In response to the Prime Minister’s speech today the Relationships Foundation say that the government continues to fail the “Family Test”.
David Cameron highlighted the challenge facing our nation: to rise in a globally competitive world or to decline.
But in highlighting the ‘three things are essential to helping our people rise’ – a strong private sector, welfare that works and schools that teach – he omitted the fourth key factor that underpins them all: strong families.
His reticence perhaps reflect that in contrast to welfare and education policy he has little success to trumpet. There was no cabinet minister with lead responsibility for families whose success he could praise. David Cameron has promised to make Britain the most family friendly country in Europe and to subject all policy to a family test: this appears to be one area where Britain can’t deliver.
The Prime Minister clearly believes in strong families. He praised the influence of his father. He stated that hard work, strong families, taking responsibility and serving others would help Britain compete and thrive.
Inequality in children’s cognitive development is as much to do with family influence as school structures or teachers unions. The character, skills and values that make people employable are forged in families. Families help people get on the housing ladder or start businesses. And it is families that can keep the costs of welfare down. The lean competitive economies the Prime Minister wants to emulate aren’t paying £44bn each year, every year, too deal with the costs of relationships breakdown. They expect people to care for elderly relatives, and give them tax breaks to do so.
You don’t necessarily need tiger mothers for a tiger economy, but you do need a clear family policy. Britain families can deliver – it’s time for the Government to be clear about what is expected, and how families will be supported. It’s time to measure progress on relieving the pressure on families. And it’s time for the Family Deal.