Child and parental wellbeing: measuring outcomes and understanding their relation with poverty

What I need from the people that look after me

Key messages

An important element of a person's wellbeing is their feeling of safety and inclusion. The premise being that when someone feels safe and cared for they are more likely to achieve their full potential.

Positive peer relations are broadly similar across area of deprivation. However, those from more deprived communities are more likely to report having been bullied in the past year compared to those from the least deprived communities.

Children and young people's relationships with adults vary according to area deprivation, with those from more deprived communities being less likely to report positive interactions with adults, compared to their less deprived peers, in relation to trust and decision-making.

The quality of early learning and childcare services are high. There is a consistent level of quality provision across all areas with little variation by area deprivation.

National reporting on the protection from harm indicator will be available from 2023/24.

The policy context

An important element of a person's wellbeing is their feeling of safety and inclusion. The premise being that when someone feels safe and cared for they are more likely to achieve their full potential.

Best Start, Bright Futures (BSBF) includes policies that support work in this area. However, the positive impact of policies that foster safety, connection and inclusion are long term. Progress is unlikely to support progress towards the 2030 targets, but work in this space is likely to foster a strong infrastructure that allows for sustained outcomes.

Some of the policies included in BSBF that are likely to impact on these indicators are:

• the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund which aims to provide holistic support for children and their carers at the time of need rather than at crisis point.
• the Promise which aims ensure that cared experience children and young people feel loved, safe and respected.
• and policies around providing childcare, both during early years and for school-aged children.

All these policies are expected to support positive progress across the indicators in this section. Indeed, many individual policy evaluations do track the impact they have on the relevant indicator. Where appropriate we have linked up to the specific evaluation update for further information.

Peer relationships

The peer relationships indicator is the percentage of children and young people in P5 to S3 who agree ('agree' or 'strongly agree') with the statement that 'My friends treat me well'. The peer relationships indicator comes from the Health and Wellbeing Census.

In 2021/22, 84% of children and young people agreed that their friends treated them well. This remained broadly similarly when analysed by area deprivation, with 84% in the most deprived areas (SIMD 1) reporting their friends treating them well, compared to 85% in the least deprived areas (SIMD 5).

The wider evidence base, however, shows a more detailed picture. While children and young people generally reported positive peer relationships, persistent poverty was linked with increases in more volatile peer relations. These volatile peer relationships include, for example, falling out with friends or being less likely to have a good friend.^[40]

The HBSC Scotland study utilises a peer support score ranging from 1 to 7 to explore young people's perception of peer support. Half of young people (50%) reported high levels of peer support with this varying by family affluence (44% for low affluence families compared to 54% for high affluence families).^[41] Further, findings from the Millenium Cohort Study, at age 11, found that poverty – especially persistent poverty – was associated with children having more problematic peer relations. For example, those with experience of poverty were more likely to: fall out often with their friends; fight with or bully others; be bullied; play alone. They were also less likely to: have a good friend; be liked by other children; and, talk to their friends about their worries.^[42]

Bullying

The bullying indicator is the percentage of children and young people in P5 to S3 who report having been bullied in the last year. The bullying indicator comes from the Health and Wellbeing Census.

In 2021/22, one in three children and young people (31%) reporting having been bullied in the last year. Experience of bullying decreases in less deprived areas. In the most deprived areas (SIMD 1), over a third of children and young people (34%) reporting bullying in the last year, with this falling to a quarter (26%) in the least deprived areas (SIMD 5).

The wider evidence supports these findings with children living in lower income households at greater risk of being left out – physically due to costs associated with socialising, or more psychologically due to feeling embarrassed or fear at not being able to have similar lifestyles as peers due to financial limitations.^[43]

Trusted adult

The trusted adult indicator is the percentage of children and young people in P5 to S6 who reported always having an adult in their life who they can trust and talk to about any personal problems. The trusted adult indicator comes from the Health and Wellbeing Census.

In 2021, two-thirds of children and young people (67%) reported always having an adult in their life who they can trust and talk to about any personal problem. There was variation by area deprivation, with those in less deprived areas more likely to have a trusted adult in their life. For example, 65% of children and young people in the most deprived areas (SIMD 1) reported always having an adult in their life who they can trust and talk to about any personal problem, with this increasing to 70% in the least deprived areas (SIMD 5).

Similar findings are found in the HBSC Scotland study, where 55% of young people (aged 11, 13 and 15 years) from low affluence families reported always have a trusted adult to talk to about any personal problems (compared to 67% of those from high affluence families).^[44]

Involvement in decision-making

The involvement in decision making indicator is the percentage of children and young people in P5 to S6 who agree that adults are good at taking what they say into account. The involvement in decision-making indicator comes from the Health and Wellbeing Census.

In 2021/22, 57% of children and young people thought adults were good at taking what they said into account. By area deprivation, there was little variation with the proportion of children and young people who thought adults were good at taking what they said into account. There were slight increases recorded with those in less deprived areas gradually more likely to say their views were taking into account by adults - 56% in the most deprived areas (SIMD 1) compared to 59% in the least deprived areas (SIMD 5).

Similar findings were found in the 2019 Young People in Scotland survey which found 57% of young people (aged 11 to 18 years) agreed that adults were good at taking their views into account when making decisions that affect that young person. By area deprivation, young people in lower SIMD deciles (areas of higher deprivation) were less likely to agree that adults take their views into account compared to those from higher SIMD deciles (areas of lower deprivation).^[45]

Quality services

The quality services indicator is the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) achieving Care Inspectorate grades of good or better across all four quality themes.

In 2022, nine in ten settings providing funded daycare of children services were evaluated as "good" or better in all quality themes. There were some differences by geographical areas, although no clear pattern emerged by level of deprivation. In 2022, the percentage achieving good grades was highest in SIMD Quintile 1 (91.8%) and lowest in SIMD Quintile 5 (88.3%). Across the remaining Quintiles the percentage of services achieving good grades ranged between 88.9-91.4%. This suggests the quality of ELC services remain high with a consistent level of quality provision across all areas.

Protection from harm

The protection from harm indicator is the number of children and young people subject to Interagency Referral Discussions. Data around this indicator is currently only collected locally and not at national level. It is expected that national reporting will be available from 2023/24 onwards. Further information on the expected national reporting of this indicator can be found in the core indicators national report. Available here: Children, young people and families outcomes framework - core wellbeing indicators: analysis - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)