The SHANARRI wellbeing indicators sit at the heart of Scotland’s approach to supporting children and young people. Used within the GIRFEC (Getting It Right for Every Child) framework, SHANARRI provides a clear, shared language for understanding and measuring wellbeing across services.

For professionals working in care, education and local authorities, SHANARRI is not just a concept — it is a practical tool used every day to assess needs, record progress and evidence outcomes.

The Eight SHANARRI Wellbeing Indicators

SHANARRI represents eight key areas of wellbeing:

• Safe – protected from harm, abuse and neglect
• Healthy – supported in physical and mental wellbeing
• Achieving – progressing in learning and development
• Nurtured – experiencing care, support and stability
• Active – participating in play, activity and healthy lifestyles
• Respected – having a voice and being heard
• Responsible – developing independence and accountability
• Included – feeling part of a community and overcoming inequality

Together, these indicators provide a holistic view of a young person’s life, recognising that wellbeing is interconnected and influenced by multiple factors.

Why SHANARRI Matters in Practice

SHANARRI gives professionals a structured way to understand what is happening in a child or young person’s life. It moves beyond isolated observations and helps build a consistent picture across teams.

In practice, this means:

• Observations are linked to clear wellbeing outcomes
• Concerns can be identified earlier
• Support can be coordinated across services
• Progress can be tracked over time

For residential care settings and specialist schools, this structure is essential. Care, education and therapeutic teams all contribute to a young person’s development — SHANARRI ensures they are working from the same understanding.

The Challenge of Recording Wellbeing

While SHANARRI is widely understood, applying it consistently can be difficult.

Many organisations still rely on multiple systems, duplicated reporting and manual processes. This can lead to:

• Information being fragmented across teams
• Time being spent on admin rather than support
• Difficulty evidencing outcomes during inspections

This is where digital tools are becoming increasingly important.

Platforms like Geco Connect are designed to organise everyday observations around the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators, helping teams record information once, build a clear picture of each young person and strengthen outcome reporting.

Supporting Better Outcomes

Ultimately, SHANARRI is about improving outcomes for children and young people.

By providing a shared framework for wellbeing, it helps professionals understand what support is needed and whether that support is making a difference.

When applied consistently — and supported by the right tools — SHANARRI becomes more than a framework. It becomes a way to ensure every young person’s progress is visible, understood and supported.

See SHANARRI in Practice

If you’d like to see how organisations are applying the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators in a more structured and efficient way, Geco Connect can help.

Book a demo to see how it works in practice.