A report examined parental alcohol misuse and its effects on children and families. Thousands of children living with parents with drink problems were at risk of depression, anxiety, and increased anger.
Source: Bottling It Up: The Next Generation – The effects of parental alcohol misuse on children and families, Turning Point
Links: Report | Turning Point press release
Date: 2011-Dec
The coalition government published a national strategy to reduce the number of children and vulnerable adults who went missing from home or care.
Source: Missing Children and Adults: A cross government strategy, Home Office
Links: Strategy | Hansard | Home Office press release | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined how risk had proliferated across a wide range of youth-related fields in England – becoming a social, political, and moral entity in itself rather than a tool for primarily criminological prediction and intervention. This proliferation demanded further empirical study and theoretical scrutiny beyond the criminal justice sphere in which it was often contained.
Source: Gavin Turnbull and Jean Spence, 'What's at risk? The proliferation of risk across child and youth policy in England', Journal of Youth Studies, Volume 14 Number 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A report said that the coalition government needed to act quickly to minimize the risks for children and child health as it proceeded with its reforms to the National Health Service. Insufficient attention had been paid to what the reforms would mean for child health. The government should clarify and simplify the way in which services would work together, and produce a cross-government strategy.
Source: Children and Young People's Health: Where Next?, NHS Confederation/Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Links: Report | NHS Confederation press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Dec
A report examined the tactics used by junk food manufacturers to promote their products to children while they were playing online.
Source: The 21st Century Gingerbread House: How companies are marketing junk food to children online, British Heart Foundation/Children?s Food Campaign
Links: Report | BHF press release | SFT press release | Sustrans press release
Date: 2011-Dec
A chapter in the 2011-12 British Social Attitudes Survey report examined public attitudes concerning modern childhood. Although a majority of people thought that Britain was a good country to grow up in, only a minority thought that children were happier than they had been a decade previously: but the views of older people were not always the most negative. A majority of adults thought that most young people were well-behaved: nonetheless a majority also thought that standards of behaviour had been better in the past.
Source: Elizabeth Clery, 'Growing up in Britain' (in Alison Park, Elizabeth Clery, John Curtice, Miranda Phillips, and David Utting (eds.), British Social Attitudes 28: 2011-2012 Edition), SAGE Publications
Links: Chapter
Date: 2011-Dec
The coalition government responded to a report by the children's watchdog for England that made a series of recommendations designed to protect the rights and emotional well-being of children and young people in custody. It agreed that children in detention were entitled to have access to the same range and quality of services as children in the community.
Source: Government Response to the Office of the Children s Commissioner s Report: I Think I Must Have Been Born Bad – Emotional well-being and mental health of children and young people in the youth justice system, Ministry of Justice/Department of Health
Links: Response
Notes: OCC report (June 2011)
Date: 2011-Nov
A report said that two-thirds of children who ran away from home or care were 'invisible' to professionals. More than one-quarter had experienced harm or danger while on the run.
Source: Gwyther Rees, Still Running 3, Children s Society
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Nov
The revised second edition was published of a book that reviewed the impact of parental problems – such as substance misuse, domestic violence, learning disability, and mental illness – on children s welfare.
Source: Hedy Cleaver, Ira Unell, and Jane Aldgate, Children's Needs – Parenting Capacity, Department for Education, TSO
Links: Text
Date: 2011-Nov
The coalition government published an action plan designed to stop the sexual exploitation of children and young people. The issue needed to be a priority for Local Safeguarding Children Boards, who should establish the severity of the problem in their areas, make sure they were tackling it effectively, and put in place robust preventative strategies.
Source: Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: Action Plan, Department for Education
Links: Action plan | Hansard | DE press release | ACPO press release | NWG press release | OCC press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Nov
A series of five reports assessed the views, knowledge, and understanding of 'keeping safe' messages in primary schools in Northern Ireland; examined existing practice on teaching these messages; and identified the key barriers and facilitators in relation to effective programme development and implementation.
Source: Aisling McElearney, Joanne Scott, Gary Adamson, Kellie Turtle, Orla McBride, and Phyllis Stephenson, Establishing the Need to Teach 'Keeping Safe' Messages in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland: What do children currently know and understand?, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children | Aisling McElearney, Joanne Scott, Phyllis Stephenson, Anne Tracey, and Dagmar Corry, The Views of Principals, Teachers and Other School Staff in Relation to Teaching 'Keeping Safe' Messages in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children | Aisling McElearney, Phyllis Stephenson, Mark Shevlin Gary Adamson, Joanne Scott, and Orla McBride, Consulting with Parents to Promote Their Involvement in Teaching 'Keeping Safe' Messages in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children | Phyllis Stephenson, Anne Tracey, and Aisling McElearney, The Views of Cross-Sector Stakeholders in Relation to Teaching 'Keeping Safe' Messages in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children | Aisling McElearney, Phyllis Stephenson, and Gary Adamson, The Development of Effective Preventative Education in Primary Schools in Northern Ireland: Exploring practice, policy and research implications, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | Report (3) | Report (4) | Report (5) | Summary
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the role and agency of care-giving children, based on empirical findings in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Source: Anne Wihstutz, 'Working vulnerability: agency of caring children and children s rights', Childhood, Volume 18 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A new book examined paedophilia. It said that paedophiles were not 'outside' culture or society, but were part of everyday human existence – and that sexual attraction to children was part of human sexuality. This approach could offer new ways to protect children from harm.
Source: Sarah Goode, Paedophiles in Society: Reflecting on sexuality, abuse and hope, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Nov
A report said that nearly 200,000 babies in families with domestic violence, mental health, or addiction problems were at high risk of abuse. It called for 'early and effective' support for babies living in homes with these problems.
Source: Chris Cuthbert, Gwynne Rayns, and Kate Stanley, All Babies Count: Prevention and protection for vulnerable babies, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report | NSPCC press release | MHF press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Nov
A report said that victims of child sexual exploitation were being failed by Local Safeguarding Children Boards in England, only one-quarter of which were implementing official guidance appropriately.
Source: Sue Jago (with Lorena Arocha, Isabelle Brodie, Margaret Melrose, Jenny Pearce, and Camille Warrington), What s Going on to Safeguard Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation? How local partnerships respond to child sexual exploitation, International Centre for the Study of Sexually Exploited and Trafficked Young People (University of Bedfordshire)
Links: Report | Bedfordshire University press release | DE press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Oct
A report examined children's experiences in the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Spain. Children in all three countries told researchers that their happiness was dependent on having time with a stable family and plenty of things to do, especially outdoors, rather than on owning technology or branded clothes. But parents in the UK said that they felt tremendous pressure from society to buy goods for their children, and this pressure was felt most acutely in low-income homes.
Source: Ipsos MORI and Agnes Nairn, Children?s Well-Being in UK, Sweden and Spain: The role of inequality and materialism – A qualitative study, UNICEF UK
Links: Report | Summary | UNICEF press release | DE press release | Childrens Society press release | CSJ press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Sep
A study of over 15,000 children found that parenting style was one of the most important and statistically reliable influences on whether a child would drink responsibly in adolescence and adulthood. 'Tough love' parenting, combining consistent warmth and discipline, was the most effective parenting style to prevent unhealthy relationships with alcohol right into the mid-thirties age range.
Source: Jamie Bartlett, Matt Grist, and Bryanna Hahn, Under the Influence, Demos
Links: Report | Demos press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Sep
A report examined the long-term impact of childhood bereavement, using data from the 1970 British Cohort Study.
Source: Samantha Parsons, Long-Term Impact of Childhood Bereavement: Preliminary analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
A new book examined the legacy of the former (1997-2010) Labour governments' 'Every Child Matters' strategy. Separate chapters dealt with social care; education; child healthcare and well-being; disadvantage, diversity, and marginalization; the family; the third sector; and safeguarding children.
Source: Mary Kellett, Children's Perspectives on Integrated Services: Every Child Matters in policy and practice, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Sep
A report examined the prevalence and impact of severe maltreatment of children. Rates of child maltreatment reported by young adults aged 18-24 were lower in 2009 than in 1998, suggesting that maltreatment might be becoming less prevalent: but significant minorities of children and young people were experiencing severe maltreatment, associated with poorer emotional well-being, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and delinquent behaviour.
