Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 is another significant piece of legislation which made an impact by placing children and young people at the centre of planning and services ensuring their rights are valued. Major sections of the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach have been introduced into law under the Act and aims to strengthen children and young people’s rights as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Its focus was on the early years of a child’s life and towards early intervention whenever help was required by the child or family encouraging preventative measures rather than crises’ responses. Included in this Act is the statutory operation of the Named Person and Child’s Plan underpinned by the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach. The GIRFEC principles which all services and multi-agencies follow is the national holistic approach to improving the wellbeing of children to ensure they develop to their full potential.
