health Board. To collect professionals’ views on the matter, the study will use individual interviews with approximately 10 Health Visitors and 5 additional professionals (e.g. social workers). To collect parents’ views on the matter, the study will use 2 focus groups (each one of which will be consisting of approximately 10 parents). To examine the feasibility of obtaining pre-school age children’s perspectives on the matter, creative methods i.e. drawing techniques, vignettes, unfinished sentences and postal boxes used with approximately 2-3 pre-school age children (aged from 3-5) will take place. Also, document analysis and observations of approximately 2-3 Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings, where various professionals meet up to discuss a child’s wellbeing concern, will also take place.

  Considering that my study will explore what is considered to work in the current health visiting service, what requires improvement and for whom, its results can provide a strong knowledge base upon which recommendations for policymakers and researchers can be made. Moreover, it could potentially enable greater government enactment via the design and implementation of policies that would better meet the needs of the professionals and the public.

• REC name

  South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  17/SC/0640

• Date of REC Opinion

  15 Dec 2017

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion