Child well-being in the UK in a comparative perspective

1. Jonathan Bradshaw Child well-being in the UK in a comparative perspective CRSP Conference 2006 ‘A Fairer Society? A Review of Policies for Vulnerable Groups’. Holly Park Conference Centre , Loughborough University, 20 September 2006

2. Outline • Background • Trends in child well-being in the UK • Comparison of child well-being in the EU • Conclusion

3. Background: UK policy • Follows on from Robert’s paper on child poverty • UK government also much preoccupied with child well-being as well as poverty: • Every Child Matters; • Opportunity for All. • Elaborate raft of policy measures: • Cash/tax benefits • Increased expenditure on children: • education, • health • child care • etc

4. Children’s Society • Good Childhood Inquiry • Involvement of the Happiness Tsar – Lord Layard • Children’s Commissioner for England • Public Health Observatory report on Child Health (forthcoming)

5. Background: our previous research • UK chapter for Cornia and Danziger (UNICEF) • ESRC Poverty the outcomes for children (2001) • SC(UK) The well-being of children in the UK (2002) • SC(UK) The well-being of children in the UK (2005)

6. Background: international policy • International comparisons by UNICEF Innocenti Report Cards • But the child is absent from EU – lack of “competence” • Lisbon summit introduces social inclusion – child could come in • But Laeken indicators of social inclusion include only two indicators • Relative child poverty rates • % children living in workless families

7. Background: international developments • Luxembourg Presidency: Atkinson recommends “child mainstreaming” and development of child well-being indicators • EUROSTAT and Social Protection Committee cautious and reluctant • Suggestion that one extra indicator on educational attainment might be added • So • We develop of an index of child well-being based on existing comparative data sources (forthcoming Journal of Social Indicators) • and UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 7 on child poverty and well-being in rich countries 2006

8. Outline • Background • Trends in child well-being in the UK • Comparison of child well-being in the EU • Conclusion

9. Getting better • Income poverty and % children in workless families • Health: IMR, accidental deaths, reported health, use of contraceptives, suicides. • Childcare and out of school places • Education: qualifications, NEET, Truancy, Key Stage 2 and 3, school exclusions • Housing conditions

10. No change • Health: Child mortality, infectious diseases, risky sexual behaviour, teenage conceptions, self reported long standing illness • Playing sport • Youth crime • Drug use • Key stage 1

11. Getting worse • Still births, class dispersion in IMR, low birth weight, vaccination, STDs, asthma, diabetes, alcohol, obesity, conduct disorders • Play • Long term looked after • Girls offending • Child homelessness

12. Outline • Background • Trends in child well-being in the UK • Comparison of child well-being in the EU • Conclusion

13. Conceptualisation of child well-being • Multi-dimensional approach • Based on children’s rights as outlined in the UN CRC • Drawing on national and multi-national experiences in indicator development

14. Data Sources I: Surveys • WHO Health Behaviour of School Aged Children (HBSC) 36 countries at 2001 • Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 32 countries at 2000, 41 at 2003 • European Social Survey (ESS) 22 countries at 2002 • Citizenship and Education Survey (CIVED) 28 countries at 1999 and EUYOUPART (2005) • European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) 26 countries at 2003 • European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) 28 countries at 2003

15. Data Sources II: Series • WHO mortality data base 1993-1999, all countries except DK & CY • World Bank World Development Indicators 2003, all countries • OECD (2004) Education at a Glance, 2002 data • Eurostat (2003) Population and Social Conditions • Eurostat (2004) Labour Force Survey • World Bank (2002) Health, Nutrition and Population Data

16. Structure • 51 variables organised into • 23 domains making • 8 clusters • Material situation • Housing • Health • Subjective well-being • Education • Children’s relationships • Civic Participation • Risk and safety

17. Overall child well-being

18. Child well-being by child poverty R=-0.55

19. Material situation • Relative child income poverty • Child poverty rate • Child poverty gaps • Child deprivation • Lacking car, own bedroom, holidays last year, a computer • Lacking a desk, quiet for study, a computer, calculator, dictionary, text books • Less than ten books in the home • Parental worklessness

20. Material situation

21. Overall well-being and material well-being R=0.73

22. Child health

23. Education

24. Child well-being and educational attainment R = 0.39 (ns)

25. Housing

26. Children’s relationships

27. Subjective well-being

28. Risk and safety

29. Civic participation

30. Overall child well-being and % of young people saying they lived in a lone parent family

32. Child well-being and teenage fertility rate R = 0.88***

33. WHY? • Very difficult • Probably depends on domain – need for more detailed work • National wealth matters

34. Overall child well-being (EU) and GDP per capita R = 0.61

35. WHY? • Very difficult • Probably depends on domain – need for more detailed work • National wealth matters • Policy Effort matters

36. Child well-being EU and expenditure on social protection benefits as % GDP 2003 R = 0.45

37. WHY? • Very difficult • Probably depends on domain – need for more detailed work • National wealth matters • Policy effort matters • Direction of that effort matters

38. Comparisons of expenditure: Family spending in cash, services and tax measures, in percentage of GDP, in 2001: OECD

39. Child well-being EU by expenditure per capita ppp on family benefits and services

40. Conclusion: UK results • Very disappointing given government efforts • Worse results coming in UNICEF Report Card • Could be lag effects – data out of date • But we have a seriously long way to go • No politicians should be resting on their laurels - or satisfied with their legacy!