A one-day advanced training seminar with Bill Alexander, head of children's services, NHS Highland and Highland Council

Highland Council – with its partner agencies - has been the lead pathfinder to consider, test and put into practice all of the components of “Getting it Right for Every Child”, the programme that aims to improve outcomes for all children and young people across Scotland.

During this period they have worked through roles, responsibilities, procedures, governance mechanisms and accountabilities. This was a complex journey but as a result they have valuable lessons which can be shared to help others, wherever stage of development you are at, in your implementation of GIRFEC.

This one-day advanced seminar offers the opportunity for senior managers to look at managing the change process and how to put the principals into practice, to examine what’s worked well and what didn’t work in Highland, to question and discuss models of practice and to reflect on what might work, or what’s currently working, in your own authority.

The day will explore:

• the GIRFEC philosophy – the national overview and what the principles mean in practice
• the experience of participants – your plans for implementation, achievements and challenges to date
• the Highland experience – their model, phased implementation, barriers, challenges and solutions, implications for education/NHS/Police/SW and the voluntary sector, progress to date and lessons learned
• putting GIRFEC into practice in your agency or authority.

The facilitator:

Bill Alexander is the Head of Children’s Services for NHS Highland and Highland Council.  He has strategic and operational responsibilities across integrated children’s services, and is a member of the management teams of the Social Work and Education, Culture & Sport Services, and the Child Health Network.  He has led the implementation of the GIRFEC pathfinder programme in Highland.  This has involved co-ordination of the development and implementation phases of the programme plan; and has included reporting to the joint Scottish Government/Highland Project Board, maintaining close liaison with all relevant Government Departments and external consultants, working with all local agencies and managing the dedicated change team.

Who should attend:

This advanced seminar is for senior managers involved in the delivery of service for children across education, health, social work, youth work, the police and voluntary sectors.