Source: Lorraine Radford, Susana Corral, Christine Bradley, Helen Fisher, Claire Bassett, Nick Howat, and Stephan Collishaw, Child Abuse and Neglect in the UK Today, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
A report provided an overview of educational and psychological outcomes for children and young people bereaved of a parent or sibling, and the effectiveness of services provided for this group. Although most children experienced some negative impact on psychological well-being in the short term, for the majority these difficulties did not persist or require specialist intervention. Evidence of impact on educational attainment was generally lacking.
Source: Rodie Akerman and June Statham, Childhood Bereavement: A rapid literature review, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
A study examined the cost to both society and the taxpayer of failing to tackle child sexual exploitation. Specialist interventions during a child victim's lifetime could save £12 for every £1 spent.
Source: Pro Bono Economics, An Assessment of the Potential Savings from Barnardo's Interventions for Young People Who Have Been Sexually Exploited, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Sep
A project in Scotland found that initiatives focusing on improving the health and well-being of school-aged children and young people (aged 3-18) and their families, particularly at key transition stages, could be implemented within schools without injections of additional funding.
Source: Health and Well-being in Schools Project: Final Report, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
A new book examined debates about children's engagement with the consumer society. It challenged the image of children as incompetent and vulnerable consumers: but it also rejected the alternative view that consumption was an expression of children's power and autonomy.
Source: David Buckingham, The Material Child: Growing up in consumer culture, Polity Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Sep
A paper examined the relationship between child mental health and personal/family characteristics; and between child mental health and educational progress. Maternal education and mental health, family income, and major adverse life events, were all significant in explaining child mental health; and child mental health was found to have a large influence on educational progress. There was a strong tendency for observers to understate the problems of older children and adolescents.
Source: David Johnston, Carol Propper, Stephen Pudney, and Michael Shields, Child Mental Health and Educational Attainment: Multiple observers and the measurement error problem, Working Paper 2011-20, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2011-Aug
A paper examined the effect of survey measurement error on the empirical relationship between child mental health and personal and family characteristics, and between child mental health and educational progress. There was a strong tendency for observers to understate the problems of older children and adolescents compared with expert diagnosis.
Source: David Johnston, Carol Propper, Stephen Pudney, and Michael Shields, Child Mental Health and Educational Attainment: Multiple observers and the measurement error problem, Working Paper CWP27/11, Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jul
The third edition was published of a book that drew together a wide range of data on the well-being of children. Separate chapters dealt with child poverty and deprivation; health; education; housing and environment; child care; child maltreatment; and crime.
Source: Jonathan Bradshaw (ed.), The Well-Being of Children in the UK (third edition), Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jul
An article examined whether breast feeding was associated with behavioural development in children aged 5 years. The findings suggested that, at least in term children, longer duration of breast feeding was associated with fewer parent-rated behavioural problems in children aged 5 years.
Source: Katriina Heikkila, Amanda Sacker, Yvonne Kelly, Mary Renfrew, and Maria Quigley, 'Breast feeding and child behaviour in the Millennium Cohort Study', Archives of Disease in Childhood, Volume 96 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jul
A paper examined a number of candidate measures of cumulative deprivation to monitor child well-being in the European Union. Some measures were considerably more sensitive than others. Relative measures of cumulative deprivation were problematic: not only were they very sensitive to changes in methodological decisions, but they were also more difficult to interpret. However, in order to monitor cumulative deprivation there was also a need for child-specific indicators (rather than household-level indicators) over a wider range of well-being domains.
Source: Geranda Notten and Keetie Roelen, Monitoring Child Well-Being in the European Union: Measuring cumulative deprivation, Working Paper 2011-03, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (Florence)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jul
A report highlighted the issues that were key to understanding the complexity of child neglect – the role of fathers, targeting families, public health and prevention, parental and carers' views, actively seeking children's views, and understanding the scale of neglect.
Source: Brigid Daniel and Cheryl Burgess, Neglecting the Issue: Impact, causes and responses to child neglect in the UK, Action for Children
Links: Report | Stirling University press release
Date: 2011-Jul
A report called on the government to develop an action plan in response to the problem of runaway children.
