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The goal
a boy smiles at the computer

In 'Understanding Quality of life' we saw that the quality of a child's life affects and is affected by many areas of their well-being, including:

  • Physical well-being
  • Emotional well-being
  • Self-determination (making choices and determining the course of events)
  • Interpersonal relationships
  • Social inclusion
  • Personal development
  • Material well-being
  • Rights and privacy

These areas should not be put in any order of priority and should not necessarily be given equal weight when applied to a particular child. As we shall see later on, one of the fundamental aspects of improving the quality of a child's lies in recognising that every child is different.

Every Child Matters: a comparison
front cover of the government's publication: Every Child Matters

Many schools use the Every Child Matters (DfES 2004) outcomes as way of thinking about children's needs and assessing their well-being.


The five outcomes are:

  • Be healthy
  • Stay safe
  • Enjoy and achieve
  • Make a positive contribution
  • Achieve economic well-being

However, the major focus of Every Child Matters was strategic. The eight areas in the quality of life model offer a more individualistic approach.