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Childhood in England: "much to be proud of"

DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES News Release (2007/0215) issued by The Government News Network on 19 November 2007

BALLS REJECTS THEORY OF TOXIC CHILDHOOD BUT SAYS DECISIVE ACTION IS NEEDED TO TACKLE CHALLENGES

'HELPING PARENTS' WILL BE A KEY POLICY THEME OF NEXT MONTHS CHILDREN'S PLAN

Children, schools and families Secretary, Ed Balls today published a review of the lives of children and young people and rejected theories that children growing up in England today are worse off than previous generations.

The report - Children and Young People Today: evidence to support the development of the Children's Plan will be the foundation for the Government's forthcoming Children's Plan, due to be published in December.

The report summarises qualitative and quantitative knowledge on the wellbeing of children and young people in England today. It includes:

* A population profile of English children;
* An assessment of child health and wellbeing, including mental health;
* A summary of child safety and vulnerability to risky behaviour;
* Progress towards achieving world class standards in education;
* A summary of how poverty can blight childhood and how the gap in educational achievement for children from disadvantaged backgrounds needs to close;
* Trends in young people's participation in education into their late teens;

Ed Balls said:

"The world is rapidly changing for children and young people growing up in England today. The effects of economic, social and technological change are creating risks and challenges - but also great opportunities.

"The purpose of this report is to establish the context for the Children's Plan, the ten year strategy the Government will publish next month. It sets out what we know about children and young people in society today, what is working well or getting better and identifies where outcomes fall short of where we want to be. I believe there is much to be proud of about childhood in England today.

"The vast majority of children and young people feel happy and safe, live in stable family environments, enjoy life, are doing well at school and make a positive contribution to their communities and society.

"But we also know that there are some serious challenges to address. Our report shows that our children are well-educated, but that we are still not world class and that children from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to underachieve. Significant numbers of children live in poverty, and young people struggle to access positive activities, with some experimenting in risky behaviour that threatens their safety and health.

"All the evidence convinces me that we should reject theories that children growing up today are worse off than previous generations. I do not agree with claims that this is a worse time than ever to go through childhood. Nor do I agree that Britain is a bad place to grow up or that our communities have a detrimental impact on childhood.

"But the evidence is also clear that we need some decisive action in specific areas if we want to inspire world class outcomes for our young people. This is the right time for Government to set out its ambitions for children and young people in a Children's Plan, showing how it will invest in and work with families, communities and the front line to deliver improvements.

"There is compelling research evidence on the importance of parents in child's educational attainment. There is a clear consensus that the more parents, carers and families engage in the child's progress at school, the better the results, behaviour and attitude to learning and school.

"We know that the involvement of parents in their child's education is of crucial importance, but levels of involvement remain low, particularly in secondary schools. Despite their importance, it's clear that some children and young people are not developing the personal, life or employability skills that they need in order to become happy and successful adults.

"We will set out our new policy framework and commitments in the Children's Plan next month."

Amongst the conclusions the report shows that:

* surveys of happiness in children suggest that most children are happy, with the overwhelming majority feeling happy about life as a whole;

* family functioning is more relevant to child well-being than family status - speaking generally, young people do not see changing family structures as a problem: 70 per cent agree that one parent can bring up a child as well as two, nearly double the proportion of adults. However, the quality of relationships in families is more important and children can experience a two-year psychological adjustment period following parental separation.

* international evidence suggests that a lower proportion of young people have breakfast every day compared to 34 other developed countries and they consume less fruit but more soft drinks;

* we compare well internationally in rates of physical activity, with more young people participating in sport at school but on the other hand, more children being driven to school and watching more TV at home;

* child safety is a primary concern for parents and despite children saying they feel safe, children's independent mobility has decreased and children are less likely to play outside than previous generations did;

* surveys indicate that the prevalence of conduct disorders such as fighting, bullying or theft has more than doubled between 1974 and 1999 and the proportion of young people with hyperactive or emotional problems has increased significantly. The increase may not reflect an increase in incidence, but might be due to increased diagnosis or more awareness of the condition;

* there have been steady improvements in young people's attainment at school but there is scope for better progression and more needs to be done to close the gap in achievement for the children from disadvantaged backgrounds;

* children and young people have grasped the potential of new technologies, with older children reporting that the internet is now more important to them than television. But parents are concerned about the lack of regulation in media environments and the safety implications of this;

* social and emotional skills are an important factor that impacts upon outcomes for children. Those children with better social skills enjoy enhanced peer relationships, and better mental and physical health. They are less likely to be bullied and they show lower levels of risky behaviour;

* most young people are making a positive contribution, with over 85% having taken part in a community activity in the last year, but there remain issues of limited access to positive activities.

NOTES TO EDITORS

A copy of the report can be found at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk

The DCSF has also published a summary of the responses to the Time To Talk consultation which ran during September and October. The consultation received responses from 540 young people and 2641 adults including public, private and voluntary sector bodies. More than 400 citizens participated in consultation events in Bristol, Leeds, London, Birmingham and Portsmouth. The Time To Talk summary can be found at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/timetotalk/

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