Hansard

Thank you. In that case, I will declare an interest. I recently became a father—[Applause.] The debate seems to have greater relevance for me than it might have had had it taken place a few weeks ago. I place on record my thanks to members—including you, Presiding Officer—for the good wishes that they have expressed, which my wife and I have sincerely appreciated.

I welcome the broad consensus on the getting it right agenda that has been demonstrated in the debate, even though there might be differences in some areas. It should be acknowledged that work on developing the principles behind GIRFEC began before the 2007 election. The Parliament has demonstrated that it is at its best when parties work together towards a common goal.

There is considerable positive feedback on how the getting it right agenda has worked in the pilot areas, in particular the Highlands. We hear much talk about the need for joined-up government, and it is clear that GIRFEC provides a positive example of what that means in practice.

One of the biggest causes of frustration that constituents describe to me is the feeling that complaints and concerns, which are often to do with health and social services, are passed from pillar to post. People are frustrated by the difficulty of making headway in situations that seem intractable. Under the getting it right principles, all the different services and agencies that are concerned with the wellbeing of an individual child are brought together and there is a clear focus on the child's needs and rights. Although a range of providers and agencies continue to be involved, services are presented to the child and their family or carers as a single service, through which it is hoped that the child will be listened to and helped to understand the decisions that affect them. Families in the pilot have reported that they feel that one team supports them and their children.

The evaluation of the pilot in Highland identified other achievements. The proportion of children who are seen by supervising officers within 15 days is now 100 per cent. The length of time that looked-after children wait for permanent and adoptive placements has fallen during the past four years. There has been a significant decrease in exclusions from secondary schools. Workers are reporting that there is better information, greater trust, more advice and greater capacity for early intervention. Those achievements demonstrate the potential of the GIRFEC approach.

A pathfinder initiative on domestic abuse was undertaken in Falkirk, in Central Scotland, which is the region that I represent. The aim was to inform our understanding at a national level. The Falkirk project was established to address the effect of domestic abuse on children, by intervening at an early stage to provide children who experience domestic abuse with the help and support that they need.

In the report of its June 2009 joint inspection of services to protect children and young people in the Falkirk Council area, HMIE cites the pathfinder as an example of good practice and highlights the way that the pathfinder group,

"comprising staff from police, health, social work, education, the Children's Reporter, Women's Aid and"

the Camelon and Larbert support to parents group,

"met on a weekly basis."

The report found that

"Support was provided quickly and impact was monitored.

By adopting Getting it Right for Every Child ... principles, children affected by domestic abuse and their parents, in the Denny area of Falkirk, were provided with help and support much more quickly when they needed it most."

That is an excellent example of the GIRFEC principles literally getting it right, so I congratulate those involved on their success and look forward to other parts of the country learning from it as the agenda moves forward.

There is some discussion about the best way to ensure that the agenda is implemented effectively at a national level. There have been calls for fresh legislation, but the Scottish Government's approach so far has been proven correct. The point of the GIRFEC principles is that action be taken on the ground. Guidance, regulations and legislation can achieve only so much; individuals have to put them into practice, and the strategy is about doing that as clearly and consistently as possible.

As the motion makes clear, getting it right for every child means ensuring that all aspects of public policy that affect young people work to the same principles. It means ensuring that the goals of the early years framework, the poverty reduction strategy and the approach to tackling health inequalities are also joined up and put child wellbeing front and centre.

Getting it right for every child means not simply protecting children from harm but actively investing in their future potential. That is why I welcome the Government's continued commitment to rolling out free school meals. All parents want their children to have the best possible start in life and the best possible education. Ensuring that our younger pupils are provided with sufficient sustenance for a day's learning is important. That is why I was disappointed by the remarks of the man who would be king of Labour in Scotland—Steven Purcell—who has called into question the need for free school meals. I trust that that stance is not shared by his colleagues in the Parliament. The need to ensure that our children are sustained was illustrated starkly by the depressing cover story in the recent edition of Third Force News, which reported that 10 per cent of children who are admitted to Yorkhill hospital are malnourished. That such a thing occurs in the 21st century is a salutary reminder of the work that is to be done.

Parents also want their children to be educated locally—in their communities and among their friends—by teachers who have the knowledge and experience that come from working in that community. That is why I have been concerned by proposals to close schools and nurseries in North Lanarkshire—proposals that I will work against.

As I said in my introduction, we often hear about the need for joined-up government. Sometimes the expression can sound like the kind of jargon that it is supposed to represent a move away from but, when we consider the success of the pathfinder projects, we see that joining up the services that are delivered by local and national Government, as well as the third sector, is eminently achievable.

I agree that the frightening statistics that Duncan McNeil laid out—as Hugh Henry rightly stated, they are shocking—demonstrate why we must not be complacent about getting it right for every child. When we get it right for every child, the benefits are felt throughout society. Part of the human impulse is to seek better for our children; getting it right for every child can be a key component of achieving that. If children can avoid health problems and a propensity to crime or antisocial behaviour, and if they can lift their heads and aim for the highest educational attainment and excellence throughout their lives, that will reduce costs elsewhere in the community and raise standards across the board.

I hope that, from getting it right for every child, we will soon reach the day when we—politicians, the Government and society as a whole—get it right for every person in Scotland and make our country the best that it possibly can be for future generations to inherit.