Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) is a national programme in Scotland that aims to improve the wellbeing of all children and young people by giving them the right help, at the right time, from the right people and in the right place. All services working with children and young people should play their part in promoting, supporting, and safeguarding their wellbeing.

Through the GIRFEC model, the Scottish Government shares eight ‘wellbeing indicators’ (sometimes also called ‘SHANARRI indicators’) that help explain what wellbeing means – ‘Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included’. The below image shares how each indicator contributes to good wellbeing:

These indicators help everyone working with a child or young person to be consistent in measuring their quality of their life. They can use the indicators to help find out what a child or young person needs so that they can access the right support or advice.

Schools should be using a ‘Whole School Approach’ in supporting mental health and wellbeing, which can be carried out in connection with the GIRFEC indicators.

There are 8 principles of the Whole school approach, which you can read about here: Scottish Governments guidance on the Whole School Approach to support mental health and wellbeing

This approach is about educating children and young people about the importance of having good wellbeing, observing any negative impacts on children and young people’s wellbeing and gathering their views on what they feel is impacting their wellbeing and what could be improved at school to change this.

The UNCRC is an international treaty that grants all children and young people under the age of 18 a set of fundamental human rights. The UNCRC was incorporated into Scottish law in 2024. These rights include:

Article 3 – The best interests of your child must be a top priority in all decisions and actions that affect them. This also means that your local authority should follow good practice when it comes to things like health, safety and wellbeing in their school.

Article 6 – Your child has the right to grow up in conditions that don’t impact negatively on their physical and mental wellbeing. So, your child’s school should do as much as they can to make sure they are helping them develop and that school does not negatively impact their wellbeing.

Article 12 – Your child has the right to express their views and be taken seriously, in all matters that affect them. This means your child should be listened to and taken seriously when they have their own concerns about their wellbeing.

Article 19 – The right to protection from harm, including violence, abuse and injury.

Article 29 – Your child’s education should help their mind, body and talents be the best they can. It should also build their respect for other people and the world around them.

You can read more about the UNCRC on our young people’s website: Reach – UNCRC.

People working to support your child should ask themselves the following questions:

The professionals should use National Practice Model – (GIRFEC) which links together all the different aspects of Scottish Government’s guidance to help the professionals supporting your child to identify, assess and support their wellbeing.

If there are concerns about your child’s wellbeing, the school can carry out a wellbeing assessment. From this assessment, they can create a wellbeing plan.

Wellbeing plans are called different things in different areas, for example Child’s Plans, GIRFMe Plans, and Wellbeing Action and Assessment Plans. They all have the same purpose: to help professionals plan, deliver and co-ordinate support for a child or young person.

If your child needs help from professionals outside school to support their wellbeing, these professionals may also decide it would be useful to set up a wellbeing plan for them.

When professionals are preparing a wellbeing plan, they should consider the child or young person’s needs in relation to each of the GIRFEC wellbeing indicators. They should agree what actions they need to take to support your child. They should use the plan to record:

Throughout the wellbeing assessment the school should be working with your child, making sure their voice is heard and that they have the opportunity to be involved in creating their own wellbeing plan.

The plan should be reviewed and kept up to date as and when needed.

Read more about different kinds of written support plans on our page on How support is planned.

You should speak to your child’s class teacher, guidance teacher or key worker if:

You can ask for a meeting to discuss your concerns and agree on some steps that could be taken to improve things for your child.

If you are still worried after this, speak to the head teacher of your child’s school or nursery. Sometimes it can help to put your concerns in writing to them, for example in an email.

There are also further things you can do after this, which you can find out more about on our page Solving problems with school.

Scottish Government information about GIRFEC www.gov.scot/policies/girfec

The Scottish Government’s website has lots of information about their Getting It Right For Every Child policy.

Equality Advisory and Support Service www.equalityadvisoryservice.com

Tel: 0808 800 0082

The Equality Advisory and Support Service provides advice and information on issues related to equality and human rights. As well as their telephone helpline, there is a contact form and online chat available through their website.