Britain to be made best country in the world to grow up but will need determination and investment to make it a reality.

4Children hailed the release of the Government’s Children’s Plan as having the potential to transform growing up in the UK. Welcoming the announcement of the 10 Year programme to change the face of British childhood, the charity backed calls by the Children’s Minister Ed Balls MP for a new settlement between the state and parents in supporting families to bring up their children, alongside a guarantee of more support in local communities to provide a good childhood for all.

Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children, said:
“The Children’s Plan is one of the most important and radical changes of this Government so far and one which has the potential to transform the lives of millions of children for the better but will need determination and investment if we are to make it a reality.

“Our childhood affects us for life – for good or for ill – and that is why it is so crucial we do all we can to ensure that children get the best start in life. This is important for all children but particularly for those that are most disadvantaged.

“It is down to all of us now to reshape the kind of communities that we live in to ensure that they are good places to bring up children - where children are safe and welcomed, have lots to do and places to go and play, whilst ensuring that families get the support they need.”

Coming in the wake of a report released by 4Children this week, Free Range Childhoods, which found that family policy has not kept pace with the dramatic changes in modern life – limiting the life chances of children from disadvantaged families – the Children’s Plan seeks to reorganise local services over the next decade to create a new deal for families which puts them centre stage and recognises the importance of supporting parents.

The last 30 years have seen dramatic increases in the numbers of mothers at work, a trebling of lone parent households, working hours rising to become the longest and most intense in Europe – all piling the pressure on to balance jobs and care for children. Meanwhile busy roads, pressured lifestyles and more anonymous communities have left children indoors without places to safely play with friends and without support to fall back on if they fall into hardship or difficulty.

Research by 4Children carried out in 2007 demonstrated that:

— Less than a quarter of children and young people feel that they are equal members of their local community to adults
— 92% of young people felt that it was important that their local area offered more places that they could call their own
— Over 7 out of 10 young people feel that their local area is not designed with them in mind
— 71% of parents say that they do not know where to go to get support or information on parenting if they needed it

Coming in the wake of this research, the Government’s Children’s Plan promises historic change in the relationship between families and their local area, giving British parents the same level of support and investment as that enjoyed by parents in Scandinavian families for decades. The Children’s Plan is set to transform the balance between the pressures of 21st Century childhood and support for the family by reframing services around the needs of children themselves, whilst linking Local Authorities into a new partnership with parents of vulnerable children to support them in meeting their children’s greater needs.

Visit www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/childrensplan to view the full Children’s Plan.

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