The Good Childhood® Inquiry was the UK's first independent national inquiry into childhood.
Its aims were to renew society's understanding of modern childhood and to inform, improve and inspire all our relationships with children.
Evidence was contributed by over 30,000 people – including over 20,000 children - taking part in polls, research and focus groups. The research was far reaching and included children from all walks of life including children in prison, children in pupil referral units, children in early-years settings, refugee children, disabled children and many other marginalised groups.
The result of this inquiry is the report A Good Childhood: Searching for Values in a Competitive Age published on 5 Febuary 2009. It was authored by Richard Layard and Judy Dunn.
The report includes recommendations from the panel to parents, teachers, the Government, the media and society in general.
While The Good Childhood Inquiry was commissioned by The Children's Society, the inquiry panel, their report and their recommendations are independent.
How did inquiry work?
Professor Judy Dunn chaired a panel of leading experts and influencers.
The inquiry panel met throughout 2007/08 to discuss the findings of our national call for evidence as well as existing research around each of the inquiry's six themes.
During the inquiry the panel considered the following questions:
- What are the conditions for a good childhood?
- What obstacles exist to those conditions today?
- What changes could be made which on the basis of evidence would be likely to improve things? These may be changes in the behaviour of parents, teachers, government, voluntary sector or faith organisations, or in society at large.
People then gave evidence to the inquiry in the following way:
- 2,006 people contributed to two early NOP polls, one poll of adults and one of children, which helped identify the main issues for the inquiry to focus on.
- 3,579 people – almost all adults - took part in a series of polls run by GfK NOP Reflections on childhood based on the themes of the inquiry.
- Around 8,000 children took part in research commissioned by The Children’s Society
- 1,626 adults and professionals responded to our call for evidence
- 742 children responded to our call for evidence
- 13,389 responses were received from children taking part in two series of polls, one run by BBC Newsround and one on The Children’s Society’s My Life website
- 5,050 children sent in postcards with evidence
- Around 300 children were involved in 50 focus groups with hard-to-reach children.
A Good Childhood 
Panel members