scholarly journals Does Sure Start spending improve school readiness? An ecological longitudinal study.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Senior
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
Important Time

Background Early child development predicts a range of later outcomes including educational achievement, employment, involvement in crime, health, and social care need. Inequalities in early childhood also cause inequalities in health later on in life. Because of this, early childhood is an important time for intervention. School readiness in England is used to refer to an assessment of a child's cognitive, emotional, and physical development, and is a major focus of effort for local and national policymakers. However, evidence on what factors affect school readiness is needed to guide policymakers at local and national levels. MethodsI analysed a panel data set of 150 English upper tier local authorities from 2012 to 2016, for a total of 750 local-authority years. I used fixed effects poisson regression models to test for associations between local trends in school readiness performance and sure start spending, non-sure start children’s services spending, and child poverty rates.ResultsAfter adjustment for local trends in child poverty and spending on other children’s services, local trends in Sure Start spending were positively associated with school readiness, both among all children and among children eligible for free school meals (an indicator of poverty). All effects were small, with a 10% change in per-child Sure Start spending associated with a less than 0.2% change in school readiness performance.ConclusionDespite limitations associated with the ecological nature of this study, it provides evidence that Sure Start spending may improve school readiness. This complements wider evidence on the health benefits of Sure Start, suggesting that this programme had benefits across a range of outcomes.

Excused Versus Unexcused: How Student Absences in Elementary School Affect Academic Achievement

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Gottfried
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Quantitative Model ◽  
Academic Risk ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Unexcused Absences ◽  
Reading And Math

The literature on school absences has focused predominantly on the reasons for student truancy, or it has assessed only aggregate student absences in their effect on achievement. However, this study brings forth a new issue: the relationship between types of absences—excused versus unexcused—and school performance. With a quantitative model of educational achievement on a longitudinal multilevel data set of all second-through fourth-grade students in the Philadelphia School District from 1994 to 2000, this study disaggregated absence information to provide new insight on the attendance–achievement relationship. Specifically, a model using fixed effects with classroom-level clustering was employed to determine how the distinction among varying proportions of excused versus unexcused absences related to students’ standardized test performance in reading and math. This article demonstrates that distinguishing between students with high rates of excused or unexcused absences is significant. Having a higher proportion of excused absences to total absences exhibits a positive relationship between reading and math test scores. Conversely, students with a higher proportion of unexcused absences places them at academic risk, particularly in math achievement and as early as in elementary school. Implications for policy are discussed.

New Labour, children’s services and the third sector

2020 ◽  
pp. 17-34
Author(s):  
Alison Body
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Voluntary Sector ◽  
New Labour ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Labour Government ◽  
Financial Investment ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Children’S Services

In chapter 1 we provide an overview of the concept of prevention within child welfare, particularly under the New Labour government (1997-2010). Coming to power in 1997, Labour placed considerable focus, and financial investment, on reducing child poverty and social exclusion, and increasing universal early intervention support and coordination between services. The role of the voluntary sector became mainstream in the provision of children’s services, with the launch of several high-profile initiatives. Focusing on the concept of ‘prevention’ within child welfare and building on these shifting understandings of childhood and the concerns for children, this chapter explores how social policy operationalised under the Labour government; from how Labour developed strategies to tackle issues surrounding children and young people who are considered disadvantaged, vulnerable or at risk and how they mobilised the voluntary sector within this response.

A National Framework for Children's Services: AECA's View

1996 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme Vaughan ◽  
Pam Cahir
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Discussion Paper ◽  
Bilateral Agreements ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
National Framework

Council of Australian Governments (COAG) proposed, in its discussion paper released in November 1995, that it develop a national framework for children's services in Australia. This is part of its review of intergovernmental responsibilities for the delivery of children's services. The review consists of two steps, the first being intergovernmental agreement on a national framework, and the second, bilateral agreements between the Commonwealth and each State and Territory to implement the national framework. The Australian Early Childhood Association, Inc. (AECA) has prepared a submission which sets out its views on the objectives, outcomes, and features of a national framework for children's services. The Association strongly believes that the interests of children should be the paramount consideration in developing the national framework for a children's services system.

