Webwatch – Wellbeing for Young Scots (GIRFEC)

‘Wellbeing is about how things are going for children and young people in their lives’.

While the Wellbeing for Young Scots website provides information about what Scottish Government is doing to try and make Scotland the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up, it is primarily by and for young people, to showcase what’s being done in schools and services to support wellbeing.

It is recognised that at some point, young people might need some extra help if things are not going so well. The government aspires for everyone in Scotland to aim to Get it right for every child (GIRFEC). The idea behind it being that if problems can be tackled early on, there is a chance to stop them getting too big and out of control. GIRFEC encourages adults to look out for the wellbeing of young people in their lives.

Wellbeing for Young Scots showcases the work of 12 young people who were the winners of a Scottish Government wellbeing competition in 2013. They give their own account, through words and /or images about what wellbeing means for them. This was on the back of an invite from the Minister for Children and Young People, Aileen Campbell. She wanted to find out what well-being meant to Scotland’s young people and invited them to send in either a written piece or a drawing about what it meant to them. There were over 300 entries from young people aged between 11 and 15. The winners were invited to workshops with the Scottish Government to produce all the information that is available on the website.

The website provides general information on the Wellbeing Wheel based on the GIRFEC principles, information on what a Named Person is and its purpose, and stories about extra support.

Visit Wellbeing for Young Scots: http://www.wellbeingforyoungscots.org/