Nursery World - Bottom of the heap

Children in Britain are among the worst-off in Europe for the effects of povery and unemployment, finds Mary Evans British children are more likely to be growing up in workless households than their continental cousins, according to a survey of child wellbeing which ranks our children's level of wellbeing at 21 out of the 25 European Union states.

British children are more likely to be growing up in workless households than their continental cousins, according to a survey of child wellbeing which ranks our children's level of wellbeing at 21 out of the 25 European Union states.

Although the Government frequently boasts about Britain's relatively low unemployment rates, the study by a team from York University, An Index of Child Wellbeing in the European Union, says the UK has the EU's highest proportion of children - 17 per cent - aged 0-17 living in households where no one is employed.

Unemployment levels in the UK rose to 1.6 million by the end of July, a rate of 5.5 per cent, according to figures released by the National Statistics Office. At the same time, the number of people of working age termed as 'inactive' fell a fraction to 21 per cent, or 7.82 million people.

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