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Text of press letter:
As professionals and academics from a range of backgrounds, we are deeply concerned at the escalating incidence of childhood depression and children's behavioural and developmental conditions. We believe this is largely due to a lack of understanding, on the part of both politicians and the general public, of the realities and subtleties of child development.
Since children's brains are still developing, they cannot adjust - as full-grown adults can - to the effects of ever more rapid technological and cultural change. They still need what developing human beings have always needed, including real food (as opposed to processed "junk"), real play (as opposed to sedentary, screen-based entertainment), first-hand experience of the world they live in and regular interaction with the real-life significant adults in their lives.
They also need time. In a fast-moving hyper-competitive culture, today's children are expected to cope with an ever-earlier start to formal schoolwork and an overly academic test-driven primary curriculum. They are pushed by market forces to act and dress like mini-adults and exposed via the electronic media to material which would have been considered unsuitable for children even in the very recent past.
Our society rightly takes great pains to protect children from physical harm, but seems to have lost sight of their emotional and social needs. However, it's now clear that the mental health of an unacceptable number of children is being unnecessarily compromised, and that this is almost certainly a key factor in the rise of substance abuse, violence and self-harm amongst our young people.
This is a complex socio-cultural problem to which there is no simple solution, but a sensible 'first step' would be to encourage parents and policy-makers to start talking about ways of improving children's well-being. We therefore propose as a matter of urgency that
- public debate be initiated on child-rearing in the 21st century
- this issue should be central to public policy-making in coming decades.
[Any readers wishing to contribute to this debate can contact us by logging on to: http://ipnosis.postle.net/childhood.htm]
Yours sincerely
in alphabetical order:
Professor Peter Abbs, University of Sussex
Liz Attenborough, Manager Talk to Your Baby Campaign
Robin Balbernie, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist
Jean Barlow, Teacher Consultant, Rochdale Children's Trust
Sally Barnes, writer and consultant on early years education
Geoff Barton, headteacher King Edward VI School, Suffolk
Camilla Batmanghelidjh, founder, Kids Club
Virginia Beardshaw, CEO, I CAN
Dr Robert Beckford, University of Birmingham, Documentary maker, Professor of African Diasaporin Studies
Professor Ron Best, Roehampton University
John C. Beyer, Director of Mediawatch UK
Sir Richard Bowlby, President, Centre for Child Mental Health
David Brazier, Ph.D., Rev. author, abbot
Professor Tim Brighouse, Commissioner for London Schools
Mick Brookes, General Secretary, National Association of Head Teachers
Professor Greg Brooks, University of Sheffield
Dr Christopher Houghton Budd, economic historian
Christabel Burniston, President, The English Speaking Board
Jean Clark, Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Christopher Clouder, Alliance for Childhood and Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship
Paul Cooper, editor Soccer Coaching International
Pie Corbett, author and literacy consultant
Arthur Cornell, Chairman, Family Education Trust
Jill Curtis, www.familyonwards.co.uk
Professor Tricia David, Canterbury Christchurch University College
Marion Dowling, President, British Association of Early Childhood Education
Dr John Dunford, General Secretary, Association of School and College Leaders
Margaret Edgington, Early Years specialist consultant and author
Peter Elfer, Early Childhood Studies, Roehampton University
Michele Elliot, Director, Kidscape
Professor Colin Feltham, Sheffield Hallam University
Anne Fine, author and former Children's Laureate
Helen Freeman, Director of Publications, Scholastic Magazines
Dr Marilyn Fryer, C.Psychol. The Creativity Centre Ltd.
