RT Journal Article T1 Multi-criteria techniques based proposals for the End of Childhood Index: reference levels and compensation issues. A1 El-Gibari-Ben-Said, Samira A1 Gómez-Núñez, Trinidad A1 Cabello-González, José Manuel A1 Ruiz-de-la-Rúa, Francisco K1 Optimización matemática K1 Niños - Protección, asistencia, etc. AB Child well-being is a subject of paramount importance, since a careful analysis of all the aspects related to childhood may have a major impact on the society as a whole. In this paper, based on the End of Childhood Index, which is a fully compensatory composite indicator published annually by the international organisation Save the children, we analyse the added information that can be provided through the use of multi-criteria analysis techniques. On the one hand, rather than analysing the overall performance of the countries by the use of the fully compensatory scenario, we make use of the international reference levels and performance bands provided by Save the Children itself, allowing to measure the distance of each country with respect to these levels. Besides, the use of a non-compensatory scenario offers interesting insights about the possible imbalances of each country, which is helpful in decision making processes. First, based on the data of the last available year, 2021, an overview of the worldwide analysis and a further detailed single region analysis is carried out. Second, a dynamic analysis over a period of five years (2017-2021) is undertaken. In this line, in order to guide childhood decision makers towards the identification of possible opportunities for improvement and the implementation of the corresponding action plans, the multiple reference point technique makes it possible to analyse the compliance in each one of the indicators, based on the use of distance reference levels and the joint consideration of a fully and non-compensatory composite indicators. PB Elsevier YR 2024 FD 2024-06-13 LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/31702 UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/31702 LA eng NO El Gibari, S., Gómez, T., Cabello, J.M., & Ruiz, F. (2024). Multi-criteria techniques based proposals for the End of Childhood Index: reference levels and compensation issues. Children and Youth Services Review, In press. NO This research is part of the project PID2022-139543OB-C42 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF/UE. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Ma´laga / CBUA. The authors extend their appreciation to the Theme Net RED2022-134540-T. DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga RD 20 ene 2026