Observations on children
The Tories may have turned to Iain Duncan Smith for new thinking on family policy. But for decades the British left has looked to the Nordic countries, Sweden in particular, for inspiration - and with good reason. Sweden excels consistently in education and childcare, coming second out of 21 'rich' countries in a recent Unicef report on child well-being, just behind the Netherlands. Britain came last.
Sweden invests in children from day one. Parents receive 390 days leave on 80 per cent of their salary (subject to a ceiling) and children are guaranteed a place in pre-school at 18 months, with monthly fees capped at £100. Britain provides 39 weeks paid maternity leave and just two weeks paternity leave, while working families are often unable to pay for childcare.
At Tappan pre-school in central Stockholm, children make their own decisions. Those too young to talk place dolls in model rooms to show what they would like to do. "It's very important they feel that they are listened to," says Eva Paajarvi, the pre-school manager.
The Room for Kids, in the heart of Stockholm, is a library, play area and art studio bundled into one. Two thousand adults and children pass through its doors, for free, six days a week. "Every detail has been built from a child's perspective," says Katti Hoflin, the manager. This is most apparent in the library: the books are ordered by association (those on worms near the ground, stars at the top), the shelves double as a play den with built-in hiding places, and in the story-telling room, there is a replica night sky in tiny lights on the ceiling.
Nearby, Lava - a club for students aged 13 and over - provides a hub for teenagers too young for the city's nightspots. Crowds of students gather outside waiting for the doors to open at 5pm.
Sweden does have problems: underperforming schools in poor immigrant areas, too few fathers take paternity leave (or else use it to go elk-hunting) and rising mental illness among teenagers.
But Sweden is still the most equal country in the EU; has the lowest child injury mortality rate in the world; and the highest life expectancy after Japan. Unicef's report was not big news.
Sweden's success with children rests on it being an equitable and cohesive society. Its tax burden is the highest in the EU (51 per cent of GDP in 2005 compared to 37 per cent in Britain), but few people complain because everyone wants the public services they pay for.
In Britain, a recent IPPR report found that social mobility has declined over the past 30 years, while official statistics reveal that the number of children living in poverty rose by 100,000 last year.
Against this background, IDS's plans seem quaint. For Swedish-style ideas to work in Britain, the government needs to commit itself to fostering a more equal society.
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