SHANARRI and Children’s Rights: Scotland’s UNCRC Commitment in Action

The SHANARRI wellbeing indicators are closely aligned with children’s rights in Scotland. With the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law, there is a renewed focus on ensuring that every child’s rights are upheld in practice.

For professionals, this means moving beyond policy and ensuring that rights are clearly understood, applied and evidenced in everyday work.

SHANARRI as a Rights-Based Framework

SHANARRI provides a structured way to understand wellbeing, but it is also rooted in rights-based principles. Each of the eight indicators reflects aspects of a child’s right to safety, health, participation and development.

For example:

Safe aligns with protection from harm
Healthy reflects the right to healthcare and wellbeing
Respected supports the right to be heard
Included reinforces the right to participation and belonging

Together, these indicators help ensure that rights are considered holistically rather than in isolation.

The Impact of UNCRC Incorporation

Scotland’s decision to incorporate the UNCRC into domestic law strengthens accountability for children’s rights. Public bodies, including local authorities and schools, must now demonstrate how they are upholding these rights in practice.

This creates a clear expectation that:

Children’s views are actively sought and considered
Decisions are made in the best interests of the child
Services are designed to support wellbeing and development
Rights are embedded across all areas of practice

For organisations, this means that rights must not only be understood but also evidenced.

From Principles to Practice

Applying a rights-based approach requires more than awareness. Professionals must be able to show how rights are being supported through their work.

This involves:

Recording how children’s views are captured and acted upon
Demonstrating how support is tailored to individual needs
Ensuring that decisions are transparent and accountable
Linking actions to clear wellbeing outcomes

Without consistent recording, it can be difficult to evidence how rights are being upheld.

Evidencing Rights Through SHANARRI

SHANARRI provides a practical way to evidence children’s rights through wellbeing indicators. By linking observations and actions to these indicators, professionals can demonstrate how rights are being supported across all areas of a young person’s life.

Geco Connect supports this by organising information within the SHANARRI framework, allowing teams to capture and evidence rights-based practice more consistently. This helps organisations strengthen accountability while maintaining a clear focus on each young person’s experience.

Strengthening Accountability and Outcomes

The integration of SHANARRI and the UNCRC creates a stronger foundation for improving outcomes. When rights are embedded in practice and supported by clear evidence, organisations are better able to:

Demonstrate compliance with legal duties
Improve the quality of support provided
Strengthen trust with children and families
Deliver more consistent, outcome-focused care

This approach ensures that children’s rights are not just recognised, but actively upheld.

See SHANARRI in Practice

If you would like to see how organisations are evidencing children’s rights through the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators, Geco Connect can help.

Book a demo to see how it works in practice.