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Frank Field claims that young people do much better in life if their mothers and fathers set clear boundaries for their behaviour as well as bonding with them and reading to them. The former Labour minister, who is now the Coalition’s ‘poverty tsar’, believes that the end of old-fashioned parenting has held back the poorest children, preventing them from getting good jobs. He proposes that the Foundation Years stage of education, which currently runs from birth to five, should begin when the mother-to-be registers as pregnant with a doctor. In his article today, Mr Field writes that social mobility has stalled over the past 50 years despite rising incomes. He claims the ‘subtle and influential’ force affecting life chances for children is the changing style of parenting in Britain. ‘The sociologist Geoffrey Gorer asked why England had moved by the 1950s from being a pretty violent and uncivilised nation to one of respectability.’ Tough love. Pray: that Frank Field’s report is accepted by all parents to improve the life chances of their young. (Mk 10:19)
The Archbishop of Westminster has affirmed marriage as providing the ‘best place’ for raising children, commenting that marriage gives children an opportunity to develop a sense of identity and experience the nurture and love of both their natural mother and father. Speaking at an annual mass for married couples in Westminster Cathedral on 26 May, the Most Revd Vincent Nichols criticised the increasing trend towards defining marriage ‘without any reference to children’, and warned that severing the vital bond between marriage and child-rearing could have ‘damaging consequences’ for society. He stated: ‘We know that the context of a marriage is the best place for children to be reared, providing them with a framework of love, within which they are sure of their biological heritage and not deprived, without grave reason, of the experience of being loved and raised by their natural mother and father.’
Pray: for the clear Biblical message emphasised by the Archbishop and the Church to be accepted more widely. (Pr.20:7)
Children are being put under too much pressure from exams, the Internet and celebrity culture, parents have warned. An investigation into children's welfare in 21st century Britain has found high levels of concern that their development is being damaged. Research by Mumsnet, the parenting website, found that adults believe it has never before been harder to be a child growing up. The study found that nearly nine out of ten parents feel their offspring are suffering from pressure to look like unrealistic images used in the media. Almost two thirds of those polled said that there was too much testing in schools, while three quarters admitted they struggled to spend enough time with their children because of their long working hours. More than half said the rise of the Internet had added to young people's problems, while 78 per cent said children do not play out enough on their own.
Pray: for young people and for secure, strong families who can support children faced with increasing life-pressures. (3Jn:4)
Children are still turning up to school hungry and skipping meals at lunchtime because they cannot afford to eat, research suggests. Some youngsters have been spotted stealing toast as they are so hungry, and in another case, a teacher found two girls sharing a packed lunch in the school toilets because one had no money for food, according to a report by the Children's Society charity. The study, based on a survey of around 570 teachers, reveals serious concerns among school staff. Almost three in four (72%) of the teachers surveyed said they have seen pupils coming into school with no lunch and no way to pay for one. Nearly half (45%) said that children are often hungry during the school day. The study, conducted with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT), also reveals that two-thirds (66%) of school staff say that teachers are providing pupils with food or money for meals if they turn up for lessons hungry.
Pray: for the children who are missing out on lunches because of poverty or stigmatism. (Pr.10:
Two thirds of parents in the UK believe children are exposed to unsuitable content on television before the watershed, a survey has shown. An online survey of 1,004 parents of children under the age of 18 revealed that 67 per cent thought inappropriate content was broadcast before 9pm. A further 80 per cent said they felt films and video games with violent or sexual themes can be accessed too easily by children. The research, conducted for The Mothers’ Union, also showed that most parents think television, films, magazines and the Internet make children sexually aware at a younger age. The charity has called for a ban on marketing and selling sexualising products to children under 16 and put in place safeguards to protect children under 16 from viewing displays of goods of a sexual nature. Pray: for the media to recognise their responsibility in protecting children and young people. (Dt.5:29)
New analysis, released Monday by The Children’s Society, shows that the government’s proposed cap on benefits will cut support for more than 200,000 children. Children will be around nine times more likely than adults to be affected. The Department of Work and Pensions’ proposed scheme aims to promote fairness and get adults back into work by limiting benefits for out-of-work households to £500 per week for couples and families with children. But analysis by The Children’s Society suggests that children will be by far the biggest losers if the proposals become law - with three quarters of the total number of individuals affected being children. The charity found that the cap will impact around 50,000 households, 95 per cent of which are estimated to have children. These families will lose an average of £93 a week - the equivalent to around double the average weekly family food bill.
