Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has been urged by Barnardo's Scotland to prioritise children's services, after it produced a scathing report ranking the country second from bottom for children's well-being in a list of developed nations.
Barnardo's ranked Scotland joint 22nd out of 24, alongside Portugal, in a list of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in an index of well-being, which included levels of child poverty, education, teenage pregnancies and suicide.
The country did particularly poorly in child poverty, teenage pregnancy and economic participation among 15- to 19-year-olds, though it was ranked eighth for education.
Martin Crewe, director of Barnardo's Scotland, said: "This is a great opportunity for the first minister and Scottish government to prioritise children and young people by tackling the inequality of child poverty and setting out five to 10-year strategies for early years and parenting support services."
The report follows a study published in February by Unicef, which found UK children had the lowest levels of well-being in the developed world.
Related information
Barnardo's Scotland
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Youth Justice and the Youth Justice Board
26 August 2008
Substance misuse
15 August 2008
Details of government consultations
21 August 2008
Private Member Bills
25 July 2008
Government Legislation
25 July 2008
