Dame Rachel de Souza, has today published the first part of her Independent Family Review – a review into contemporary family life commissioned by the Government.
Launching the report she said that ‘family provides a shield from life’s challenges – a protective effect against adversity’.
Part 1 of the Family Review sets out some of the things that need to change to improve family and children’s lives.
Part 2, which will be published in the coming months will explore further how services can be designed to better support families’ needs. In the meantime, the office of the Children’s Commissioner will look at reviewing the Family Test to make it fit-for-purpose, conduct further research on family support and services, and develop a high-level outcomes framework.
Commenting on the launch of Part 1 of the Family Review, children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza said, ‘The last few years have been challenging for everyone, and the pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of family.
‘We know that if children have supportive families, they are more likely to succeed later-on in life. They are more likely to have healthy relationships and happy lives.
‘When the Government asked me to research what the modern family looks like, I didn’t think twice. Families across the country told me what family means to them, how it shapes their lives and where they turn to for support if they need it.’
The review draws on new quantitative and qualitative research across all families and children in England to show what modern family life looks like, how it has changed over time and the impact of the pandemic.
Research using the time-use survey in the UK shows that spending time with family is associated with higher mood, with 75 per cent of families that eat dinner together at least six times a week saying that they were happy with their life, compared to 70 per cent overall.
It reveals that families of all types describe the positive aspects of family in a similar way, with the top words used to describe family the same across age, gender, and ethnicity. For parents these words were: loving, home, and caring, and children these were: loving, happy, home for children.
Covid has had positive and negative effects on families, the report found.
For example, the amount of time fathers spent on unpaid childcare almost doubled from 47 minutes a day in 2014-15 to 90 minutes a day during lockdown and fell back to 56 minutes in 2022.
Twenty-five per cent of parents reported that their relationship with their children had become better during the lockdown and less than 5 per cent reported it became worse.
Being able to rely on family if facing a serious problem is a strong indicator of well-being for adults, regardless of income or ethnicity, according to the report.
In the children’s commissioner’s Family Life Survey, families who felt they were spending the right amount of time with each other were happier with their family relationships than those who felt they were spending too little time or too much time with each other.
The commissioner is also launching ‘The Big Summer Survey’, asking children who in their family they spent most time with over the summer holidays, and what services they use. The survey will be sent to children at school and the findings will feed into Part 2 of the family review.
Key statistics:
- There are 8.2 million families with children in the UK. Of these, 63 per cent are married couples with children, 14 per cent are co-habiting couples, and 23 per cent are headed by a lone parent.
- Around 90 per cent of lone parents were women. Lone parent families are more likely to be experiencing financial difficulties. As of 2020, 49% of children living in lone parent families were in relative poverty after housing costs.
De Souza added, ‘This ground-breaking research has also provided us with a deep understanding of what families look like. Their experience of family influences and impacts every part of their lives and for children, it shapes their future. That is why the Government needs to prioritise how they can put families at the heart of all of policy decisions. This is the moment to make a difference in every family’s life.’
Referring to the impact of the rise in the cost of living on family life, Donna Molloy, director of policy at the Early Intervention Foundation, said, ‘We know that increased financial stress within families can negatively affect relationships and parenting, which in turn can have serious immediate and long-term consequences for children’s wellbeing.
‘We welcome the call by the children’s commissioner for government to recognise the vital importance of well-functioning families in creating a healthy, happy and productive society. This means finding ways to reduce pressure on families and strengthening the support available through accessible and effective local services.
'We also need to make sure we make the most of the current policy opportunities including the Supporting Families programme, Family Hubs and the recent call for a revolution in family help by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and make sure these policies are brought together and taken forward in ways which will have the greatest impact on the lives of children and families.’
- Part 1 of the children's commissioner's family review is available here
