Improved Children’s Wellbeing

In the context of children’s wellbeing, “Improved Children’s Wellbeing” usually refers to a positive change in how children perceive and evaluate their own lives. It’s a subjective wellbeing measure — more about how children feel and think about their lives rather than purely objective conditions.  

While the WELLBY (Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year) offers a clear, monetizable measure of adult wellbeing for cost–benefit analysis, it is not directly suited to children. Although many validated tools exist to assess different aspects of children’s wellbeing, none have emerged as a straightforward equivalent to adult life satisfaction or the WELLBY. One proposed response to this need is the C-WELLBY, a child-focused wellbeing measure. 

PW2

Improved Children’s Wellbeing

Personal Wellbeing

Key Value

A monetised wellbeing value of 15,920

This represents the monetised value of a one-WELLBY change in a child’s wellbeing per year, expressed in 2024 prices. It is a measure of children’s wellbeing for age groups under ten, where happiness has been mapped onto life satisfaction.

The headline value for improved children’s wellbeing is based on the work of Isaac Parkes (LSE) in partnership with Dr Allan Little (State of Life).

The discussion paper is titled “The C-WELLBY: Towards a Universal Measure of Children’s Wellbeing for Policy Analysis” and the accompanying State of Life blog post is “The C-WELLBY for Children’s Wellbeing – We Have Lift Off.”

Children aged 10 and above: 

Evidence in the paper suggests that children aged 10 and above are capable of making meaningful evaluations of their lives as a whole. The Understanding Society youth survey includes a life satisfaction question that can reasonably be interpreted as an evaluative judgement, aligning with established approaches in wellbeing research. Minor variations in question wording across surveys are common and generally considered acceptable, as long as the core concept of evaluative wellbeing remains consistent. For instance, the item “How satisfied are you with your life nowadays? 0: Not at all, 10: Completely” can be used interchangeably with the standard life satisfaction measure. Based on this, it is recommended that life satisfaction measures — and by extension, WELLBYs adapted for children — are applied in cost–benefit analyses concerning children aged 10 and above. From an equity perspective, these child life satisfaction improvements should be assigned the same monetary value as adult WELLBYs, currently estimated at £15,920 (2024 prices; HMT, 2021). 

Children under 10 

For children under 10, asking them directly about life satisfaction (like “How happy are you with your life?”) is not very reliable, because they are still developing the ability to reflect and evaluate in that way. 

Instead, researchers suggest using other wellbeing measures that are more suitable for young children, and then “translating” those scores into C-WELLBYs (so they can be compared and included in cost–benefit analyses). 

The method they use is called a mapping function — basically a statistical tool that converts one measure (like a behavioural or emotional score) into another measure (like wellbeing). Specifically, they recommend using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Total Difficulties Score, which is a widely used measure of children’s behavioural and emotional wellbeing for ages 2–9. 

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) consist of 20 items grouped into four domains: emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer relationship difficulties. Each item is rated on a scale from 0 (no difficulties) to 2 (severe difficulties). Results are usually reported either as a Total Difficulties Score (summing all items, range 0–40) or as an Internalising Score (SDQ-I), which includes only emotional symptoms and peer relationship items (range 0–20).  

The paper recommends ‘mapping’ SDQ scores on to the WELLBY by using the mapping functions because we’re observing the change in the emotional, conduct and behavioural outcomes that SDQ captures and at present, it is uncertain which aspects of the SDQ are the strongest predictors of children’s life satisfaction.  

They found that each one-point increase in the SDQ difficulties score (meaning more problems reported) corresponds to a decrease of 0.146 in the WELLBY value. So: worse SDQ score → lower C-WELLBY score → lower wellbeing. 

The following example is provided in the paper: Suppose an intervention improves children’s wellbeing by reducing their average SDQ Total Difficulties Score by 2 points over the course of one year. Based on the mapping function, each one-point reduction in SDQ is associated with a +0.146 increase in life satisfaction (C-WELLBYs). 

