It is a
pleasure to follow my colleague on the International Development Committee—the
Chair of the Committee—the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Stephen
Twigg).
To have a
strong economy, we need a strong society. That is why I welcome the many references
in the Gracious Speech to improving life chances, especially for the young and
disadvantaged. The Children and Social Work Bill and the prisons and courts
reform Bill are particularly welcome in helping to give a second chance to
those who, in so many cases, never had a first chance.
Last week, the
review of prison education by Dame Sally Coates, “Unlocking Potential”,
proposed that to improve the life chances of prisoners, a holistic vision of
education is needed for them, including family and relationship learning and
practical advice on parenting and financial skills. It is heartening to note
that the Government have agreed to implement the review in full.
Another
excellent report that has also just been published is Lord Laming’s “In Care,
Out of Trouble”, in which he says:
“Remedial work
and rehabilitation are essential but prevention is so much more rewarding and
fruitful for the young person and wider society.”
He says that
good parenting “creates the solid foundation” to give the child the best start,
and that the “essential ingredients” are security and stability. He says that
“in this
context…young children develop self confidence, trust, personal and social
values and optimism. Loss, neglect or trauma at this early stage in life often
result in profound and enduring consequences.”
That is why the
commitment in the Gracious Speech to
“increase life
chances for the most disadvantaged”
by tackling
“poverty and
the causes of deprivation, including family instability”
is so welcome.
Addressing this
challenge is urgent. The needs are widespread, and not just for those at risk
of entering the care or criminal justice systems. Years of evidence-based
research by the Centre for Social Justice has shown it is demonstrably the case
that growing up in a family where relationships are dysfunctional, chaotic or
insecure is not only a key driver of poverty in itself, but a driver of other
causes of poverty such as addiction, mental health problems, behavioural
problems, poor educational attainment, worklessness, depression and debt.
Teachers and mental health charity workers in my constituency tell me that
disturbingly increasing levels of poor mental health among children, including
very young children, frequently result from insecure family relationships.
Does my hon.
Friend agree that the recently announced change to the measurement of life
chances—from one based on an arbitrary relative income to one that takes into
account worklessness in households and educational attainment—reflects the
multifaceted nature of poverty and achievement?
I do indeed. I
also think that we should include family instability in that statutory footing.
Yesterday,
Relate published a report on couple relationship distress in the UK. It states:
“Good quality,
couple, family and social relationships are the basis of a thriving
society…central to our health and wellbeing…poor quality relationships have
far-reaching consequences. Inter-parental relationships have…been recognised…as
a major determinant of children’s life chances.”
However,
Relate’s analysis estimates that almost one in five of adult couple
relationships in the UK could be characterised as a distressed relationship,
meaning one with a severe level of relationship problems that has a clinically
significant negative effect on a partner’s wellbeing. The figure for partners
with children under 16 is even higher. Encouragingly, however, Relate also says:
“A broad range
of relationship support services are effective at improving relationship
quality.”
I hope
Ministers will read the report and note its recommendation that we need to
“expand access
to a spectrum of support for good quality relationships, overcoming barriers of
accessibility, availability, and affordability to ensure that anyone who needs
it can benefit from support.”
I look forward
to the publication of the Government’s life chances strategy. I hope that it
recognises that poverty of relationships is a severe limiter of life chances,
and that substantially increased support for stronger family relationships is
needed in every local community. It is important to provide somewhere in every
locality where people can go for such support and advice, at any stage in their
family life—whether they are starting a family, bringing up toddlers or
teenagers, coping with supporting an elderly parent, or simply a couple going
through a rocky patch.
The troubled
families initiative has been successful in providing intervention and support
at a crisis stage. Let us learn from that, but provide support much earlier,
when families feel they need help. Let us normalise asking for help and
providing it. There cannot be a family in the land that would not benefit.
