Charity Registration No The National Spirituality and Mental Health Forum 10 September 2009 Bob Reitemeier Chief Executive, The Childrens Society A Good Childhood

Setting the scene

With children, for children, with you Dominant trends Children as proportion of UK population %

Dominant trends Children in lone parent families % of all dependent children in each family type in the UK

With children, for children, with you Dominant trends Distribution of families by household Source ONS 2008

With children, for children, with you Dominant trends Distribution of children by household income

Dominant trends Families with dependent children as total of all families by ethnic group Source ONS 2001

With children, for children, with you Dominant trends Technology: For the 5 – 16 year olds 8 in 10 have their own TV 7 in 10 have their own DVD player 7 in 10 have internet access 2/3 have their own mobile phone Young people spend 5-6 hours a day looking at a screen

The Good Childhood Inquiry

Who: Patron: The Right Revd Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury Chair: Professor Judith Dunn, Professor of Developmental Psychology Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London Panel Members: Professor Sir Albert Aynsley-Green, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Jim Davis, Professor Philip Graham, Professor Kathleen Kiernan, Professor Lord Richard Layard, Dr Barbara Maughan, Dr Stephen Scott, Bishop Tim Stevens, Professor Kathy Sylva Good Childhood Inquiry

The task: To produce an evidence-based report that could help to improve the lives of children in the UK today Good Childhood Inquiry What the panel considered: What are conditions for a good childhood? What obstacles exist to those conditions today? What changes could be made which on the basis of evidence would be likely to improve things?

Three years work 34,000 adults and children contributed, including children in a survey commissioned by The Childrens Society adults and professionals provided evidence children responded to call for evidence - 13,389 responded to BBC Newsround survey - 5,050 children sent in post cards children were involved in 50 focus groups Good Childhood Inquiry

What the inquiry says

What makes a happy family? Its just a family that loves each other, and as long as they do, thats a happy family 8-year-old girl NE Retail Conference Family Good Childhood Inquiry

Family – key factors Good Childhood Inquiry Love Relationship with fathers Conflict between parents Working parents Childcare

NE Retail Conference Good Childhood Inquiry You cant have a happy childhood without friends. Every child needs friends 6-year-old boy Friends

Friends – key factors Good Childhood Inquiry Freedom to play Bullying Space to play The walk to school Teenage sex

NE Retail Conference Good Childhood Inquiry Lifestyle Too much pressure makes me go for sugar 12-year-old girl

Lifestyle – key factors Good Childhood Inquiry Leisure time and money / Consumer society Alcohol and drugs TV and Internet Advertising On-screen violence Obesity

If you grow up around good people, you usually become a good person 14-year-old girl NE Retail Conference Values Good Childhood Inquiry

Values – key factors Good Childhood Inquiry Religious beliefs Individualism Values in education Societys responsibility

NE Retail Conference Good Childhood Inquiry Schooling I like my school because it has really cool teachers who make lessons interesting and really make you want to work hard 13-year-old boy

Schooling – key factors Good Childhood Inquiry Children like school SATS tests and league tables Unequal outcomes Educational attainment and social & emotional development Values-led education

Its a shame with depression. Paranoid people are classed as mad and their own family can be ashamed of it. 17-year-old boy in young offenders institution NE Retail Conference Mental health Good Childhood Inquiry

Mental health – key factors Good Childhood Inquiry Occurrence Connection to other problems Societys response Inadequate services

Its not fair that some people is rich and some are poor. No one help me and my family 10-year-old girl NE Retail Conference Inequalities Good Childhood Inquiry

Inequalities – key factors Good Childhood Inquiry Income, aspirations and social mobility Children in custody Working parents Children in care

And so… What makes a childhood good?

Children need: Loving families Friends and the freedom to develop friendships Good schools Positive lifestyles Solid values Help with mental health difficulties Summary Enough money

How can a good childhood be achieved? Parents should love their children and each other Society should develop a culture that reinforces love and life long commitment, and that will… …children understand that we live in a world that is bigger than self. …encourage sources of wonder so that… Inquiry recommendations

Making childhood better