Wake up call for parents as 87% of young people in Scotland today say they lack confidence and doubt they will succeed in life.

That’s the stark findings from the UK’s number one children’s charity, Barnardo’s.  

• 87% of 11-18 year olds lack confidence.
• Only 20% feel confident about the future
• 64% say grown-ups are ‘not very good’ at telling them they believe they can succeed.
• 45% of parents agree there’s more pressure on young people today than when they were young, while 65% admit their expectations of children range from high to too high.

The new research is a wake-up call for parents and adults about the importance of expressing belief in children and young people. The majority of children asked said that a supportive adult – be that a parent or other family member, carer, teacher or employer – is the most important thing to help them pursue their goals and have a bright future.

64% say grown-ups they know are ‘not very good’ at telling them they believe they can succeed.  And almost two thirds of the parents questioned accepted that their expectations of children are high or too high.

The survey on behalf of Barnardo’s shows that British youngsters feel increasing pressure to perform in all aspects of their lives, but don’t necessarily have the support they crave to help them cope.

Martin Crewe, Scotland Director of Barnardo’s, said: “Barnardo’s has been supporting children for 150 years, and today we help 248,000 young people and families every year.  We know how vital it is our young people believe in themselves, and much of our work across our 996 services hopefully gives them the confidence to believe that anything is possible.”

Four thousand secondary school children and parents were surveyed and the results were announced as Barnardo’s unveils its new Ten Year Strategy to help 300,000 more vulnerable children and their families across the country.  At the heart of the strategy is the Barnardo’s founding ethos that no child that needs help is ever turned away.

Barnardo’s is setting out its ambitious ten year strategy to transform the lives of millions of young people from every background across the country in front of an invited audience at the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood later today. It will also launch a major new marketing campaign, called ‘Believe in Me’, to support the strategy and stress the importance of believing in children.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wodHu-I5Xg&authuser=0