  • So, a 2-point reduction translates to:
    −2×−0.146 = +0.292 C-WELLBYs. 

Since one C-WELLBY is valued at £15,920 (2024 prices; HMT, 2021), this improvement equals a monetised wellbeing benefit of £4,649 per child per year. 

Because of its broader coverage, they recommend using the parent-reported SDQ as the preferred measure for mapping to C-WELLBYs. Where parent reports are not available, the teacher-reported SDQ provides a suitable alternative. In cases where the SDQ cannot be collected, children’s self-reported happiness (0-10 scale) can be used as a simple and practical proxy for estimating WELLBYs, applying a linear coefficient of 0.546. 

Local Needs Analysis Data Source

Before using this MeasureUp value, we encourage you to assess the local need in relation to the activity or outcome.

Here is the most useful initial data source for assessing local need in relation to this value.

To assess local needs related to the value PW2 ‘Improved Children’s Wellbeing’, you can use the Level of activity (Children and Young People) indicator from Sport England. This data reflects mental wellbeing average score for years 1 -11. It is available at the local authority, and regional level. This indicator helps identify areas where young people may lack life satisfaction. To explore the survey, select the data you are interested in analysing (Locations), then choose location and in the final step choose measures (Mental Wellbeing). 

 

Bronze

Effort

Accuracy

Monetised value:

Multiply the number of children you expect to move one point up the wellbeing scale by £15,920. 

If you can’t ask children directly about their wellbeing, because you’re unable to survey them, or this is a plan for a future project, then you can use this value as a proxy for an improvement in wellbeing. It’s an estimate of what the impact of an intervention that’s effective at improving wellbeing (by one point, for one year) might produce.  

Here’s an example:

You are planning a drama group for children. You expect around 20 children to take part, although their ages are not yet known. It is anticipated that some of these children (for example, 13 out of 20) will report an improvement in wellbeing. It is important to be realistic about expected outcomes, as it is unlikely that all participants will experience the desired improvement. 

Therefore, you estimate 13*£15,920 = £47,760 total monetised wellbeing value.  

At the bronze level (where you are assuming what the impact might be) your value is likely to overestimate the value of your intervention.  

Silver

Effort

Accuracy

Monetised value:

Consider realistically the age of the children who will get the intervention Therefore you can calculate apply the appropriate WELLBY values.

  • For children aged 10 and above: wellbeing improvements should be assigned the same monetary value as adult WELLBYs, currently estimated at £15,920 (2024 prices; HMT, 2021). 
  • For children aged below 10: “Mapping” should be applied. 
  1.  Each one-point increase in the SDQ difficulties score (meaning more problems reported) corresponds to a decrease of 0.146 in the WELLBY value.  
  2. Each point in children’s self-reported happiness (0-10 scale) corresponds to an increase of 0.546 in the WELLBY value. 

Here’s an example:

You plan a drama group for children. You anticipate 20 children will take part. 10 of them are aged 10 or above and 10 of them are in age below 10. 

You anticipate 50 percent of each group will report improved wellbeing by one point. 

  • The wellbeing of children age 10 or above is assumed to be measured with the standard life satisfaction measure (i.e. one point increase in 0-10 points scale).  
  • The wellbeing of children below age 10 is assumed to be indirectly measured with SDQ Total Difficulties Score (i.e. one-point decrease in the SDQ difficulties score). 

Step 1 — C-WELLBYs gained 

Age ≥10 (standard life-satisfaction measure)
Each 1-point increase = +1 C-WELLBY.
Total C-WELLBYs = 5 children × 1 = 5 C-WELLBYs 

Age <10 (SDQ mapping)
Each 1-point SDQ decrease = +0.146 C-WELLBY.
Total C-WELLBYs = 5 children × 0.146 = 0.73 C-WELLBYs 

Combined total C-WELLBYs = 5.00 + 0.73 = 5.73 C-WELLBYs 

Step 2 — Monetised wellbeing benefit 

Value per C-WELLBY = £15,920 (2024 prices, HMT 2021). 

