Nursery World - UK children languish at bottom of well-being table

Childrens well-being in the UK is worse than that of other rich countries in the industrialised world, according to a survey published this week by UNICEF.

The UK is ranked bottom out of 21 nations in an average score across six different assessments, or ‘dimensions’, of child well-being.

The UK scores lowest in assessments for relationships, behaviours and risks, and subjective well-being. The other areas are material well-being, health and safety, and educational well-being.

Children in the Netherlands have the best quality of life in the survey, followed by Sweden and Denmark. The United States and Hungary are second and third lowest (see www.unicef.org/irc).

The Children’s Society joined forces with UNICEF to highlight the issues as it launched an interactive micro-site at www.mylife. uk.com, urging children and young people to take part in the Good Childhood Inquiry, the UK’s first independent national inquiry into childhood.

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