Children in crisis: The infant adults
SARAH HALL
21 September 2006

Children are heading towards a crisis as they struggle to cope with mounting pressures they face in everyday life.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, issued the warning earlier this week as the Children's Society launched an inquiry into the “state of childhood” after becoming concerned about rising levels of childhood depression. Areas of concern have been raised by the charity and the Archbishop including poor diet, constant testing and examinations in schools placing too much pressure on children, social and commercial pressures and family separations.

Now an independent inquiry will look at all aspects of childhood to try to improve the health and quality of children's lives.

In Norwich, as the Evening News has revealed, the number of children who self harm has risen in the past few years, obesity is on the increase and more children are developing diabetes than ever before.

Theresa Belton, research associate in the school of education and lifelong learning at UEA said: “I agree with the Archbishop about a childhood crisis.

“There are people living in poverty and they shouldn't be but we are also talking about emotional impoverishment. What happens to a person in their early life affects them and then they pass this on to their children. We need, as a society, to break this cycle and help parents deal with deficits of their own childhoods to enable them to give their own children better lives.”
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