Ensuring children feel nurtured, healthy and happy is crucial to their development. As children grow, it’s important that they understand what is needed to develop positive mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. 

In Scotland, 'Getting It Right For Every Child' and young person (GIRFEC) is a national policy to help all children and young people grow, develop and reach their full potential. Its focus is to improve outcomes for children and their families based on a shared understanding of their wellbeing. 

Using the GIRFEC principles, we consider children’s wellbeing through holistic, rights and strengths based approaches that take account of stage of development and the complexity of each child or young person’s individual life circumstances. This is done in collaboration with children, young people and their family using eight wellbeing indicators represented by the SHANARRI acronym: Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included. These indicators have been designed with the four capacities of the Curriculum for Excellence in mind to ensure our children and young people have the best start in life and are ready to succeed as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

In practice, the eight wellbeing indicators can be interconnected and overlapping. When considered together, they give a holistic view of each child or young person. They enable the child or young person, and the adults supporting them, to consider strengths, as well as any obstacles they may face to growth and development and gain an insight into their physical, social and emotional wellbeing.

At Carron Primary and ELC our holistic, rights and strengths-based Health and Wellbeing programme is designed using these eight wellbeing indicators and our children and young people self-assess how they are feeling against each of these at regular points throughout each stage of their lives.  

Further information about GIRFEC

• Scottish Governemt: Policies - 'Children and Families'
• Parentzone Scotland: My Child - What Is My Child Entitled To? - Getting It Right For Every Child (Education Scotland)