Age ≥10 benefit = 5.00 × £15,920 = £79,600.00
Age <10 benefit = 0.73 × £15,920 = £11,621.60 

Total monetised benefit = £79,600.00 + £11,621.60 = £91,221.60 for a year. 

Gold

Effort

Accuracy

Monetised value:

At Gold level you are looking to build on your silver estimations by engaging with the children affected.  

Therefore, at the Gold level, you should survey users about their actual levels of wellbeing rather than using the proxy value.  

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief behavioural screening questionnaire about 2-17 year olds. It exists in several versions to meet the needs of researchers, clinicians and educationalists.  

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) consists of 20 items grouped into four domains: emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer relationship difficulties. Each item is rated on a scale from 0 (no difficulties) to 2 (severe difficulties). Results are usually reported either as a Total Difficulties Score (summing all items, range 0–40) or as an Internalising Score (SDQ-I), which includes only emotional symptoms and peer relationship items (range 0–20). 

SDQ Questionnaires are available in here. 

Evidence suggests that children aged 10 and above can make meaningful evaluations of their lives. So that the national measures for subjective wellbeing in the UK is suitable for the children aged 10 and above: 

How to measure life satisfaction directly  

The ONS4 – the national measures for subjective wellbeing in the UK asks the following 4 questions on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is ‘not at all’ and 10 is ‘completely’:  

  • Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays? 
  • Overall, to what extent do you feel that the things that you do in your life are worthwhile? 
  • Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday? 
  • On a scale where 0 is ‘not at all anxious’ and 10 is ‘completely anxious’, how anxious did you feel yesterday overall? 

The top question is the key validated question that needs to be asked to calculate life satisfaction and the associated WELLBYs.  

You could also consider other data gathering activities, including direct observation, or focus groups. 

 For more information please visit Gold: Surveys and measurements of actual results.

Support in developing your Gold survey approach is available through the Measure Up partners, so please do reach out to Impact, State of Life or PRD.  

Gold+

Effort

Accuracy

Monetised value:

At the Gold+ level, you are building on your Gold value calculation by assessing the value against the counterfactual, or ‘what would have happened anyway’.   

To do this you should identify a control group suitable to assess in line with your intervention, in order to more accurately attribute any changes to your intervention.  

You could also consider any other discount or causality elements linked to your job creation activity.   

Support in developing your Gold+ counterfactual, causality and discount approach is available through the Measure Up partners, so please do reach out to Impact, State of Life or PRD. 

Value Type: Outcome What's this?
UN SDG Categories:
  • 3. Good Health & Wellbeing
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2020 Social Value Models:
    • MAC 7.1 Support health and wellbeing in the workforce
    • MAC 7.2 Influencing support for health and wellbeing
    • Policy Outcome 7: Improve health and wellbeing
    • Theme 5: Wellbeing
 What's this?
2025 Social Value Models:
What's this?

Evidence

MeasureUp empowers you to measure the impact you’re having numerically.

We recommend that numeric reports are backed up with stories and other types of evidence to help illustrate, in human terms, the impact that’s being made on individuals.

We recommend seeing consent from one or more participants in your intervention to collect and tell their stories. This should include a little background on the participant, a summing up of life before the intervention, the human impact of the intervention, and the longer-term (if known) impact on the person’s life outside of and after the intervention.

Providing photographs, audio recordings, video interviews or even artefacts from the intervention (for example, writing, paintings, music, etc, from creative interventions) can add more colour and convey the emotional impact of interventions more directly.

More help

We want to empower anyone to perform and improve their impact measurement – without needing a degree in economics.

If you need any more help, or just someone to do the legwork for you we can help signpost you to software, training and consultancy to help you get to grips with the impact you’re having.

Data Sources