Source: Make Runaways Safe, Children s Society
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Jul
A set of reports explored a range of issues experienced by children in Scotland in the first 5 years of their lives – including parenting and child health, cognitive development, service use and support, and the impact of significant events.
Source: Judith Mabelis and Louise Marryat, Growing Up in Scotland: Parental Service Use and Informal Networks in the Early Years, Scottish Government | Paul Bradshaw, Growing Up in Scotland: Changes in Child Cognitive Ability in the Pre-School Years, Scottish Government | Alison Parkes and Daniel Wight, Growing Up in Scotland: Parenting and Children's Health, Scottish Government | Jenny Chanfreau, Matt Barnes, Wojtek Tomaszewski, Dan Philo, Julia Hall, and Sara Tipping, Growing Up in Scotland: Change in Early Childhood and the Impact of Significant Events, Scottish Government
Links: Report (1) | Summary (1) | Report (2) | Summary (2) | Report (3) | Summary (3) | Report (4) | Summary (4) | Scottish Government press release | NLT press release | Scotsman report
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the effectiveness of existing arrangements for the registration of child workers; identified the key problems with the system; and evaluated options for reform.
Source: Jim McKechnie, Sandy Hobbs, Amanda Simpson, Cathy Howieson, and Sheila Semple, The Regulation of Child Employment and Options for Reform, Research Report RR124, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined key research messages on the provision of healthcare interventions for children and young people.
Source: Getting Better? Improving outcomes for children and young people, Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jun
The report was published of an independent (government-commissioned) review of the 'commercialization and sexualization' of childhood. It recommended a series of measures designed to strengthen limits on children's ability to access pornography and sexualized images through a range of media, including television, the internet, and mobile phones.
Source: Reg Bailey, Letting Children Be Children: Report of an independent review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood, Cm 8078, Department for Education, TSO
Links: Report | Hansard | DE press release | Downing Street letter | Brook/FPA press release | CARE press release | Childrens Commissioner press release | IPA press release | Mothers Union press release | SPUC press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Jun
A new book examined the social policies and professional practices that framed societal responses to the problems of child maltreatment in 10 developed countries (including England and 7 other European countries).
Source: Neil Gilbert, Nigel Parton, and Marit Skivenes, Child Protection Systems: International trends and orientations , Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jun
The Supreme Court ruled that two girls, aged 7 and 4 respectively, should be returned from the United Kingdom to their father in Norway, after their mother had removed them without the father's consent. The decision was made largely under the Hague Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the grounds that it gave more specific direction to the courts in abduction cases than did the European Convention on Human Rights.
Source: E (Children) FC, UKSC 27 (2011), United Kingdom Supreme Court
Links: Judgement | Supreme Court press release
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined evidence relating to 'on street grooming' and child sexual exploitation. Multi-agency work was essential to ensuring that the victim's needs came first, and to tackling this type of crime. All agencies in contact with victims needed to be aware of the early signs and effects of abuse and vulnerability. Victims often feared police and court processes and were intimidated and threatened by offenders: a long-term and co-ordinated approach to supporting them was therefore needed.
Source: Out of Mind, Out of Sight: Breaking down the barriers to understanding child sexual exploitation, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
Links: Report | Summary | CEOPC press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Jun
A study found that around 173,200 children were being raised by family members other than their mother or father (equal to 1 in every 77 children). More than 90 per cent of 'kinship care' arrangements were informal agreements between parents and relatives, and carers were therefore not entitled to financial support from social services. Poverty was a recurrent feature: 44 per cent of kinship families were living in the poorest areas of the country.
Source: Shailen Nandy, Julie Selwyn, Elaine Farmer, and Paula Vaisey, Spotlight on Kinship Care: Using Census microdata to examine the extent and nature of kinship care in the UK at the turn of the twentieth century, Hadley Centre for Adoption and Foster Care Studies (University of Bristol)
Links: Report | Summary | Bristol University press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the risks faced by children using the internet, as well as the policy responses of governments and other stakeholders in developed (OECD) countries aimed at improving the protection of children online.
