The Early Years Framework - Play Scotland

1 Crown copyright 2008 This document is also available on the Scottish Government Donnelley B58605 12/08 Further copies are available fromBlackwell s Bookshop53 South BridgeEdinburghEH1 1 YSTelephone orders and enquiries0131 622 8283 or 0131 622 8258 Fax orders0131 557 8149 Email 244 2272 Part 1 of 2, not available separatelyThe Scottish Government, Edinburgh 2008 TheEarlyYearsFramework Crown copyright 2008 ISBN: 978-0-7559-5942-6 The Scottish GovernmentSt Andrew s HouseEdinburghEH1 3 DGProduced for the Scottish Government by RR Donnelley B58605 12/08 Published by the Scottish Government, December, 2008 Further copies are available fromBlackwell s Bookshop53 South BridgeEdinburghEH1 1YS100% of this document is printed on recycled paper and is 100% recyclableCONTENTSFOREWORD1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY31.

2 Early Years : THE CASE FOR ACTION72. GIVING CHILDREN THE BEST START IN LIFE103. ELEMENTS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE154. THE CONTEXT195. PRIORITIES FOR ACTION216. MOVING FORWARD287. RESOURCES36ivTHEEARLYYEARSFRAMEWORKIt is during our very earliest Years and even pre-birth that a large part of the patternfor our future adult life is set. The Early Years are therefore a key opportunity toshape a Scotland of the future which is smarter, healthier, safer and stronger,wealthier and fairer and Framework seeks to maximise positive opportunities for children to get thestart in life that will provide a strong platform for the future success of know that children are the future of Scotland and we know that Early yearsexperiences provide a gateway to learning and skills that will power Scotland sknowledge economy.

3 Equally importantly, it seeks to address the needs of thosechildren whose lives, opportunities and ambitions are being constrained byScotland s historic legacies of poverty, poor health, poor attainment concordat between the Scottish Government and COSLA sets a new contextfor policy development. It provides a new focus on outcomes and a new opportunityto tackle the big issues facing Scotland . National and local government aredetermined to seize this opportunity and this Framework , alongsideEqually WellandAchieving our Potential,represents a new dawn in social the heart of this Framework is a desire to see investment in Early Years focusedon building success and reducing the costs of failure.

4 This will mean a shift fromintervening only when a crisis happens, to prevention and Early intervention. In turn,that will mean providing a supportive environment for children and the earliestpossible identification of any additional support that may be required. It is not aboutthrowing new money at old problems, or narrow initiatives. It is about a fundamentalshift in philosophy and approach that embraces the role of parents and communitiesand supports them with engaging, high quality services that meet their Scottish Government and COSLA have worked together with a wide varietyof partners to develop this Framework . It represents a new approach developingpolicy in partnership, recognising that different local areas have different needs andmoving away from a centrally driven, inflexible approach, which has not deliveredwhat is needed.

5 Local partners will have a great deal of flexibility in implementingthe Framework , and we believe are already convinced of the case for nothing is not an option if we are to achieve a step-change in want to record our thanks to all those who participated in the task groupsthat supported this process and who contributed their expertise, either throughmembership of the groups or by providing the groups with material to support theirdiscussions. We also want to thank the parents and children who participated inthe research we commissioned to support this publication of this document is not the end of the story. Rather, it is animportant milestone in an ongoing partnership that we are determined to buildon as we move forward with implementation.

6 We look forward to doing so forthe benefit of Scotland s IngramMinister for Children and Early YearsCouncillor Isabel HuttonCOSLA Spokesperson on Education,Children & Young People3 Why an Early Years and Early intervention Framework ?What happens to children in their earliest Years says much about our society andis key to outcomes in adult life. This is now supported by a wide range of researchevidence from education, health, justice and economic experts. This frameworkat its simplest is about giving all our children the best start in life and the stepsthe Scottish Government, local partners and practitioners in Early Years servicesneed to take to start us on that Years and Early interventionFor the purposes of this Framework , we are defining Early Years as pre-birth to8 Years old.

7 This broad definition of Early Years is a recognition of the importanceof pregnancy in influencing outcomes and that the transition into primary schoolis a critical period in children s lives. Many aspects of this Framework are equallyrelevant to children beyond the age of the heart of this Framework is an approach which recognises the right of allyoung children to high quality relationships, environments and services which offera holistic approach to meeting their needs. Such needs should be interpretedbroadly and encompass play, learning, social relationships and emotional andphysical wellbeing. This approach is important for all children but is of particularbenefit in offering effective support to those children and families requiring higherlevels of intervention has relevance to a wide range of social policy but it is particularlyrelevant in Early Years , which will often be the earliest and best opportunity tointervene.

8 We have identified 4 principles of Early intervention. In short, these are: we want all to have the same outcomes and the same opportunities; we identify those at risk of not achieving those outcomes and take steps toprevent that risk materialising; where the risk has materialised, we take effective action; we work to help parents, families and communities to develop their ownsolutions, using accessible, high quality public services as SUMMARYA new level of ambition in Early yearsThis Framework starts from an analysis of the type of experiences that will supportpositive outcomes for children, based on evidence from research and from workwith parents and children.

9 This provides the basis for a new vision for Early yearsthat reflects the high ambitions that the Scottish Government and local governmenthave for Early vision establishes a new conceptualisation of Early Years that childrenshould be valued and provided for within communities; the importance of strong,sensitive relationships with parents and carers; the right to a high quality of lifeand access to play; the need to put children at the centre of service delivery; toprovide more support through universal services when children need it; and thatchildren should be able to achieve positive outcomes irrespective of race, disabilityor social and communities play a crucial role in outcomes for children.

10 That roleneeds to be valued by parents and communities themselves, but also supportedby the community planning process. The vision also highlights the importance ofhigh quality, flexible and engaging services delivered by a valued and appropriatelyqualified workforce in delivering the ambitions of this the vision into actionThese ambitions cannot be achieved by a business as usual change is required, and 10 elements of transformational changehave been identified. These are: a coherent approach; helping children, families and communities to secure outcomes for themselves; breaking cycles of poverty, inequality and poor outcomes in and throughearly Years ; a focus on engagement and empowerment of children, families andcommunities; using the strength of universal services to deliver prevention and earlyintervention;4 THEEARLYYEARSFRAMEWORK5 putting quality at the heart of service delivery; services that meet the needs of children and families; improving outcomes and children s quality of life through play; simplifying and streamlining delivery.