Children’s Commissioner underlines initial findings of the Family Review

The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, revealed the preliminary findings of the Family Review when speaking at the Policy Exchange.

As part of Inclusive Britain – the Government’s response to the 2021 Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities – the Children’s Commissioner was asked to undertake an Independent Review into family life.

The Review was informed by thousands of children and families across the country and draws on new and detailed analysis of existing data sets, conversations with experts and frontline workers, and a review of relevant literature including submissions from key stakeholders.

Among the key findings of De Souza is that there are 8.2 million families with children in the UK. 63% are married couples with children. 14% were cohabiting and 23% are headed by a lone parent. About 10% of families are blended families.

The Commissioner went on to explain how this changes by ethnicity, religious affiliation, socio-economic class and local area.

The share of families headed by single parents varies from 10% in the highest socio-economic group to 28% in the lowest socio-economic group.

The share of births to lone mothers ranged from 5% in the Cotswolds to 31% in Knowsley. Research shows that about half of the differences in the share of births to lone mothers across local areas by the differences are explained by unemployment rates, economically inactive rates, and education levels.

The share of families with three or more children varies from 14% in White British families to 41% in Pakistani families and 38% in Bangladeshi families.

“Family structure has gradually changed over the last 20 years,” said De Souza. “There are fewer married couples. There are more couples cohabiting. There are fewer ‘traditional’ nuclear family units today.”

44% of children born at the start of the century, were not in a nuclear family for their full childhood, compared to 21% of children born in 1970.

Over 80,000 children are in care, and many more in less formal arrangements, including kinship care.

Lone parents make up 23% of families with children in the UK.

“When I explored this in more detail, I found that the UK is an anomaly,” said De Souza. She added:

“The rate of lone parent households is higher than in all European countries except for Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Denmark. In Europe, the average share of families with children headed by lone parents is 13%.

It is clear that in the UK, life can be more difficult for lone parent families. Lone parents are more likely to be in financial difficulties.

In 2020, 49% of children living in lone parent families were in relative poverty after housing costs, compared with 25% of children living in married or cohabiting families.”

Commenting on the overall importance of family in the context of the results, the Commissioner said:

“When families invest in themselves and spend quality time with each other, children and parents’ well-being is higher.

Children who are close to their parents do better in their exams, they go on to get better jobs and they are more likely have a higher hourly income at the age of 25.

Having a stable and loving home, whatever form that takes, is linked with children’s future success. Their happiness. And their ability to form healthy and happier relationships.

That is why we need to celebrate, understand, and invest in families, if we get family right it has a wider impact on our lives. Children are happier and more successful as adults if they are happy at home.

This Review recognises the importance of family and sheds new light on what modern family life is.

It is a significant piece of work grounded in family voice and featuring several new and significant findings.”