Policy Hub
A report published by the OECD on 1 September 2009 finds that the UK’s high public spending on child welfare and education has failed to produce positive results. Compared with other OECD countries, figures for the UK reveal it has a high proportion of young people who are not in school, training or employment as well as the fourth highest teen pregnancy rate after Mexico, Turkey and the United States.
Drawing on a wide range of data sources, this publication formulates and analyses different indicators of child well-being across the OECD. These indicators cover six key areas: material well-being; housing and environment; education; health and safety; risk behaviours; and quality of school life. They show that no one OECD country performs well in all areas and that every OECD country can do more to improve children’s lives.
How much countries are spending on children and when is also considered, the first time a comparative exercise of this sort has been undertaken across the OECD. Additional chapters offer detailed examinations of countries’ policies for children under the age of three; the impact of single parenthood on children; and the effect of inequalities across generations. The publication concludes with broad policy recommendations for improving child well-being.