Children's Services: A Vision for the Future

2000 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Fraser
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Early Childhood Professionals ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
Good Starting Point ◽  
Advocacy Leadership

How do we change community perceptions and promote the importance of the early childhood years? Advocacy by the early childhood sector would appear to be a good starting point, but how well equipped are members of the profession to take on this role? This paper explores these questions by analysing the direction of policy decisions in relation to children's services and comparing them with overseas directions. It further reports the findings of a study of key stakeholders in the children's services sector and their perceptions of who are the main influencers of children's services policy. The findings point to the limited nature of advocacy leadership amongst those involved in the children's services sector in New South Wales. Discussion of the findings focuses on developing strategies to inform and support early childhood professionals to help them to advocate on behalf of children and to build the profile of children within the community.

scholarly journals Thinking about Practice in Integrated Children's Services: Considering Transdisciplinarity

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Nolan ◽  
Jennifer Cartmel ◽  
Kym Macfarlane
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Care Community ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
Role Confusion

Integrated service delivery in the early childhood education and care sector is burgeoning as a direct result of government agendas in Australia that privilege services for young children and families, especially those considered most vulnerable and at risk. In many cases this means reviewing and revising current practice to work more collaboratively with other professionals. This paper reports the findings of one aspect of a larger Australian study entitled: ‘Developing and sustaining pedagogical leadership in early childhood education and care professionals’. The focus of this paper is the understandings and practices of professionals in both Queensland and Victoria working in integrated Children's Services across the education, care, community and health sectors. The notion of transdisciplinary practice is also explored as a way to sustain practice. Qualitative data collection methods, including the ‘Circles of Change’ process, the ‘Significant Change’ method and semi-structured interviews were used. The findings indicate concerns around professional identity, feeling valued, role confusion and the boundaries imposed by funding regulations. Working in a transdisciplinary way was generally considered a useful way to move practice forward in these settings, although the ramifications for leadership that this approach brings requires further consideration.

Assessing the impact and implications for social workers of an innovative children’s services programme aimed to support workforce reform and integrated working

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 81-90
Author(s):  
Nigel Malin ◽  
Jane Tunmore
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
North East ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
The Impact

This article reports findings from an independent audit and evaluation of an innovative children's services programme (CSP) funded 2009-2011 by twelve Local Authorities under the auspices of the North-East of England's Improvement & Efficiency Partnership (NEIEP) to manage improvements and efficiencies across the children's services sector focusing upon messages for social workers. The overall purpose of the CSP was to make demonstrable progress in tackling the challenges of child poverty by delivering high quality support to the growing number of children with social care/health needs through regional improvement. The key objectives of the CSP included supporting workforce reform and integrated working; development of personalised services; family support to reduce the need for residential care; and provision of tools to aid commissioners with needs analysis. The audit identified key outputs, for example, improvements to best practice on Whole Family approaches, safeguarding and leadership training evolved through a skills framework; and included a regional model of social work supervision training along with a provision of options to increase the range and quality of foster care placements. The evaluation considered actions arising from the above findings, including demonstrated improvements to inter-disciplinary working and pooling resources to produce better outcomes for families; setting up a data-base to improve the balance between fostering, residential care and family support; and creating opportunities for social workers to explore the practical implementation of using personal budgets.

The Many Faces of Child Care: Roles and Functions

1996 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Sims ◽  
Teresa Hutchins
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Child Care ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
The Many

Current debates in early childhood are underpinned by fundamental issues regarding the roles and functions of services for children. Some writers have identified care and education of children as the main functions of children's services. This paper discusses a multifunctional approach and suggests that services for children in the 21st century need to develop a new discourse that celebrates the multifunctional nature of children's services.

scholarly journals Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee: Advocacy in a Global Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Cassie Chenoweth
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
Important Time

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up our professional and personal lives more than anyone could have expected. There has never been a more important time to advocate for libraries, specifically children’s services. We have all learned some incredibly valuable lessons about library advocacy during this unprecedented time. The following are library advocacy tips to be used at any time, pandemic or not.

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