Schools Health and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network
Our network
Members of our SHINE network join a national community of people and organisations who are interested in harnessing the power of health research knowledge expertise to complement and support the health and wellbeing agenda in the school setting.
SHINE can:
Support schools to identify their key health and wellbeing needs using data reports from data collected using research validated measures.
Increase the availability and relevance of research evidence for use in school planning and development.
Provide schools and policy makers with guidance on evidence-based health promotion programmes and interventions.
Facilitate and support school-led initiatives to promote young people’s health.
Develop closer links between schools and researchers to produce collaborative evidence which is more responsive to school needs.
Provide resources and opportunities, which are relevant and accessible to everyone in the wider school community, in order to encourage a whole-school approach to improvement planning for health and wellbeing.
SHINE network members map 2024
Young people
Young people’s voices are at the heart of the SHINE network. We help schools to collect self-reported health data from young people to help build a picture of young people’s health and wellbeing in Scotland.
Here are some of the ways we make sure that young people’s voices are heard in schools:
Young people getting involved: Pupil health and wellbeing committees and mental health ambassador groups can review survey results, contribute to school action plans, and play an active role in health and wellbeing decisions.
Safe participation: Shareable data reports, broken down by year group and gender, ensure pupil voices are heard and understood by teachers, students, parents, carers, and community partners—while protecting individual anonymity.
Making an impact: Including young people in survey feedback sparks conversations, deepens understanding of their issues, and increases the opportunities to reach the kind of solutions that young people would like to see.
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Consultation with young people
Through the SHINE network, young people can find out about a variety of health research projects on topics such as sleep, relationships, neurodiversity and inclusion, and how data are collected and used to help authorities make decisions on facilities and resources for young people. Health researchers are always keen to consult with young people to hear their views so that their voice is include in the research. Some examples:
– If health researchers are designing an app for young people, they invite young people to get involved in the design and give feedback to shape the app to suit young people
– If health researchers are creating a new video on vaping, they may want to consult young people on what they would find most interesting, accessible and appropriate.
Young people's rights
If invited to participate in a SHINE survey or a research project, young people will be provided with an information sheet in advance explaining what they are being asked to do. Parents/ carers will also receive the information so that they can support the young people to make an informed decision about whether to participate or not.
All research projects and surveys offered by SHINE have been approved by a university ethics committee who decide if the project or survey is appropriate and safe for young people. Young people have to opt in to consent to take part and it is explained that they can opt out without giving any explanation at any point.
Read more in our blog post: Rights respecting ethical practice with school HWB surveys
Parents and carers
SHINE is dedicated to a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing improvement. This is known to create the most impactful and lasting changes in health and wellbeing outcomes for pupils. We aim to build a strong partnership with the whole school community, including parents, carers, teachers and pupils, in working towards SHINE’s goal. We want to keep the voice of parents/carers central in our work and maintain active communication so that feedback, perspectives, and insights from parents and carers can inform the development of SHINE’s approach. Here are some of the ways in which we do that:
Informing parents & carers about the survey:
When schools register to use the SHINE mental health survey, they confirm that they understand all parent/carer information sheets must be sent out at least two weeks before young people complete the survey. This ensures parents have an opportunity to ask questions, speak to their children about the survey, and/or opt their child out if appropriate.
Sharing data & resources:
Any resources or data reports from the SHINE mental health survey are designed to be shared with parents/carers so that they can understand the school’s health and wellbeing context and participate in the decision-making process regarding health priorities and action plans.
Opportunities for involvement in research:
Many research projects actively seek parents/carers to be part of their advisory board or participate in the co-design of the study so that their opinions are represented. Keep up to date with opportunities to participate in research which explores young people’s health and wellbeing by signing up to our monthly newsletter.
School staff
When a school joins the SHINE network, a single point of contact is requested. Most communication from the SHINE Network Manager is limited to the monthly SHINE newsletter which details all opportunities, events and new resources for schools. This is to avoid overload for busy email inboxes in schools!
However, SHINE asks the designated SHINE lead in the school to forward the newsletters, invitations, resources or research opportunities to other staff in the school community as appropriate to the school’s health and wellbeing agenda and capacity or willingness to get involved. In this way the wider staff can get involved.
For example, if a school participates in the SHINE mental health survey, the SHINE lead is given access to the mental health survey pack. This link can be shared with other staff as it includes videos, checklists and instructions for any staff members who are supporting the administration of the survey. The school’s SHINE lead is also provided with the access link to the SHINE members’ resources folder which contains activities, lesson plans, reports and guidelines designed to support young people’s health and wellbeing education, data literacy and HWB literacy. Invitations to webinars and the annual SHINE conference can also be shared so that CLPL opportunities available through SHINE are offered to the wider staff community.
SHINE is delighted to have at least one designated point of contact in most of the 32 Local Authorities (LAs). This contact receives the monthly SHINE newsletter to keep them up to date with new research findings, reports, resources and research opportunities for schools, as well as invitations to network events. We work closely with a number of Local Authorities where all schools in the LA are members of SHINE. In response to increased interest from Local Authorities to work with SHINE across the whole Local Authority, SHINE collaborated with one Local Authority to establish a SHINE Local Authority model for the SHINE online pupil mental health survey, which has been operational since Sept 2022. The model includes:
A comprehensive communications plan via the SHINE network manager with the SHINE leads in each member school to coordinate the administration of the mental health survey across the Local Authority.
An information and staff training video tailored to the individual LA and twilight drop-in sessions available for all teachers involved in the data collection to receive training on the preparation and administration of the survey.
All documentation and support materials provided for schools and the Local Authority in an accessible, secure and timely manner.
Regular consultation meetings between key stakeholders in the Local Authority and the University’s SHINE team.
Registration, monitoring and support for all schools collecting data using the mental health survey in order to provide an overview report for the Local Authority on participation levels, challenges encountered, and targets achieved.
Data reports provided at the school, cluster primary, and Local Authority levels for both primary and secondary education. These reports can be shared with various stakeholders.
Executive summary for the LA, highlighting outcomes by gender and affluence, and comparative tables to identify priority areas, can also be provided
Video and twilight drop-in sessions available for schools to support with the interpretation and implementation of the data reports in the school setting.
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Email: shw-shine@glasgow.ac.uk
Address: FAO: SHINE, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Clarice Pears Building, 90 Byres Road, Glasgow G12 8TB