Source: Kristina Irion, The Protection of Children Online: Risks faced by children online and policies to protect them, Digital Economy Paper 179, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the regulatory and voluntary landscape concerning the marketing and promotion of food and drink to children.
Source: Jane Landon and Yvonne Gritschneder, An Analysis of the Regulatory and Voluntary Landscape Concerning the Marketing and Promotion of Food and Drink to Children, National Heart Forum
Date: 2011-Jun
A new book examined the dangers of alcohol consumption at a young age. It said that young people should not consume any alcohol until they reached the age of 24, when the brain had fully developed.
Source: Aric Sigman, Alcohol Nation: How to protect our children from today's drinking culture, Piatkus Books
Links: Summary | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Jun
Researchers evaluated intensive intervention projects designed to turn around the lives of the most challenging and problematic young people aged 8-19, through addressing a range of risk factors using a contractual approach that combined support and sanction. In two-thirds of the case studies, 'hard' transformative outcomes were achieved, including cessations or reductions in offending or anti-social behaviour and improvements in education. A linked report provides basic descriptive statistics gathered from the monitoring activities.
Source: John Flint et al., Evaluation of Intensive Intervention Projects, Research Report RR113, Department for Education | Cheryl Lloyd, Sally Gowland, Ola Turczuk, and Clarissa White, Monitoring and Evaluation of Intensive Intervention Projects for Young People, Research Report RR112, Department for Education
Links: Report 113 | Annex A | Annex B | Brief 113 | Report 112 | Brief 112 | Catch22 press release
Date: 2011-May
A report examined the influences on well-being in childhood – including family, parenting, schools, and housing/built environment. It considered whether enough was being done to promote mental well-being and tackle emotional and behavioural problems early in life, and looked at the cost of not doing enough in those early years.
Source: William Bird et al., Thinking Ahead: Why we need to improve children's mental health and wellbeing, Faculty of Public Health
Links: Report
Date: 2011-May
A report examined children s attitudes to the police, together with their experience of bullying, crime prevention behaviours, hanging around in public spaces, and access to leisure activities.
Source: Jacqueline Hoare et al., Children's Experience and Attitudes Towards the Police, Personal Safety and Public Spaces: Findings from the 2009/10 British Crime Survey interviews with children aged 10 to 15, Statistical Bulletin 08/11, Home Office
Links: Bulletin | Home Office press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-May
A survey found that more than one-third (37 per cent) of young people reported having suffered a severe physical attack and/or inappropriate sexual behaviour during childhood by a fellow young person.
Source: Child-on-Child Violence in the UK: A retrospective survey, Beatbullying
Links: Report | Beatbullying press release
Date: 2011-May
A knowledge review examined what was effective in improving the safety, health, and well-being of children through improving the physical and mental health of mothers, fathers, and carers.
Source: James Blewett, Janet Noble, Jane Tunstill, and Karen White, Improving Children's Outcomes by Supporting Parental Physical and Mental Health, Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services
Date: 2011-Apr
A knowledge review examined what was effective in improving children's outcomes by supporting parental and carer couple relationships and reducing conflict within families, including domestic violence.
Source: Helen Barrett, Yan-Shing Chang, Janet Walker, and Palak Mehta, Improving Children's Outcomes by Supporting Couple Relationships, Reducing Family Conflict and Addressing Domestic Violence, Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services
Date: 2011-Apr
Researchers examined the outcomes of a programme designed to improve children's psychological well-being by building resilience, and improving their behaviour, school attendance, and academic attainment.
Source: Amy Challen, Philip Noden, Anne West, and Stephen Machin, UK Resilience Programme Evaluation: Final Report, Research Report RR097, Department for Education
Date: 2011-Apr
A report examined the views of children in relation to their grandparents, and the grandparenting experience of grandparents. Children valued the role that grandparents played in offering non-critical support, particularly emotional advice and guidance. Grandparents also provided time to focus on a range of play and other enjoyable activities. Grandparents found that grandchildren gave them an additional reason for existence, and contributed to their health and longevity.
Source: Do Grandparents Matter? The impact of grandparenting on the well being of children, Family Matters Institute
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Apr
An annual report examined indicators of well-being among children and young people (aged 0-25) in Wales.
