Kuvunjika kwa ndoa kunaathiri ukuaji wa watoto

Prime Minister David Cameron, seen here with wife Samantha, has promised to help married couple with tax

Marriage provides a more stable environment for bringing up children than other relationships and should be supported and encouraged by the state, ministers will say today.

The Social Justice Strategy paper will stress that marriage is an ‘excellent’ environment in which to raise families, and warns that family instability or breakdown can have ‘devastating’ long-term consequences.

The hard-hitting document, launched by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, adds that children enjoy better life outcomes when the ‘same two parents’ give support and protection throughout childhood.

It warns that children who experience parental breakdown are more likely to have poor life outcomes than those who grow up with both of their parents.

The document adds that one in three cohabiting couples separate before a child’s fifth birthday, compared with a figure of around one in ten married parents.

Most significantly, the paper clearly spells out the Government’s support for the institution of marriage.

The report states: ‘Given that married relationships tend to have greater longevity and stability than other forms, this Government believes marriage often provides an excellent environment in which to bring up children.

‘So the Government is clear that marriage should be supported and encouraged.’

The strategy provides welcome ammunition for campaigners who are trying to push David Cameron into keeping his promise to give a tax break to married couples.

It comes days after figures showed that marriage is coming back into fashion after 40 years of decline.

The number of weddings has risen by 3.7 per cent in a year. Analysts believe the recession has caused a return to family values and a desire for the stability marriage offers.

The document will form the blueprint of the Government’s plans to tackle the root causes of poverty, which include earlier interventions for problem families and encouraging people back into work.

Mr Duncan Smith will warn that family breakdown is a root cause of many of the problems in society.

He will say that the family is the most important ‘building block’ in a child’s life.

‘When families are strong and stable, so are children,’ he will say.

‘We know that children raised by parents reporting high relationship quality and satisfaction tend to have higher levels of wellbeing, while intense conflict between parents has been shown to be detrimental to children’s outcomes.’

‘When families break down, the consequences can be severe,’ he added.Mr Duncan Smith will add: ‘At the heart of this, it means emphasising the Government’s support for marriage.’

The Social Justice Strategy paper warns that men who have been separated from a parent, experienced high family conflict or multiple transitions in new families, were more likely to be involved in crime.