Report criticises UK for ‘failing children’
Posted on 14 February 2007
The UK came bottom of a league table for child well-being across 21 industrialised countries in the study by UNICEF - the United Nations children's organisation - which looked at 40 indicators from the years 2000-2003 including poverty, family relationships, and health.
Professor Jonathan Bradshaw and Dr Dominic Richardson of the University’s Department of Social Policy and Social Work together with Dr Petra Hoelscher from UNICEF, Geneva did the background research for the UNICEF Report.
In a society which is very unequal, with high levels of poverty, it leads on to what children think about themselves and their lives
Professor Jonathan Bradshaw
UNICEF says Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-being in Rich Countries is the first study of childhood across the world’s industrialised nations.
In its league table the Netherlands came top, followed by Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The authors say they used the most up-to-date information to assess "whether children feel loved, cherished, special and supported, within the family and community, and whether the family and community are being supported in this task by public policy and resources".
But they added: "The process of international comparison can never be freed from questions of translation, culture, and custom."
Professor Bradshaw put the UK’s poor ratings down to long term under-investment and a ‘dog-eat-dog’ society.
"In a society which is very unequal, with high levels of poverty, it leads on to what children think about themselves and their lives. That’s really what’s at the heart of this," he said.
Unicef UK executive director David Bull said all the countries had weaknesses that needed to be addressed.
"By comparing the performance of countries we see what is possible with a commitment to supporting every child to fulfil his or her full potential," he said.