Measuring What Matters for Child Well-being and Policies - Key messages in a few slides
- 1. MOVING THE CHILD DATA AGENDA FORWARD TO INFORM BETTER WELL-BEING POLICIES Measuring What Matters for Child Well-being and Policies
- 2. New Aspirational Framework for Child Well-being Measurement Measuring What Matters for Child Well-being and Policies presents an “aspirational’’ framework for child well-being measurement, setting out which aspects of children’s lives should be measured, and how, to monitor progress in child well-being.
- 3. OECD Well-being Framework OECD (2020), How's Life? 2020: Measuring Well-being, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9870c393-en Just like the OECD Well- being Framework, the “aspirational” framework focuses on both present and future well-being. It sets out to measure average levels of child well-being, and its distribution, reflecting deprivations and inequalities across different groups of children (e.g. by sex, by living arrangement, by migrant background).
- 4. The current child data landscape Limited info on very young children’s well-being, partly because of measurement challenges. Lack of data on children & adolescents’ social capital, like perceptions and confidence in their social and cultural identities, and knowledge of global and societal issues. Lack of data on children’s own views on several important areas of their lives, such as their own material and socio-emotional well-being. ©Shutterstock – Nadia Snopek ©Shutterstock – Colorfuel Studio ©Shutterstock – Victor Brave
- 5. Family homelessness Without stable accommodation, children face repeated moves, disruption to education, poor diet, loss of contact with family and friends, and social exclusion. Child maltreatment Maltreatment is too often an “invisible” problem that affects children’s health, education and socio-emotional development. Disabilities The scarcity of national surveys and the use of different definitions hampers cross-country comparison and makes it difficult to determine if children are really getting the support they need. Some examples of poorly-recorded issues that affect child well-being: Existing child data covers poorly children in the most marginalised positions, leaving an incomplete view of their needs and limiting policy effectiveness ©Free Clip Art
- 6. MATERIAL AND ECONOMIC WELL-BEING HEALTH AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING SOCIO- EMOTIONAL AND CULTURAL WELL-BEING AND EDUCATIONAL WELL-BEING The inter-connected nature of child well- being isn’t well captured because of the “siloed” approach to child data collection… …which makes it difficult to track the many linkages across areas of child well-being and to examine how outcomes in one area affect well-being in others. COGNITIVE
- 7. The “aspirational” measurement framework was built around six key principles Child well-being is multi-dimensional Measurement must capture children’s “here and now” and also be future- oriented What is fundamental for child well-being changes as children grow Integrating children’s views and perspectives is paramount Children’s well-being is deeply embedded in their environments Measurement must capture how public policies shape children’s lives #1 #2 #3 #6 #5 #4
- 8. The framework identifies data gaps and outlines priorities for collection to answer four key questions about child well-being Do children have the things they need? Are children active and physically healthy? Are children learning and achieving in education? Do children feel safe, included and happy?
- 9. Do children have the things they need? High cost of living, especially high cost of raising children, contributes to child material deprivation SOME KEY FINDINGS The impact of living arrangement of children in non-nuclear families is often poorly assessed Some children experience severe material deprivation, especially those living in areas with fewer facilities or with comparatively low-quality services Children often attach great value to the things they own and desire. Their perceptions vary with age and differ from their parents’ Children’s material outcomes are shaped by their larger environment HOUSING FOOD, CLOTHING AND BASIC NECESSITIES LEARNING AND LEISURE MATERIALS FAMILY AND HOME ENVIRONMENT SCHOOL AND LARGER COMMUNITY
- 10. Do children have the things they need? Collecting information on the economic and material situation of children and their families is key to understanding whether children’s subsistence needs are met, and to know if they have access to the things they need to flourish and feel accepted within society. Living conditions and the material situation of vulnerable children Family financial vulnerability and resilience To design targeted well-being policies, data collection should be: It is particularly important to collect data on: Child-centred, incorporating children’s views and taking the child as the unit of measurement Age-sensitive, reflecting how children’s needs and desires change as they grow up
- 11. Are children physically healthy and active? There is limited data on: Pre-natal determinants of good child health such as maternal health behaviours, nutrition and prenatal health care. Children’s exposure to environmental risks such as air pollution or unsafe water sources, accounting for where children encounter these risks. Maternal and child health care services coverage, as well as on the specific reasons for children not accessing services or treatment. Children’s knowledge on various health issues, including the main challenges for current and future health and well-being.
- 12. Are children physically healthy and active? Develop data on the social gradients of health and tracking of health inequalities starting in the First 1000 Days Improve information on health checks and coverage as well as health spending by age Track children’s exposure to environmental containments and risks Develop cross-cutting data to track how health affects other well-being areas Together – governments, international organisations, and the wider international statistical and policy communities – need to work to…
- 13. Do children feel safe and secure, respected, included and happy? During the first few years of life, the bonding relationships with parents and caregivers are critical. As children get older, the quality of relationships with peers and other adults gain importance. Feeling emotionally secure underpins healthy child development. The home, school, community and neighbourhood environments provide important resources to help foster children’s social and emotional well-being.
- 14. Do children have the things the need? Policy-makers should respond to how children's developmental stage and larger environment shape their socio-emotional development. They need data that: Tracks digital opportunities and risks, including children’s online activities and experiences Captures how neighbourhoods shape adolescents’ lives and opportunities Grasps how children’s self and social identity shape their later life Bridges the gaps on social and emotional well-being in early and middle childhood Shows access to mental health services and how children with mental health difficulties get along in various areas of life Reveals how quickly progress is being made on social inclusion of children with disabilities Do children feel safe and secure, respected, included and happy?
- 15. Children’s educational aspirations are very much shaped by family background and learning opportunities. Compared to their peers, much fewer 15-year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds expect to complete tertiary education. Source: PISA 2018 Results: Where all students can succeed Volume II, OECD (2019) 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Korea United States Costa Rica Chile Japan Portugal Sweden OECD average Norway United Kingdom Denmark Finland Iceland New Zealand Poland Austria Germany All students Disadvantaged students Advantaged students % Child data on early childhood, educational achievement outside of traditional subject domains, and influence of home environment is lacking. Are children learning and achieving in education? Percentage of students who expect to complete tertiary education
- 16. • Strengthen efforts to track early cognitive development, including emerging literacy and numeracy skills • Improve the range and consistency of skills and competences covered by international education and learning data • Improve the tracking of vulnerable children’s learning outcomes, for example children with special educational needs or who experience adversity or educational disruptions • Measure educational motivations from middle childhood to develop adequate policy responses Are children learning and achieving in education? Policy-makers should…
- 17. Capture what is going on in children’s lives on multiple well-being domains Measure what is important to children by integrating their views Detect emerging problems & vulnerabilities early on by capturing risk and protective factors As a rule of thumb, child well-being data should: …and be collected at different intervals and points in time ©Shutterstock – Hut Hanna
- 18. Key actions for better child data Report on a core set of data and indicators, defined by what OECD countries can commit to updating at regular intervals Increase the regularity and/or timeliness of data collection Ensure consistency of questionnaire and variable definitions across waves Increase the reach of data linking and techniques for combining data from multiple sources Strengthen capacity of data infrastructure to collect data on the well-being of vulnerable children Getting all actors to synchronise their efforts is key to making progress
- 19. Read the report online: https://oe.cd/measuring-cwb Visit the OECD Child Well-being Data Portal: https://www.oecd.org/els/family/chil d-well-being/data Learn about the OECD WISE Centre: https://www.oecd.org/wise