Welcome to the 24th edition of our A Better Start Southend Research Bulletin, bringing you the latest on ‘what works’ in Early Years around our outcomes: Social and Emotional Development, Diet and Nutrition, Communications and Language, Community Resilience and Systems Change.

Your regular update, edited by Rachel Wood, also shows how we’re using these findings to influence our work in Southend. In addition, we invite you to help shape our ‘test and learn’ projects and innovations in prevention and early intervention.

If you would like to suggest or contribute an article, or would like to sign up to receive these updates, or have a question, please e-mail: abssresearch@eyalliance.org.uk

Contents:
The Social Determinants of Health
A Review of Government Policy in the Early Years
Arts-based methods in research with young children
Rights-based approaches to participation
Understanding mental health wellbeing in pregnancy and the early years


The Social Determinants of Health

Title:  Sutton, TE Marshall, L Bibby, J and Volmert, A (2019), Briefing: Reframing the conversation on the social determinants of health, The Health Foundation and the Frameworks Institute

Research source: https://www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/reframing-the-conversation-on-the-social-determinants-of-health

Publication date: February 2019

Our Summary: The briefing looks at the ways that not everyone has the same opportunity for good health. For instance in terms of women there has found to be 19 years between life expectancy in some areas. The authors argue that issues such as housing, education, welfare and transport are often missed when looking at protecting and enhancing health. It is believed that a policy shift is needed so that changes in public opinion can take place. In order for this to happen it is argued that the evidence for this needs to be widely communicated.

The wider determinants of health are the conditions in which social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors are looked at. In terms of people’s health, the most important are seen to be education, income, quality of housing and employment.

On this basis the following challenges have been identified:

There is a need to –

  • Broaden what is understood by the term ‘health’
  • Increase the understanding of the role of social determinants of health
  • Increase the understanding of how social and economic inequalities drive health inequalities
  • Generate an understanding of the policy action needed to keep people healthy

In terms of the media it was found that individual and family behaviour were most commonly reported as a possible solution.

Preliminary implications of this are argued to be:

  • Challenges should be raised that widen the conversation about responsibility
  • Responses that are not crisis but solution
  • Widening the conversation about social and environmental factors
  • The need for case studies and evidence to show the importance of the focus on these wider factors

How we’re applying this in Southend

  • We work in partnership to look at how we can work with our communities to establish solutions to local early years’ issues which are social and environmental.
  • Our Work-Skills ‘test and learn’ project is one of the ways that we working together to show the impact that looking at these wider factors might make.

Help us help Southend

  • What other solutions could we look at that focus on education, income, quality of housing and employment?

Let us know what you think by e-mailing abssresearch@eyalliance.org.uk


A Review of Government Policy in the Early Years

Title: Akhal, A (2019), The Impact of recent government policy on Early Years provision, Education Policy Institute

Research source: https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Early-years-take-up_-EPI.pdf

Publication date: January 2019

Our Summary: The article draws attention to the fact that Early Years has been through a wide range of policy changes in recent years. Mainly this has been in terms of subsidies and tax relief in the cost of child-care. One such change in 2015 was the introduction of the Early Years pupil premium. Following on from this was then Universal Credit child-care and changes to the child-care component of the working tax credit among others.

The evidence for socio-economic returns in early investment, including the work of James Heckman in the US, found that for every $1 spent there was a return of $13 per year. Recently also the Life Chances Inquiry in the UK has reiterated the importance of cognitive, emotional and social development in the Early Years.

However, it drew attention to that such changes have both intended and unintended consequences.

How we’re applying this in Southend

  • We work closely with our partners to understand the differences that policy changes in the early years can make on our communities.
  • We review the evidence that is emerging from our test and learn projects, and review our costs using the Preventonomics model (the economics of prevention).

Help us help Southend

  • What other ways can we use the learning from these bulletins in terms of policy and practice?

