Why do we need child well-being measures?

From Wikiprogress.org

Child well-being may be defined as ‘a description of the quality of childhoods as they are lived, inclusive of the multiple factors which affect children’s lives – material conditions; access to education, their experience of education and school performance; their health; exposure to danger, risk and trauma; the quality of relationships developed. Although child poverty is a different concept to wellbeing, poverty influences each aspect of wellbeing and is a major impediment to delivering better wellbeing’^[1]

Key arguments for child well-being specific measures

The extent of the problem and long term consequences

Research shows that traditionally children have been disproportionally affected by poverty than any other group and that they are at higher risk of poverty than the average member of the population. In addition, it is widely acknowledged that experiences of poverty in childhood, which constrain children’s well-being in the short-term, can have long term impacts throughout the course of individual’s lives ^[2]. In 2005, 19% of the child population in EU27 countries was at risk of poverty in comparison to 16% of the total population ^[3]. Prior to 2008, half of the world’s children were living below the international $2 per day line ^[4]. Accordingly due to the extent of the problem and its relevance in terms of long term consequences, it is evident that child well-being requires effective tools to ensure progress ^[5].

Limitations of traditional indicators

Long standing measures including infant and child mortality rates, school enrollment, and immunization rates, are less relevant for measuring the well-being and quality of children's contemporary lives as they deal predominantly with survival and children’s basic needs and are consequently inadequate for measuring the state and quality of life of children beyond survival^[6].
Additionally, as child well-being is constituted of several components, limiting it to the measurement of poverty (especially when poverty measures focus on income alone) fails to capture these components and accordingly, a complete picture of a child’s well-being^[7]. A UNICEF study assessing child deprivation and monetary poverty in 29 European countries found 6.5% of children to be both deprived and poor, approximately 7% deprived but not poor, whilst an estimated 13% were living in poor families but were not deprived, indicating that poverty and poor well-being are not automatically interdependent^[8].
The family, instead of the child, is usually taken as the basic unit of analysis and, children are rarely directly surveyed. Parents have commonly been the respondents which prevents the gathering of data on subjective well-being and from children being treated as a completely independent group, with particular characteristics and needs and accordingly, responses and policy^[9]. Research has shown that asking children directly about what contributes to their well-being can lead to findings that may not have otherwise have been detected^[10]

Benefits of child well-being measures to policy makers

Well-being during childhood is a fundamental human right outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and assuring it is a key obligation of families, communities and governments. Ensuring the fulfilment of rights and individual's well-being are fundamental objectives of social policy. Social indicators now play a determinant role in the formulation of social policies yet despite this, there is still a lack of appropriate indicators available to assess how children are progressing.

For policy makers and practitioners working in the area of child well-being and future outcomes for children, well-being measurement has the potential to inform them in three principal ways^[11]:
Early identification of problems: through the monitoring of child well-being, early identification enables services and policy to respond in a timely and effective manner to changing needs. This approach also results in the more effective use of resources and the prevention of greater long term costs.
Identification of successful strategies: the gathering of evidence of the effectiveness of interventions allows for policy to be more effectively targeted and for more accurate assessments to be made as to the potential outcomes of implementing interventions in different settings and contexts. The ongoing monitoring and evaluation of interventions and policy through child well-being measures enables learning about what works and where improvements can be made.
Building of an evidence base: The use of child well-being indicators allow for the building of evidence for the argument of the importance of child well-being for long term outcomes^[12].

See also

Child well-being measurement
Early Childhood
Child Nutrition
Children and Sustainable Development
Child poverty and inequality: New perspectives
Progress in child well-being: Building on what works
Childhood Poverty

References

1. ↑ A guide to measuring children’s well-being, 2009, NEF and Action for Children
2. ↑ Liliana Fernandes, Americo Mendes, Aurora A.C. Teixeira , 2011, A Review Essay on the Measurement of Child Well-Being, Social Indicator Research, (2012) 106:239-257
3. ↑ Liliana Fernandes, Americo Mendes, Aurora A.C. Teixeira , 2011, A Review Essay on the Measurement of Child Well-Being, Social Indicator Research, (2012) 106:239-257
4. ↑ UNICEF, 2012, A Recovery for All: Re-thinking Socio Economic Policies for Children and Households, Isabel Oritz and Matthew Cummins (eds), UNICEF, Division of Policy and Practice
5. ↑ Liliana Fernandes, Americo Mendes, Aurora A.C. Teixeira , 2011, A Review Essay on the Measurement of Child Well-Being, Social Indicator Research, (2012) 106:239-257
6. ↑ Liliana Fernandes, Americo Mendes, Aurora A.C. Teixeira , 2011, A Review Essay on the Measurement of Child Well-Being, Social Indicator Research, (2012) 106:239-257
7. ↑ Liliana Fernandes, Americo Mendes, Aurora A.C. Teixeira , 2011, A Review Essay on the Measurement of Child Well-Being, Social Indicator Research, (2012) 106:239-257
8. ↑ UNICEF Innocenti, 2012, UNICEF Innocenti Working Paper: Child deprivation, multidimensional poverty and monetary poverty in Europe, UNICEF
9. ↑ Liliana Fernandes, Americo Mendes, Aurora A.C. Teixeira , 2011, A Review Essay on the Measurement of Child Well-Being, Social Indicator Research, (2012) 106:239-257
10. ↑ A guide to measuring children’s well-being, 2009, NEF and Action for Children
11. ↑ A guide to measuring children’s well-being, 2009, NEF and Action for Children
12. ↑ A guide to measuring children’s well-being, 2009, NEF and Action for Children