One-in-ten British children have mental health issues

The Children's Society has conducted a three-year survey into the welfare and happiness of children in the UK. Such issues have been under close scrutiny since a UNICEF report two years ago revealed that British children were the least happy of any western nation.

For its report, the Children's Society polled 35,000 children, as well as healthcare professionals, teachers, educationalists and police in order to collate The Good Childhood, which is published in book form this week. Here are the topline findings that all parents need to know.

1 Healthy and wealthy... but anxious and troubled

According to the survey, our children have never have been better off or healthier. However, the report also reveals that children's lives in Britain have become "more difficult than in the past", and that "more young people are anxious and troubled".

According to the panel of 11 independent analysts - eight of whom are university lecturers - "excessive individualism" is to blame for many of the problems children encounter, and that children are led to pursue individual advantage rather than seeking satisfaction from helping others.

2 Mental health issues

One in ten 5-16 year olds now has clinically significant mental health difficulties - ranging from anxiety, depression, over activity, inattentiveness (ADHD) and anorexia - through to conduct disorders such as uncontrollable or destructive behaviour. 

"The effect of not having a stable family life or stable friendships is particularly striking," the report cites. "In nearly every survey the proportion of children with behavioural difficulties is at least 50 per cent higher in families with single parents or step parents than in families where both parents are still together. Ninety per cent of adolescents convicted of crime had shown conduct disorder in childhood."

3 The demise of the nuclear family

The report also makes very controversial points regarding the demise of the 'nuclear' family in Britain. It cites research suggesting that three times as many three-year-olds living with lone parents or a step-parent have behavioural problems compared with those living with married parents.

"Children with separate, single or step parents are 50 per cent more likely to fail at school, have low esteem, be unpopular with other children and have behavioural difficulties, anxiety or depression," the report states. "Child-rearing is one of the most challenging tasks in life and ideally it requires two people," it concludes.

It also suggests that having many more working mothers has contributed to the damage done to children: "Most women now work and their new economic independence contributes to levels of family break-up which are higher in the UK than in any other Western European country."

4 Testing, testing

The report also exposes flaws in the testing system in place in schools today. "The Government has insisted that the overall test results for each school are published. But there are many problems with the (league) tables that appear in newspapers. Some give only raw results with no adjustment for the type of children going to the school. The adjusted figures get much less publicity.

"Most of the published scores relate to the percentage of children who reach a certain standard, such as gaining 5 GCSEs. If children are a long way below this threshold, even with good teaching, they are unlikely to get near this target and therefore will not impact on the schools overall published statistics. Therefore there is no incentive for schools to focus on these children."

5 Noisy classrooms and disorder

"Disruption in the classroom is one of the main impediments to learning." the report states. In a survey of children aged 11 to 14 in metropolitan areas, 29 per cent said that every day other pupils tried to disrupt their lessons. Forty-three per cent said that other pupils were ‘always' or 'often' so noisy that they found it difficult to work. Disorder on this scale is highly disturbing. Schools should consider piloting new tests at ages 5, 11 and 14 to assess each child’s emotional well-being..

What can be done to make children happier?

The Children's Society panel has a series of recommendations aimed at improving the quality of family life experienced by children:

• A civil birth ceremony conducted by a registrar in which parents publicly accept the responsibilities of parenthood
• Free parenting classes available around the time of birth
• Free psychological and family support if relationships struggle
• Rules making it easier for parents to stay at home to rear their children
• Abolishing SATS tests and league tables in English schools
• A ban on all advertising aimed at the under 12s and no TV commercials for alcohol or unhealthy food before the 9pm watershed
• Stopping building on any open space where children play
• A high-quality youth centre for every 5,000 young people

*The key to educational progress is recruiting enough good teachers to our deprived areas. Re-introduce higher pay for teachers, especially in secondary schools with a high proportion of children on free school meals. In addition every young person with a reasonable school record should be offered an apprenticeship.

Have your say

Are you a lone parent? What's your reaction to the findings of this report. Air your views by posting a comment below...