Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC)

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is Scotland’s approach to help children thrive and grow to be all they can be.

Children and families are at the centre of all the services working for and with them.

When you have a baby, health professionals will work with you to make sure your child is supported in every way as they grow and develop. They’ll use two frameworks – The Wellbeing Wheel and My World Triangle – to do this.

The Wellbeing Wheel

You’ll see something called the Wellbeing Wheel used to help you and the people supporting you to focus on what’s important for your child.

There are 8 things your child needs to thrive (sometimes referred to as wellbeing indicators):

To feel and be safe
To be physically and mentally healthy
To achieve in their learning at home, at nursery and school and in the community
To feel nurtured and supported in a family home
To be active and have the chance to play
To feel respected, listened to and involved in the decisions about them
To become responsible and active member of their communities
To feel included

Health professionals will use these as a starting point when you meet to talk about how your baby is developing and what progress they’re making.

Support built on experience

Getting it right for every child builds on the experience of most families – parents and children do best when they have:

the right help
at the right time
from the right people

This support starts with your family and community. It also means you can call on others such as your midwife, health visitor, family nurse, and GP for support.

The ‘named person’

You and your child will be able to go to a ‘named person’ for information, advice and help to access other services.

Your named person will be someone you know well.

For preschool children this will almost always be either your health visitor or family nurse.

They will explain how their role works as part of the service they already give you and your baby.

This builds on the support they offer and gives you access to the right help no matter where you live in Scotland.

My World Triangle

Many things affect your baby’s wellbeing, but there are 3 main areas (known as My World Triangle) your health visitor or family nurse will focus on:

Growth – What your baby needs to grow and develop
People – What your baby needs and how the people around them care for and support them
Society – How your baby’s wider world of family, community and friends affects them

Your health visitor or family nurse will speak with you to help them understand these 3 areas of your baby’s life and how they support your baby’s wellbeing.