Child
development
and policy
interventions
CAREY OPPENHEIM, CEO
Wednesday 5th November, 2014
@theEIFoundation
eif.org.uk
What should Early Childhood Development
research focus on
• The development of non-cognitive skills in Early
Childhood and their impact on a wider set of
outcomes in adult life
• Effective perinatal interventions and practice
• Interplay between the quality of relationships
between parents, their parenting and child outcomes
• Parenting and boys
Key knowledge gaps that research
should address
•
How to improve access and take up of Early
Childhood interventions/services
•
What interventions are being run in the UK
•
Assessing risk
•
Cost benefit analysis
•
Medium and long term impact (little intergenerational research)
•
What is it about what worked (or didn’t)
Early Intervention Foundation Guidebook
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS
@theEIFoundation | eif.org.uk
Challenges in taking research findings to inform
policy making on early child development
•
A lack of conclusive findings about the impact of interventions on
outcomes (eg quality early years)
•
The variability of interventions according to the context in which
they are implemented.
•
It is more difficult to measure the impact of practice and
approaches than specific programmes yet this is most of what we
do
•
How do you embed the best of what can be learnt from specific
programmes/evaluations to shape workforces, practice, regulation
•
Waiting for a long time…..
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS
@theEIFoundation | eif.org.uk
EIF What Works Review on what enhances
parent child interactions in the early years
•
•
•
o
o
o
Understanding the opportunities for Early Intervention
Summary of findings from our review of interventions for children
0–5
Thee key outcomes:
Supporting the parent/child attachment relationship
Supporting children’s behaviour
Supporting children’s cognitive development
Publication in December 2014
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS
@theEIFoundation | eif.org.uk