The Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach supports children and young people so that they can grow up feeling loved, safe and respected and can realise their full potential. At home, in school or the wider community, every child and young person should be:

• Safe
• Healthy
• Achieving
• Nurtured
• Active
• Respected
• Responsible
• Included

These eight factors are often referred to by their initial letters – SHANARRI.

They are wellbeing indicators which help make it easier for children and families and the people working with them to discuss how a child or young person is doing at a point in time and if there is a need for support.

Each child is unique and there is no set level of wellbeing that children should achieve. Wellbeing is influenced by children’s individual experiences and changing needs as they grow.

At our Centre the staff have given each wellbeing indicator a character, in order to make it more memorable for the children.

Here is ‘Sonic’ for safe and 2 children have explained what being safe at our Centre means.

Our Centre staff work with our children to undertake child-led activities/experiences.  Below is the most recent planning in our floor book where children identified what they wanted to find out about.

please note – we have only just started finding out about dinosaurs, further updates will follow

When our children come into the Centre they choose how they are feeling.  Staff will check in with children throughout the day and find out if their feelings have changed.

Care Inspectorate have introduced Simoa, the elephant, to all ELC settings. Let’s raise awareness and act responsibly to safeguard, protect and support children’s wellbeing.

Simoa always remembers:

Safe
Be alert to all potential risks in your setting.

Inspect
Look around and inspect the environment to make sure a child can’t leave an area without staff or their parent/carer.

Monitor
Regularly check that all children are accounted for particularly when they are outside, on outings or using transport.

Observe
Observe children and think about their feelings and emotional security – use these observations to support children to feel loved and secure.

Act
Assess and take action to keep children safe.

keeping-children-safe-poster-artwork-simoa