and also, it's official, father's are a good thing! (Thanks, Dad!)
Barnardo's, for whom I have much respect, have started a new campaign encouraging us to believe in children and not to write them off. I support this.
According to the report on the BBC news website, this seems to stem from one of those strange examples in British Society where people's perceptions are different to what the statistics say. People perceive that young people are becoming more criminal, while the British Crime Survey indicates that youth crime dropped by 39% between 1995 and 2005.
According to the results of the Barnado's survey, the main threats to a happy childhood are: growing up without a father, being in care, teenage motherhood, and being expelled from school. So the work that they are seeking funding for will, for example, give care to children such that the cycle of expulsion from schools is broken.
While I rejoice at Barnardo's campaign, I find myself disappointed that we are a society that needs to be reminded to nurture children, and hope that the government also will do all that it can to encourage stable family units.
The Dawn Treader - Richard's Cabin 