Abstract
The Children’s Measurement Framework (CMF) is a new indicator-based tool for monitoring children’s equality and human rights in Britain. The article provides a conceptual and methodological overview of the CMF and presents initial findings against a subset of indicators. We begin by locating the CMF within the growing body of research that uses statistical indicators to monitor child well-being; and by considering the Framework’s conceptual and methodological positioning in the light of the broader themes discussed in the broader literature on child indicators. The theoretical underpinnings of the CMF in Sen's capability approach are next explored. The CMF indicator set, comprising 50 statistical indicators for monitoring children's equality and human rights across 10 critical domains, is described. Finally, illustrations of CMF indicators are provided for the life, health, education and physical security domains drawing on a range of administrative and social survey data sources.
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Notes
The Rights of Children’s and Young Person’s Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure http://www.assemblywales.org/ms-ld8085-e.pdf. For an overview, see UNICEF UK Briefing (n.d).
See the Equality Act (2006), available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/3/contents accessed May 2013; and the Equality Act (2010), available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents, accessed May 2013.
A variety of surveys are discussed in this section and have been used in the analysis in subsequent sections. Links to further information on these are included in relevant sections.
The term “looked after children” refers to children who are in the care of a local authority or who are provided with accommodation by a local authority for a continuous period of more than 24 hours. Local authorities have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children falling within the scope of this definition. For further information, see the Children Act 1989, Part III, Section 22 (“General duty of local authority in relation to children looked after by them”. Available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents, accessed May 2013.
An explanation of how ethnicity data is collected and classified in British social surveys is provided in ONS (2013).
An explanation of how data on occupational group is collected and classified in British social surveys is provided in ONS (2011).
The new data is available on the EHRC website, at http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/key-projects/our-measurement-framework/-briefing-papers-and-data/ accessed August 2013.
“Children in need” are legally defined as children who are unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision for him of services by a local authority; whose health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision for him of such services; and children who are disabled. For example, cases of children in need include those experiencing abuse and neglect, those who are disabled, those with family dysfunction, and those with absent parents. For further information, see the Children Act 1989, Section 17(10). Available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents, accessed May 2013.
The term “looked after child” refers to a child who is in the care of a local authority or who are provided with accommodation by a local authority for a continuous period of more than 24 hours. Local authorities are under a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of “looked after children”. For further information, see the Children Act 1989, Part III, Section 22. Available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents, accessed May 2013.
Care leavers are children (or former children) who were formerly “looked after” by a local authority. A legal definition of the term “care leaver” is provide in the Children Act (1989), especially 23C(1) and 23CA(1). Available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents, accessed May 2013.
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Acknowledgments
The Children’s Measurement Framework (CMF) has been developed and data has been gathered in a series of projects commissioned by the EHRC and the authors are grateful to Liz Speed, Fiona Glen, David Darton, Gwen Oliver and others for their vision, input and commitment over the years. Research reports resulting from the EHRC commissioned projects include Burchardt and Vizard (2009) and Holder et al. (2011). A series of measurement framework briefing papers and supporting data tables based on data supplied by NatCen/CASE and other providers are being published by the EHRC These are available on the EHRC website at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/key-projects/our-measurement-framework/. The paper draws heavily on data tables from the NatCen/CASE which involved Elizabeth Clery, Alison Park and Eleanor Taylor, with Maya Agur, Chris Lord, Joanne Thompson, Chloe Robinson and Joan Corbett (at NatCen) and Tania Burchardt and Polly Vizard (at LSE). Tania Burchardt is co-architect of the CMF and EMF the authors are grateful for her comments on this Article. Responsibility for errors of fact or interpretation remain with the authors.
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Clery, E., Tsang, T. & Vizard, P. The Children’s Measurement Framework: A new Indicator-Based Tool for Monitoring Children’s Equality and Human Rights. Child Ind Res 7, 321–349 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-013-9224-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-013-9224-4