The rights quiz 2010 A good year for children and young people’s rights to improved outcomes in England? State of Children’s Rights in England, November Quiz at

Being healthy What % of children and young people have mental health problems requiring professional help in England? A. 1% B. 11% C. 40% Answer: B – 11%

The rate of teenage pregnancies is: A. The highest in Western Europe B. In the middle C. The lowest in Western Europe Answer: A – the highest

Staying safe How many children and young people die in the home each year because of neglect or abuse from someone they know well? A.Up to 10 a year (one a month) B. Up to 80 a year (between one and two a week) C. Up to 360 a year (about one a day) Answer: B – up to 80 a year, or 2 a week

Which is the biggest killer of year olds in England? A.Childhood diseases B. Murder C. Traffic Answer: C – traffic

Who said conditions in our young offender institutions are “unacceptable in a civilised society” and “institutionalised child abuse.” A.The Chief Inspector of Prisons B. The media C. The Home Secretary Answer: A

How many young people have died in youth custody between 1990 and 2010? A.30 B. 12 C. 2 Bonus question: how many public enquiries into these deaths has the Home Secretary put in place? Answer: A – 30 and no public enquiry (only Coroners' reports and Child Death Reviews)

Enjoying and achieving 6550 children and young people were permanently excluded from school in 2010 ( A drop of 19.4%) What % of those were 11 years old or under? A.About 11% B. About 1.3% C. About 33% Answer: A – about 11%

What % of school exclusions are for children and young people with special educational needs? A.33% B. 75% C. 3% Answer: B – 75%

Local authorities are the legal parent of about 60,900 children and young people. What % have no GCSEs or GNVQs? A. 51% B. 31% C. 11% Answer: C – 31% (improved from 51% in 1999)

Economic well-being The UK is the sixth richest country in the world, yet what % of our children and young people live in relative poverty in England? A. 10% (1.1 million) B. 33% (3.5 million) C. 50% (5.5 million) Answer: B – 33% (A rise for the fifth year running after reduction between 1998 and 2005)

Asylum seeking families get what level of benefits as other poor families? A.The same – asylum seeking children have the same rights in law B. About 30% more due to their exceptional needs C. About 30% less Answer: C – 30% less

What’s the life expectancy gap at birth between rich and poor in England? A.5 years B. 15 years C. 55 years Answer: B – 15 years

Making a positive contribution Government statistics indicate youth crime has gone down each year for the last 12 years. Has the % of young people entering the criminal justice system, therefore: A.Gone down by 27% B. Stayed the same C. Gone up by 27% Answer: C

64% of young people breach their ASBOs. What % of these young people then end up in prison for these breaches? A.0% – ASBOs are not criminal convictions B. 71% C. 41% Answer: C (a total of 1,253 children and young people between 2000 and 2008; no later figures)

In Ofsted’s Tellus survey among years 8 and 10, what % felt their views were listened to and that these made a difference to decision making in their local area? A.28% B. 48% C. 82% Answer: A – 28%

Answer: B “The children left behind” In a recent UNICEF study of 24 developed nations, equality for children and young people in the UK ranked: A. 8th B. 14th C. 22nd

A good year for children and young people’s human rights? In 2010, the UK government made significant progress on how many of the 118 legally binding recommendations on children and young people’s human rights from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child? A.9 B.29 C.69 A. 9 (8%)

Improving outcomes for children and young people in England? “Children and young people’s human rights are not a pick and mix assortment of luxury entitlements, but the very foundation of democratic societies.” Alvaro Gil-Robles, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner All information from: The quiz can be downloaded at