Source: 2011 Children and Young People s Wellbeing Monitor for Wales, Welsh Assembly Government | Odette Parry et al., Voices of Children and Young People in Wales Study: A qualitative study of wellbeing among children and young people under 25 years old, Welsh Assembly Government |
Links: Report | Summary | Summary (Welsh) | Qualitative research
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined what lessons could be learned from the process in Northern Ireland of conducting reviews following the death of a child.
Source: John Devaney, Anne Lazenbatt, and Lisa Bunting, 'Inquiring into non-accidental child deaths: reviewing the review process', British Journal of Social Work, Volume 41 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined how the different family policy regimes of 20 OECD countries related to children's well-being in the areas of child poverty, child mortality, and educational attainment and achievement. 'Dual-earner' regimes, combining high levels of support for paid parenting leave and public childcare, were strongly associated with low levels of child poverty and child mortality.
Source: Daniel Engster and Helena Olofsdotter Stensota, 'Do family policy regimes matter for children's well-being?', Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 18 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A survey examined the quality of children's lives, as rated by children themselves. Those whose family income had decreased in the previous year were more than twice as likely to have a low sense of well-being than those whose family income had increased.
Source: How Happy Are Our Children: Measuring children's well-being and exploring economic factors, Children s Society
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release
Date: 2011-Mar
An annual report examined the well-being of children and young people (aged 0-25) in Wales. There were a number of areas where progress had been made – such as infant mortality rates, the number of children being killed by road accidents, and the number of adolescents taking up smoking. But nearly 1 in 3 children in Wales (32 per cent) were living in poverty – unchanged compared with the previous report.
Source: 2011 Children and Young People s Wellbeing Monitor for Wales, Welsh Assembly Government
Links: Report | WAG press release | Action for Children press release
Date: 2011-Mar
An article used British Household Panel Survey data to explore trends in the subjective well-being of young people aged 11-15 over the period 1994-2008. The evidence suggested that there had been an improvement in the average level of happiness over time, especially for girls. It was impossible to draw clear conclusions about the causes of this: but there was some evidence that it focused on relationships with friends and happiness with school.
Source: Jonathan Bradshaw and Antonia Keung, 'Trends in child subjective well-being in the UK', Journal of Children's Services, Volume 6 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A survey found that nearly 1 in 5 secondary school children had been severely abused or neglected during childhood. The survey involved 2,275 children aged 11-17 and 1,761 adults aged 18-24, and was carried out in 2009.
Source: Press release 15 February 2011, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Links: NSPCC press release | Action for Children press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Feb
A think-tank report said that health education could play a crucial role in improving children's well-being, and deliver wider social benefits. The effectiveness of the numerous policies and initiatives under the former Labour government (1997-2010) had been undermined by the lack of a coherent and overarching strategy. There was a need for results and positive outcomes to play a far more important role in the strategy.
Source: Tracey Bleakley, Stuart Carroll, and Ross Carroll, Putting the Health Back in Education, Bow Group
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined whether there were differences in public opinion in European Union countries about policy options to fight the problem of childhood obesity. There was widespread support for providing parents with information, education programs in schools, and restrictions on advertising: but there was very little support for imposing taxes on unhealthy food.
Source: Suzanne Suggs and Chris McIntyre, 'European Union public opinion on policy measures to address childhood overweight and obesity', Journal of Public Health Policy, Volume 32 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
A study examined the relationship between reported road traffic injuries and a range of individual, family, and environmental risk factors in adolescents aged 13-14. There was 'little evidence' that children from more deprived families experienced higher rates of road traffic accidents and injuries. But there was an association in respect of children who had been assessed for statementing for special educational needs – this was strongest for pedestrian and cycle accidents.
Source: Elizabeth Towner et al., Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: Exposure to Injury Risk in the Road Environment and Reported Road Traffic Injuries in 13 14-Year-Olds, Department for Transport
Date: 2011-Feb
A scoping review examined the existing international data on safeguarding children from physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to intimate partner violence. It considered how different institutional and cultural approaches to safeguarding children, and different forms of provision and support, might influence trends in the incidence and nature of abuse and neglect.
