The Good Childhood Inquiry

If you've been reading the papers this week, you've probably noticed the string of stories about modern children's lives in the UK, culminating today in the publication of A Good Childhood: Searching for Values in a Competitive Age, which is the final report from the Good Childhood Inquiry.

The inquiry began its work in September 2006, after being commissioned by The Children's Society. Its brief was to provide an understanding of the lives of children in the UK today, by collecting evidence from children, parents and professionals on subjects such as family, friends, education, and mental health. Although the full version of the final report does not appear to be online (copies will appear in the library shortly), following the first link in this post will take you to the project's website, which provides dozens of documents containing information about the inquiry's methodology, the evidence gathered, and the recommendations that the report contains.

Already, the Inquiry's conclusions have generated a lot of new stories and opinion columns, with some writers supporting the Report's stance while others are fiercely critical. Putting links to all of the relevant news coverage would take up too much space, but here is a flavour of some of the stories that have been published:

• We Blame the Parents - BBC Blog discussing the report
• Look Beyond Number One - Article from report's co-author, calling for schools to take on a different role in teaching children about respect
• Children Paying Price for Adults' Pursuit of Success - Guardian news story
• The Childhood Report Lacks Insight - critical analysis of the Good Childhood Inquiry
• Are our Children Really in Crisis, or the Victims of Parents' Anxiety? - detailed story ahead of the report's publication from the Observer