Publications

The Good Childhood Report 2012

Our latest report is based on the views of over 30,000 children and young people in the UK, this is the first in a series of annual reports on their well-being.

The Good Childhood Report 2012: A review of our children’s well-being (Full report)
The Good Childhood Report 2012: A review of our children’s well-being (Report summary)
Promoting positive well-being for children (Policy report)

Missing out

Published in November 2011, asks children and young people about the material items and experiences that they think are necessary for a ‘normal kind of life’.

Missing out: A child centred analysis of material deprivation and subjective well-being (Full report)
Missing out: A child centred analysis of material deprivation and subjective well-being (Policy summary)

How happy are our children?

Published in March 2011, this report outlines what we know about the quality of children's lives - as rated by children themselves - and makes the case for a long-standing commitment to the exploration and measurement of children’s subjective well being.

How happy are our children: measuring children’s well-being and exploring economic factors
(full report)

Links between family economic factors and children's subjective well-being

Children's subjective well-being

Launched in October 2010, this report reviews our progress towards the development of an index of well-being that is statistically robust and covers the main aspects of children’s lives, including those identified by children themselves.

Developing an index of children's subjective well-being in England (full report)

Developing an index of children's subjective well-being in England (summary)

Understanding children's well-being

Published in February 2010, this is the first comprehensive exploration of well-being from a child's perspective in this country.

Understanding children's well-being: A national survey of young people's well-being

Disabled children and young people's well-being

Little evidence has been gathered on disabled children and young people’s perspectives on their well-being. The Children’s Society has a programme of work that seeks to redress this gap in current knowledge.

Disabled children and young people's well-being

Happy and they know it?

We asked over 14,000 children and young peole about what they needed to have a good life -- their responses helped us form our well-being framework.

Happy and they know it? Developing a well-being framework based on young people consultation

Spiritual health and the well-being of urban young people

This report for the Commission on Urban Life and Faith was undertaken in partnership with the University of Wales, Bangor. It explores the links between spiritual health and the well-being of young people living in cities and urban areas, and highlights some of the key issues faced by these young people. It raises important questions about the factors that promote well-being amongst urban young people, and the role of spiritual health in young people's lives.

Spiritual health and the well-being of urban young people

The Good Childhood Inquiry

The UK's first independent national inquiry into childhood was commissioned by The Children's Society in 2006 to renew society's understanding of modern childhood and inform, improve and inspire all our relationships with children. The Good Childhood Inquiry was launched in September 2006 with a report describing The Children's Society’s 2005 survey research with young people about what makes for a good life for young people.

The Good Childhood Inquiry

Using The Good Childhood Index

If you'd like to use our newly developed short index of children's well-being with your school or local authority we’d be delighted to hear from you.

We will also be launching our longer index of children’s well-being in its entirety in spring 2011 but if you would like to be one of the first to use either version of the index simply email your details to research@childrenssociety.org.uk.