National children’s charity 4Children, and Counsel and Care, the charity which supports older people, have joined forces to launch a new report today, For All Ages. With the Office for National Statistics reporting that the number of over 65s has overtaken those under 16 for the first time in the UK, the report calls for a new approach to improve connections and build mutual understanding between the generations.

For All Ages argues that changing family structures and increased geographic mobility have resulted in people living longer, becoming more likely to live away from extended family members, and simply having less time. As a result, families are currently more dispersed than ever before and live in more linear generational divisions. The charities are now coming together for the first time to argue that the increasing distance between young and older people is set to spark a new wave of social problems unless urgent action is taken to reduce intergenerational prejudice and discrimination.

A survey of 500 young people (aged 5-16) carried out in the run up to the For All Ages report launch testifies to concerns over poor levels of empathy and understanding between young and older people.

The survey revealed that:

• 78% of 11-16 year olds do not feel that older people understand them
• 63% of young people worry about getting old
• 42% of young people think that adults under 60 are old
• 30% of young people rarely spend any time with older people

The good news is that 90% of young people who do spend time with older people said they enjoyed it and over 60% said they would like to spend more time with older people. The survey also found that the most popular ‘older’ celebrities admired by young people are Madonna and football hero Ronaldo, with the Queen and Simon Cowell coming in second.

The survey provides evidence to support the notion that external social influences play a key role in shaping young people’s perceptions of older people. Results showed that younger children (those under 11) tended to view adults as being ‘old’ at a later age than 11-16 year olds with 1 in 4 young children, compared with no older children, identifying 80 as the benchmark of ‘old’.

For All Ages, published with the support of The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, argues that intergenerational approaches can deliver real benefits not only to individuals and families but to communities and wider society. It puts forward a number of recommendations for action which form a crucial plank of public policy with far reaching impact across the policy spectrum.

For All Ages recommendations include:

1. To create an Intergenerational Strategy for England as a focal point and driver for activity and progress in this area. It is recommended that the Ministerial Level group leads a national consultation on a strategy for intergenerational work.
2. To work with current national programmes of activity such as children’s centres and extended schools in order to help mainstream innovative and good practice and move the agenda towards a more consistent approach. This should include piloting a flagship programme of intergenerational centres which can help to showcase what can be done within existing children’s centres, as well as developing practical help such as guides for good practice and better information on how intergenerational approaches can help achieve improved Every Child Matters Outcomes and school standards.
3. To stimulate interest at a local strategic and operational level by working with local authorities to pathfinder intergenerational approaches to achieving their Local Area Agreement outcomes. It is recommended that intergenerational work is given a priority in Local Area Agreements and that outcomes are determined and monitored in this area. This might include working with the IDeA and other strategic agencies to set up an intergeneration “Beacon” scheme recognising local authority work in this area.
4. To undertake research to identify how families can be supported to offer care and increase connections across the generations. This would include supporting grandparent and family involvement in both childcare and eldercare, building on the national carers strategy. The forthcoming Green Paper on the future of care must address this issue as well as concerns about intergenerational equity. New approaches should be explored to help families stay in touch with enhanced access to new communications.
5. To have a renewed emphasis on the importance of the participation of young and older people across community development. This would involve developing local participation schemes aimed at attracting older and younger people to build community cohesion, and joining up with current participation and engagement schemes to help build in cross-age working.

Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children, said:
“Time and time again, younger and older people tell us about a lack of understanding and real concern about the other generation. Yet when young and old come together in a common experience, amazing things can happen with much to be learnt, perspectives and stories shared and new friendships forged. By creating more settings and activities which promote interaction between all age groups we have a real opportunity to empower young and older people, strengthen their understanding of each other and create stronger and more unified communities – which is good news for everyone.”

Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, said:
“The need to generate stronger links between the generations has never been more important. With a debate about the future of care now underway, it is crucial that we see ‘care’ as being about more than care for different age groups, but as about care across generations.The care debate is everybody’s business. It affects us all. We are all getting older, we may need care at some point in our lives or we may be a younger person caring for an older loved one.”

Quotes from young people

On whether older people understand young people today:
"They think that we are immature, but we can be grown up really” – age 13
“They use different words” – age 8
"They had different technology and they don’t understand’" – age 11

On their fears of growing old:
“Dying and getting cancer” – age 7
“I don’t want to die or get slower and go wrinkly” – aged 9
“Getting beaten up and robbed” – aged 10

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Notes to the Editor
For further information or to arrange interviews, contact Julie Watkins on 020 7522 6928 / 0791 787 0641 or email Julie.watkins@4Children.org.uk.

Click here to download a copy of For All Ages.

4Children is the national charity dedicated to creating opportunities and building futures for all children. It aspires to ensure that all children, young people and families have access to a creative, safe and child focused environment, and activities. 4Children provides an information line for parents and childcare professionals with advice and support on all aspects of childcare, including details of out of school clubs in your area. For more information see: www.4Children.org.uk.

Counsel and Care is a national charity getting the best care and support for older people, their families and carers. They do this by providing advice, information and financial support and by influencing future policies, services and funding. Donations, legacies and payroll giving enable Counsel and Care to get the best care and support for older people, their families and carers. For more information see: www.counselandcare.org.uk.

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