Scottish Government

A structured way to ensure children's well-being

The well-being of children and young people is at the heart of Getting it right for every child. The Getting it right approach gives everyone a common set of 'indicators' of well-being - these are the basic requirements for all children and young people to grow and develop, and to reach their full potential. They have been designed to help assess (or indicate) what is going on in a child's world and to see if there are any areas that need to be addressed. They're shown on the well-being wheel which is part of our overall national practice model.

The idea is that if everyone - parents, teachers, health visitors, social workers and police - uses them, they can make sure nothing is overlooked and that there is a consistent approach. They can be used to structure the way information is recorded and to summarise any needs that have to be addressed.

Children and young people progress differently, depending on their circumstances. But every child and young person has the right to expect appropriate support from adults to allow them to develop in all eight areas - especially if there are things getting in the way of their well-being.

Find out more about the ten things organisations need to do to 'get it right' for every child.

• Getting it right top ten

The Getting it right approach includes a 'named person' for every child, from birth (or sometimes before), until they reach 18.

Most children and young people get all the help and support they need from their families, from teachers and health professionals, and from their wider communities. But some may need extra help and that's where the named person comes in.

Depending on the age of the child, a health visitor or teacher usually takes the role of named person. This means that the child and their family have a point of contact who can work with them to sort out any further help, advice or support if they need it.

They need to help children and families feel confident they can raise concerns and talk about their worries to people who will listen and respect their point of view and work with them to sort things out.

• Read more about the named person

The well-being wheel is used alongside five questions. Together, these are the start of a process that can become more detailed if more help and support is needed - or if there are concerns about a child's well-being.

As well as the well-being wheel, the named person can use these five questions to help them decide what they need to do:

• What is getting in the way of this child or young person's well-being?
• Do I have all the information I need to help this child or young person?
• What can I do now to help this child or young person?
• What can my agency do to help this child or young person?
• What additional help, if any, may be needed from others?

Children, families and practitioners (people who work with children) can all raise a concern. It might be an event or something else that is affecting the welfare, well-being or happiness of a child. If the person is concerned enough to feel anxious or uneasy, they should record this.

What might be a cause for concern?

• A particular event like a child behaving out of character, or domestic violence in the child's home.

• A pattern or cluster of events which cause concern when they are all put together, but where an individual event might not cause concern if taken on its own.

• Something that might make a child vulnerable - this might be a hearing or sight impairment, or a child who has difficulty managing their anger, for example.

• Something about a person who is associated with a child, such as a parent who is misusing drugs.

• Something about the child's environment that puts them at risk - for example, a dangerous neighbourhood or being homeless.

• A combination of some of these things. For example, a premature baby living in a household where there is known to be domestic violence and a limited income.

• The idea of Getting it right is to identify and record concerns at an early stage - no one should feel they have to wait until a problem is more obvious, or a family is already in crisis.

Respecting confidentiality and sharing information will be an important part of multi-agency working.

We have set up an advisory group to look at how this might be achieved, sharing information that is relevant and proportionate while safeguarding children and young people's rights to confidentiality.