Let us know what you think by e-mailing abssresearch@eyalliance.org.uk


Arts-based methods in research with young children

Title: Bralsdell, C Arnott, L Wall, K and Robinson, C (2018), Look who’s talking: using creative playful arts-based methods in research with young children, Journal of Early Childhood Research, doi.org/10.1177/1476718X18808816

Research source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1476718X18808816?journalCode=ecra

Publication date: November 2018

Our Summary: The authors argue that young children have been in the past ignored when it comes to participation and children’s rights. It looks at the growing literature in terms of arts-based research and looks at creative methods that are available for engaging with young children (0-7 years). It also examines using play-based experiences in terms of drawing and craft-making amongst others. Lastly it proposes that intergenerational approaches are crucial for securing the voice of the child and inclusiveness in practice.

On this basis the authors propose that adults should not be afraid to set the agenda of such art-based research activities but that they must be responsive, gradual and sensitive if they are to have meaning in research and practice.

How we’re applying this in Southend

  • We continuously review the ways that the ‘voice of the child’ can be used to support the development of our test and learn projects

Help us help Southend

  • In what other ways can we understand our communities through play-based activities?

Let us know what you think by e-mailing abssresearch@eyalliance.org.uk


Rights-based approaches to participation

Title: Formostinho, J and Passos, F (2019), The development of a rights-based approach to participation: from peripheral involvement to central participation of children, parents and professionals, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 27 (3), 305-317

Research source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1350293X.2019.1600801?journalCode=recr20

Publication date: April 2019

Our Summary: This article argues that family involvement is crucial in terms of quality in the early years. The research looks at analysing the learning journey that children have in the first three years:

The research was undertaken in the baby room (year 1), nursery (year 2) and crèche (year 3).

The authors argue that the main learning from this was:

  • In the beginning participation was stimulated by educators, but it wasn’t long before children invited parents themselves
  • In the second year, there was a transformation towards sharing power with parents. This was particularly powerful when it comes to dads being invited to activities
  • Learning journeys continued to support family participation in the 3rd Parents said that it enabled them to have a deeper understanding of documentation, planning and portfolios

The positive conditions that were identified as follows:

  • Trust in the educational team is crucial
  • Families having direct experience of their children’s well-being in the setting was crucial
  • That the families experience should be enjoyable in terms of their involvement

That it was crucial that families felt listened to and respected

How we’re applying this in Southend

  • We have developed learning journeys for our crèche service which show parallel learning with our test and learn projects.
  • Dads’ involvement is one of our main priorities in all of our projects e.g. Fathers Reading Every Day.

Help us help Southend

  • What other ways can we support family participation in our projects?

Let us know what you think by e-mailing abssresearch@eyalliance.org.uk


Understanding mental health wellbeing in pregnancy and the early years

Title:  Howard, LM Ryan, EG Trevillion, K Byford, S O’Connor, S Sands, P Demilew, J Milgrom, J and Pickles, A (2018), Accuracy of the Whooley questions and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in identifying depression and other mental disorders in early pregnancy, The British Journal of Psychiatry, 212, 50-56

Research source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29433610

Publication date: 2018

Our Summary: This article aims to look at the prevalence of mental health issues in early pregnancy, and in comparing the Whooley questions to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) amongst others.

This study recruited women who were attending their booking appointment in South-East London, who were above the age of 16.

The Whooley questions are as follows:

  • During the past month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless?
  • During the past month, have you often been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?

These questions were found to be a useful tool in identifying cases in early pregnancy that may need further clinical assessment. The study also argues that such questions can be asked quickly and easily, and that appropriate training is required to support sensitive questioning. It also shows that it is crucial to introduce this on a routine basis regardless of the community within which the question is being asked.

How we’re applying this in Southend

  • We have test and learn projects which look at peri-natal mental health including ‘Mindful Mums and Babies’.

Help us help Southend

  • In what other ways can we support mental health wellbeing in pregnancy and the early years?

Let us know what you think by e-mailing abssresearch@eyalliance.org.uk

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