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MeasureUp for Kids
Measuring what matters for children's wellbeing
Children experience wellbeing differently from adults. Their lives are shaped by rapid development, close relationships, school environments and immediate circumstances – and the effects of support (or the lack of it) can last a lifetime.
The MeasureUp for Kids toolkit was created with the help of AtkinsRéalis to help organisations estimate the impact and value of activities that support children and young people, in ways that are evidence-based, age-appropriate and usable in real policy and funding decisions.
Sponsored by AtkinsRéalis
Why children’s wellbeing needs a different approach
“Children are not the people of tomorrow, but are people of today.” (Janusz Korczak, 1878-1942)
Children’s wellbeing needs our attention as much as adults. It changes quickly as children grow, is sensitive to transitions like starting secondary school or puberty, and is shaped far more by family, school experiences and peer relationships than adults where wellbeing analyses more commonly focus on income, employment or broader life circumstances.
The need is also great in the UK today:
- Around 1 in 5 children and young people have a probable mental disorder
- 10–16% of 10–17-year-olds report persistently low wellbeing
- Nearly 1 million children were referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in a single year – many waiting months or receiving no support at all
(sources and more stats can be found in MeasureUp’s Fact Sheet and Glossary below)
Our challenge in social value accounting is not the lack of data about children’s wellbeing, rather the translation of that data in to reliable representations of the value of that wellbeing. Wellbeing measurement used for wellbeing valuation purposes has primarly focused on adults life satisfaction, an unsuitable measure for children under 10. Our current valuation of wellbeing risks marginalising children, and skewing public investment towards adults.
That matters when we try to measure, value, and report on our impact in programmes relating to children.
If we rely only on adult-style wellbeing measures, we risk missing the outcomes that matter most for children.
The MeasureUp for Kids toolkit aims to support users to better estimate, measure and value children’s wellbeing.
Latest children’s wellbeing values in MeasureUp
More about the values:
MeasureUp draws on the latest UK and international evidence to support:
- Age-appropriate measurement, recognising that under-10s and older children experience should not be measured in the same way
- C-WELLBYs (Children’s Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Years), allowing children’s outcomes to be included fairly in cost-benefit and policy appraisal
- Indirect measurement approaches (such as SDQ-based mappings) where direct life satisfaction questions aren’t reliable
MeasureUp’s children’s wellbeing values are grounded in UK government and academic research, applied policy appraisal methods and emerging best practice on C-WELLBYs. Key sources include the Department for Education, NHS England, What Works Wellbeing, the Children’s Society, State of Life and CEP research on children’s wellbeing valuation. (All assumptions, testing, and mapping are documented transparently in the Test and Validation Report.)
This means organisations can:
- Capture outcomes that genuinely reflect children’s lived experience
- Compare children’s outcomes alongside adult outcomes
- Make stronger, fairer cases for investment in early and preventative support
What’s inside the Children’s Wellbeing Toolkit?
The MeasureUp Children’s Wellbeing Toolkit brings together practical tools, evidence and examples to help you move from activity to impact with confidence.
Test and Validation Report – Children’s Wellbeing Values
Independent evidence on how children’s wellbeing values were tested, validated and applied.
Children’s Wellbeing Toolkit – Example Estimator
A worked example showing how activities translate into C-WELLBY-based valuations.
Fact Sheet & Glossary
A concise overview of key concepts, statistics and measurement choices plus a economics term glossary.
Action Checklist
A simple, step-by-step guide to applying MeasureUp values to children’s wellbeing activities.
Impact Pathway Mapping Worksheet
A structured way to map activities → outcomes → wellbeing change.
Case studies: BWB Consulting and Liverpool Cathedral
How children’s wellbeing values can be applied in real-life contexts.
Supported by AtkinsRéalis
This work has been supported by AtkinsRéalis, reflecting a shared commitment to better evidence, better decisions and long-term social value.
By sponsoring the MeasureUp for Kids toolkit, AtkinsRéalis has helped make robust children’s wellbeing valuation more accessible – supporting practitioners, commissioners and policymakers to account properly for the outcomes that matter most early in life. Learn more