Source: Emily Munro, Rebecca Brown, Joe Sempik, and Harriet Ward, with Charlie Owen, Scoping Review to Draw Together Data on Child Injury and Safeguarding and to Compare the Position of England with that in Other Countries, Research Report RR083, Department for Education
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined whether emergency hospital admission rates for common paediatric conditions were associated with measures of child well-being and deprivation. Housing and environmental factors were found to be associated with children's demand for hospital admission for breathing difficulty. The local index of child well-being (CWI) had the potential to identify priority primary care trusts for housing and environment interventions that could have specific public health benefits for respiratory conditions.
Source: Richard Kyle et al., 'Childhood disadvantage and emergency admission rates for common presentations in London: an exploratory analysis', Archives of Disease in Childhood, Volume 96 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined antecedent patterns of healthcare use by children who had been fatally or seriously harmed by maltreatment. Complex paediatric and family problems, and a high level of contact with services, were found to precede serious adverse events. Universal health services were likely to be well placed for giving continuing and family-orientated support to vulnerable families.
Source: Jenny Woodman et al., 'Healthcare use by children fatally or seriously harmed by child maltreatment: analysis of a national case series 2005-2007', Archives of Disease in Childhood, Volume 96 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
A new book examined children's experiences and practices around food in a range of contexts, linking these to existing policy and practice perspectives. Food worked not only on a material level as sustenance but also on a symbolic level. Food was used as a means by which adults cared for children, and was also something through which adults managed their own feelings and relationships to each other – which in turn had an impact on children's experiences.
Source: Samantha Punch, Ian McIntosh, and Ruth Emond (eds.), Children's Food Practices in Families and Institutions, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Feb
A report highlighted the plight of children left in the care of a family member when their mother or father was imprisoned. These children were often 'forgotten' by the system, due to inadequate checks. It called for a clear statutory duty to ensure basic checks on where a child might be sleeping on the night their parent was taken into custody.
Source: Protecting the Welfare of Children When a Parent Is Imprisoned, Prison Advice and Care Trust
Links: Report | PACT press release
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined how to interpret the 'best interests' of children, based on experiences in the United Kingdom and Norway. Legislators should not write substantive assumptions about what was best for every child into their laws: rather, they should indicate a non-exhaustive list of key relevant considerations that decision-makers could review and evaluate in each and every case. The child's own perspective should be imperative in all deliberations about best interest.
Source: David Archard and Marit Skivenes, 'Deciding best interests: general principles and the cases of Norway and the UK', Journal of Children's Services, Volume 5 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined evidence on how long children lived in bad housing, and whether the duration was associated with other poor outcomes. Policy-makers needed to focus on reducing the substantial number of children who lived in bad housing for long periods, and interventions in housing provision for families were likely to lead to improvements in many other aspects of children's lives.
Source: Matt Barnes, Sarah Butt, and Wojtek Tomaszewski, 'The duration of bad housing and children's well-being in Britain', Housing Studies, Volume 26 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A study examined the maltreatment of young people aged 11-17. The child protection system was not always seen by social care services as the most effective way to meet the needs of young people; and as young people got older they were less likely to receive a child protection response. There was a general lack of services to meet the needs of young people (especially those aged 14-17) who had been maltreated.
Source: Gwyther Rees et al., Safeguarding Young People: Responding to young people aged 11 to 17 who are maltreated, Children's Society
Links: Report | Summary | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined the state of girls' and women's mental health. Of those surveyed, more than 3 in 5 (63 per cent) felt that low-level mental health problems – depression, stress, and low self-esteem – had had a negative effect on their lives. Women with mental health problems were frequently not getting the right kind of help: 29 per cent had never sought professional help, and 63 per cent felt that doctors were too ready to prescribe drugs to treat low-level mental health problems.
Source: Women Like Me: Supporting wellbeing in girls and women, Platform 51 (formerly Young Women's Christian Association)
Links: Report | Platform 51 press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Jan
Campaigners called for urgent action to protect young victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. They said that the government should appoint a minister to take forward a national action plan without delay.
Source: Puppet on a String: The urgent need to cut children free from sexual exploitation, Barnardo's
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | CROP press release | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2011-Jan