Should the State Play Nanny?

Bob ReitemeierChief Executive

The Children’s Society

London26 November 2004

With children, for children, with you

What do we mean by ‘nanny’?

• The state, the parent and the child

• Policy areas, eg Choosing Health

• Regulation of industry / Influencing behaviour

Should the State Play Nanny?

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“Nanny” – Oxford dictionary

Noun:

1. A woman employed to look after a child in its own home.

2. A female goat.

Adjective:

Interfering and overprotective: the nanny state.

Should the State Play Nanny?

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The relationship between parent & child

• Every Child Matters and the Children Act

• We must do better

Should the State Play Nanny?

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The roles of the state

• Enabler

• Corporate parent

Should the State Play Nanny?

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The state as an enabler

• What is the role of the state as an enabler?

• What is causing us to revisit this role today?

• What should change as a result?

Should the State Play Nanny?

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The state as an enabler

• Providing restrictions, eg physical punishment of children

• Providing an enabling environment within which parent – child relationships can prosper.

Should the State Play Nanny?

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Why revisit the state’s role today?

• Beyond children’s services reform.

• Changes in what we mean by ‘childhood’

• Welfare state => Thatcherism => Today?

Should the State Play Nanny?

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Family THEN NOW

Mortality: under 5 yrs old (1960) 27 per 1000 7 per 1000 (2002)

Mortality: under 1 yrs old (1960) 23 per 1000 5 per 1000 (2002)

Proportion of lone parent HHs (1971) 3% 6% (1991)

Divorces (1950) 40,000 157,000 (2001)

Children under the age of 16 (1971) 14.3m 12.1m (2000)

What is different?

Should the State Play Nanny?

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1951-55 1996-00Births: Outside marriage

15-19 year olds 141,000 258,00020-44 year olds 837,000 1,160,000Total 978,000 (6%) 1,418,000 (42%)

Within marriage15-19 year olds 499,000 31,00020-44 year olds 14,266,000 1,922,000Total 15,743,000 (94%) 3,371,000 (58%)

Births to teenage mothers 59,000 (2000)

Should the State Play Nanny?

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What is different?

Drug Use 1998

2003Used drugs in the last year

11-15 year olds - all drugs 11% 21%11-15 year olds - cannabis 7% 13%

16-24 year olds - all drugs 29% 28%16-24 year olds - cannabis 29% 26%

Should the State Play Nanny?

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What is different?

TV, Computer, Mobile Phones

Access to TV 99% of households have access to TV

Access to computer 4/5 CYP have access to home computer

Access to internet >50% of CYP have access to internet (home)

Mobile phones <20% of primary age CYP have phones

60% of secondary age CYP have phones

Should the State Play Nanny?

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What is different?

Diet and health

Obesity Childhood obesity - tripled in last 20 years

Food industry Global advertising budget is $40 billion.

Advertising: Greater than the GDP of 70% of countries.

Should the State Play Nanny?

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What is different?

Nuffield StudyNuffield Study: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Nov. 2004

Should the State Play Nanny?

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1974 Boys 1974 Girls 1986 Boys 1986 Girls 1999 Boys 1999 Girls

7.6%

6.0%

12.1%

8.6%

16.7%

13.1%

11.1%

6.6%

8.3%

5.7%

16.9%

7.1%7.8% 7.8%

13.3%12.8% 13.4%

20.4%

Behaviour Hyperactivity Emotional0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

% with difficulties

Stress and mental health

Norwich Union Healthcare study, 400 parents surveyed, all with children between the ages of 5 and 15:

78% felt their CYP were under greater pressure than they experienced.

24% felt out of touch or distant from their children.

74% worried that lack of communication in families => problems.

58% did not know where to go for help.

Should the State Play Nanny?

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What is different?

Data we do not yet have…

ADD / ADHD and its link to diet, artificial additives, zinc, fatty acids, genetic predisposition…

The increasing levels of anxiety experienced by teenagers – is the same phenomenon occurring with younger children?

What is the cumulative impact of ‘environmental’ changes on our children?

Should the State Play Nanny?

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What is different?

What should change as a result?

Parents and children require more and different help than is currently provided.

– Childhood, and therefore parenting, is more complex.– We need to better understand the needs of both.– We need to better understand the rights of both.– We need to better understand the environment we live in.

Should the State Play Nanny?

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What should change as a result?

• Enable the individual relationship between the child and the primary carer to develop.

• Emphasise the first year of life, eg brain development and stress.

• Enable and support the parent – AND involve children!

Should the State Play Nanny?

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What should change as a result?

• Invest significantly in community facilitators.

• Parent to parent works better than state to parent.

• Present children positively – by the government and the press.

Should the State Play Nanny?

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Love and care for our children.

Enable parents to be better carers, better teachers.

Every child should be made to feel precious.

Should the State Play Nanny?

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This does not describe a nanny state.

This is a caring state.

Should the State Play Nanny?

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The Children’s Society

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We look at the world through the eyes of children and

never flinch from what we see.

Mortality rates: www.unicef.org/infobycountry/uk-statistics.htmlBirths 1951-2000: Births, 1938-2002, Office of National Statistics.Population: Social Focus in Brief: Children 2002, Office of National Statistics, 2002.Drug Use: Department of Health Statistical Bulletin: Statistics on Young People and Drug Use

1998, Office of National Statistics: 1998.Department of Health Statistical Bulletin: Statistics on Young People and Drug Use2003, Office of National Statistics: 2003.

Access to Technology: Social Focus in Brief: Children 2002, Office of National Statistics: 2002.Obesity: House of Commons Obesity Report, Health Committee Press Release, 26 May 04.Food Marketing: Broadcasting Bad Health: Why food marketing to children needs to be controlled, A

report by the International Association of Consumer Food Organisations (IAFCO)for the World Health Organisation consultation on a global strategy for diet and health, IAFCO, July 2003.

Parents on Children’s Health: BBC on-line report on the Norwich Union Healthcare study, October 2004.

List of Sources

Should the State Play Nanny?

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