Di Gammage, Play Therapist, University of Plymouth
Jan Georgeson, University of Gloucestershire
Melanie Gill, child forensic psychologist, Commonsense Associates
Christopher Gilmore, Atma-Dovetales Educational
Sally Goddard Blythe, Director, Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology
Diana Goodey, educational author
Prue Goodwin, literacy specialist, University of Reading
Rob Grant, Lecturer in Development Economics, University of East Anglia
Baroness Susan Greenfield, Director of the Royal Institution
Dr Natasha Grist, University of East Anglia
Andrea Halewood, Chartered Counselling Psychologist, Roehampton University
Grethe Hooper Hansen, former head of S.E.A.L., educational consultant
Robert Hart, Analytical Psychologist
Colin and Jacqui Hawkins, children's authors
Sylvie Hutu, international trainer, International Association of Infant Massage
Brenda Hobbins, founder, Osiris Educational
Patrick Holford, Chief Executive of the Food for the Brain Foundation
Dr Richard House, Research Centre for Therapeutic Education, Roehampton University
Dr Frances Hutchinson, economist
Virginia Ironside, journalist and author
Julie Jennings, Chair of the Early Childhood Forum
Sue Johnston-Wilder, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education, Open University
Dr Paul Kelly, Senior Clinical Psychologist
Martin Large, author of Set Free Childhood
Dr Penelope Leach, author, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues, Birkbeck College, London
Dr John Lees, University of Greenwich
Professor Del Loewenthal, Roehampton University
Dr Christine Macintyre, Hon Fellow, University of Edinburgh
Neil McLelland, Chief Executive, National Literacy Trust
Dr Peter Martin, Principal Lecturer in Counselling Psychology, Roehampton University
Mildred Masheder, writer on childhood, author of Positive Parenting
Dr Brien Masters, Director, London Waldorf Teacher Training Seminar
Dr Roland Meighan, educational publisher and author of Comparing Learning Systems
Montessori Education UK
Michael Morpurgo, author and former Children?s Laureate
Professor Janet Moyles, emeritus professor at Anglia Ruskin University
Craig Newnes, C. Psychol., editor of Making and Breaking Children's Lives
Janni Nicol, Early Childhood Representative, Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship
Vincent Nolan, Synectics Education Initiative
Chris Oakley, Psychoanalyst, The Site for Contemporary Psychoanalysis
Haya Oakley, Hon Sec of The College of Psychoanalysts
Lynne Oldfield, Director, London Waldorf Early Childhood Training Course
Jayne Osgood, Senior Research Fellow, London Metropolitan University
Sue Palmer, literacy consultant and author of Toxic Childhood
Dr Lindsey Peer, CBE
Professor Michael A. Peters, University of Illinois
Gervase Phinn, former school inspector and author
Professor David Pilgrim, clinical psychologist and academic author
Mrs Chris Ponsford, Development Director, What About The Children? (WATCh?)
Sir Jonathon Porritt, environmental campaigner
Denis Postle, psychotherapist and author of The Mind Gymnasium
Linda Pound, Early Years Consultant
Philip Pullman, author
Tom Raines, Editor, New View magazine
Dr Graham Rawlinson, educational psychologist, University of Sussex
Professor Colin Richards, HMI (ret.)
Dr Alex Richardson, Mansfield College, Oxford; author of They Are What We Feed Them
Denise Roberts, (Editor, My Child magazine)
Veronika Robinson, Editor of The Mother magazine
Dr Dorothy Rowe, psychologist and writer
Professor Andrew Samuels, University of Essex
Sally Schweizer, Early Childhood Advisor, teacher trainer, author of Well, I Wonder
Wendy Scott, former early years adviser to the DfES
Dorothy Selleck, Early Years consultant
Dr Aric Sigman, writer, broadcaster and author of Remotely Controlled
Pippa Smith and Miranda Suit, co-founders of Media March UK
Professor Margaret Snowling, University of York
Professor Ernesto Spinelli, psychotherapist and counselling psychologist, Regent's College, London
Dr Pat Spungin, www.raisingkids.co.uk
Dr Stephen Sterling, Schumacher Reader in Education for Sustainability, Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Plymouth
Professor Sarah Stewart-Brown, Director of Health Sciences Research Institute, University of Warwick
Professor Brian Thorne, University of East Anglia and the College of Teachers
Dr Sami Timimi, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, Lincolnshire
Nick Totton, Editor, Psychotherapy and Politics journal
Dr Rona Tutt, OBE , SEN Consultant, Speaker and Writer
Norman Wells, Director, Family Education Trust
Dr David Whitebread, University of Cambridge
Hilary Wilce, columnist and author of Help Your Child Succeed At School
Bryony Williams, nursery manager
Jacqueline Wilson, author and Children's Laureate
Sarah Woodhouse, Right From the Start education and support project for parents
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