The SHANARRI wellbeing indicators are designed to support a shared understanding of children and young people’s wellbeing across services. This relies on effective multi-agency working, where care, education, health and social work professionals collaborate around the same information.
In practice, this collaboration is often one of the most challenging aspects of applying SHANARRI consistently.
Why Multi-Agency Working Matters
Children and young people are supported by multiple services. Each professional contributes a different perspective, and together these insights form a complete picture of wellbeing.
Effective multi-agency working ensures that:
- Information is shared appropriately
- Decisions are informed by a full understanding of need
- Support is coordinated across services
- Outcomes are monitored consistently
Without this, support can become fragmented and less effective.
The Challenge of Siloed Information
One of the biggest barriers to effective collaboration is information being held in separate systems.
This can lead to:
- Inconsistent recording across services
- Delays in sharing important information
- Duplication of work
- Gaps in understanding of a young person’s situation
When professionals are not working from the same information, it becomes harder to provide coordinated support.
The GIRFEC Approach to Collaboration
GIRFEC provides a structure for multi-agency working through roles such as the Named Person and Lead Professional. These roles help ensure that support is coordinated and that communication between services is clear.
SHANARRI supports this by providing a shared framework for understanding wellbeing. It allows all professionals to assess and discuss needs using the same language.
This shared approach is essential for effective collaboration.
Information Sharing in Practice
Information sharing must be handled carefully, balancing the need for collaboration with the need to protect sensitive data.
In practice, this requires:
- Clear processes for sharing information
- Secure systems that protect data
- Consistent recording across services
- Access to up-to-date information
When these elements are in place, professionals can work together more effectively.
Supporting Collaboration with Shared Systems
To break down silos, organisations need systems that support shared access to information.
Geco Connect provides a platform where observations are organised within the SHANARRI framework and accessible to authorised professionals across care, education and therapeutic teams. This creates a shared view of each young person and reduces the need for duplication.
By improving visibility and consistency, it supports stronger collaboration and more coordinated support.
Improving Outcomes Through Collaboration
When multi-agency working is effective, it leads to better outcomes for children and young people.
This includes:
- Faster identification of needs
- More coordinated support
- Clearer communication between professionals
- Stronger evidence of progress
By combining SHANARRI with effective collaboration, organisations can ensure that support is both consistent and responsive.
See SHANARRI in Practice
If you would like to see how organisations are improving multi-agency working through the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators, Geco Connect can help.
Book a demo to see how it works in practice.