Social and Emotional Wellbeing: Development of a Children's Headline Indicator. Information Paper. Catalog Number PHE 158

The Children's Headline Indicators are a set of measures designed to focus policy attention and to help guide and evaluate policy development on key issues for children's health, development and wellbeing in 19 priority areas. They were endorsed by health, community and disability services ministers and education systems officials in 2006. Headline Indicators were defined for 16 of these priority areas. However, more work was needed on the remaining three--"family social network, social and emotional wellbeing" and "shelter"--to conceptualise and identify the most important aspects of these areas for children's health, development and wellbeing. This information paper outlines the process of developing a Headline Indicator for the "social and emotional wellbeing" priority area. Appended are: (1) Process to identify a Headline Indicator; (2) Headline Indicator Data Development Expert Working Group; (3) Social and Emotional Wellbeing Workshop participants; (4) Headline Indicators for children's health, development and wellbeing; and (5) Additional information on selected surveys and screening tools. (Contains 8 tables, 4 figures and 3 footnotes.)