Pray: that the Government would not ignore the most vulnerable in our society. (Is.58:10)
Downing Street is launching a review of childcare and child-minding to see how it can be made more affordable by cutting red tape. Government research suggests six out of 10 parents feel there is insufficient childcare in their area. The move comes as an official review of early years education in England calls for all nursery staff to have A-level standard professional qualifications. The Nutbrown Review also wants their maths and literacy skills strengthened. Prof Cathy Nutbrown was asked by the government to look at how the childcare workforce could be strengthened. In her report, she says the current system of early years qualifications is not ‘equipping practitioners with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need’ to give babies and young children a good start. She warns that there are too many qualifications and calls for them to be strengthened.
Pray: that following the review the government will raise the standards of childcare and that parents will take their roll and responsibilities seriously. (Pr.9:9)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18496847
Three-quarters of girls who have sent explicit images to boys on their mobiles say the pictures were shared without their consent, a shock survey has found. The NSPCC warned yesterday that growing numbers of girls become distraught or even suicidal after regretting giving in to pressure to send explicit photos and videos of themselves. The practice known as sexting leaves many humiliated after the images are passed on to others in their school or even put up on social networking websites. The children’s charity said, however, that many girls see sexting as a normal part of growing up and are happy to perform on video and send the images to a boy. Two-thirds have no idea that sharing images of under-18s is technically illegal and that teenagers can be locked up for engaging in sexting. They need to understand that there could be serious consequences. Images put online may stay there forever and be seen by vast numbers of people
Pray: for our young people to have a greater appreciation of the issues involved in sexting and the wisdom and confidence to refuse to become involved. (Ps.41:9)
An overhaul of how police and prosecutors in England and Wales deal with alleged sexual offences against children is expected to be announced in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer told the BBC there was an ‘overcautious’ approach with victims. He said the focus was too much on whether the victim was telling the truth and not enough on the suspect. Describing this as a ‘watershed moment,’ Mr Starmer said we need to ‘clear the decks of a raft of existing guidelines’. A Scottish parliamentary inquiry into child sex exploitation and prostitution has also been launched, amid claims the problem may be far worse than thought http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-21669726 Holyrood's petitions committee is looking into the issue following the concerns from children's charity Barnardo's. MSPs will consider whether current measures and guidelines are doing enough to tackle exploitation.
Pray: that the authorities will bring measures and guidelines that will control this problem. (1Cor.6:18)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21673703
The Church of England's parliamentary body has apologised to victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Anglican clergy, noting its failure to prevent it and respond effectively. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, said addressing the issue had been "absolutely agonising". Speaking in a meeting of the General Synod in York on Sunday, the Archbishop admitted some victims had been "badly treated" by the Church. He said there needed to be a "complete change of culture and behaviour" in the Church of England. "We cannot in 20 years be finding ourselves having this same debate and saying 'Well we didn't quite understand then'," he said. "There has to be a complete change of culture and behaviour and in addition there is a profound theological point. We are not doing all this, we are not seeking to say how devastatingly, appallingly, atrociously sorry we are for the great failures there have been for our own sakes, for our own flourishing, for the protection of the Church.
Pray: for all those affected by this issue and that both they and the church will be able to move on. (2Pe.3:9)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/child.abuse.apology.from.church.of.england/33106.htm