ECU Bulletin 2013 (20) 24 October 2013 Early Childhood Unit Welcome to the ECU Bulletin 24 October 2013 The Early Childhood Unit (ECU) works to sustain and improve the quality of services for young children through direct work with children’s services and settings, and through its national networks. This fortnightly bulletin provides up to date news and information for the Early Years sector, including research, policy and resources. Contents Policy Health and wellbeing ● Lucy Powell MP is new shadow minister for ● Gestation-specific infant mortality in England and early years Wales, 2011 ● Parliamentary question: Housing: Impact on ● Prenatal maternal depression symptoms and child development nutrition, and child cognitive function: research ● Deaf children and young people: Backbench ● Perinatal mental health report: Tommy’s debate ● Ambient air pollution and low birthweight: ● Daniel Pelka: Adjournment debate research ● Foundation years: Sure Start children’s centres: Oral evidence Ofsted ● Parliamentary question: Pre-school ● Early years inspections documents updated education ● Social care annual report 2012/13 ● Parliamentary question: Daycare ● Local authority children's services inspections and ● Parliamentary question: Children's centres outcomes ● Parliamentary question: Pre-school ● Outcomes focus for new Ofsted early years education framework ● Modern motherhood: essay by Cherie Blair Qualifications and professional development Practice ● Children’s nursery sector shows growth ● Early intervention focus for Northampton ● Children’s Partnership Knowledge Bank website council's children's centres ● Early Childhood in Focus on the right to play Disability and special needs ● Investing in Children tool ● Charities call on Government to improve Children and Families Bill Research ● Beyond an ‘Either–Or’ approach to home- Inequalities and disadvantage and centre-based child care ● HMP Holloway report: mother and baby unit ● Parents’ reasons for multiple concurrent ● State of the nation 2013: social mobility and child childcare arrangements in the years before poverty in Great Britain school in Australia ● Integrated early years services: a thematic Safeguarding literature review ● Child T: a serious case review ● Guidelines on prosecuting cases of child sexual Families abuse ● Live births in England and Wales by ● 2013 protocol and good practice model: characteristics of mother 2012 disclosure of information in cases of alleged child ● Commissioning for better outcomes in family abuse services : report Consultations Consultation responses Conferences 1 ECU Bulletin 2013 (20) 24 October 2013 Policy Lucy Powell MP is new shadow minister for early years Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central, has been appointed as Labour's new shadow minister for childcare and early years, in the opposition's junior reshuffle. Ms Powell replaces Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West, who had been in the role since 2010. http://lucypowell.org.uk/lucy-powell-mp-joins-labour-front-bench Parliamentary question: Housing: Impact on child development On 10 October 2013 in the House of Lords, a question for short debate was tabled by Baroness King of Bow who asked the Government what assessment it had made of the impact of low-quality housing on child development. Speaking on behalf of Lady King, who was unable to attend the debate, Lord Kennedy of Southwark said that bad housing affected the health, education and wellbeing of children and undermined their long-term life chances. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/131010- 0002.htm#13101062000648 Deaf children and young people: Backbench debate On 17 October 2013 in the House of Commons, a Backbench debate on support for deaf children and young people and their families was moved by Sir Malcolm Bruce, MP for Gordon. He said: ‘I requested today’s debate because I am concerned that support for deaf children is being cut at a time when they need more, not less, support’. The debate included a discussion of support in early childhood and makes reference to a deaf-aware nursery as an example of good practice. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131017/debtext/131017 -0003.htm#13101777000002 Daniel Pelka: Adjournment debate On 17 October 2013 in the House of Commons, an adjournment debate on the case of Daniel Pelka was moved by Geoffrey Robinson, MP for Coventry North West. Opening the debate he said: ‘Some people say to me, “It will always happen—don’t worry about it. It’s bound to happen and you can’t stop it.” I find that repugnant. I cannot believe that Daniel Pelka, whose home was visited 27 times following domestic violence incidents, who turned up at school getting thinner and thinner, who was showing bruises and was clearly being maltreated in every other respect, needed to die’. The debate opens with a discussion of the importance of communicating with the child, and how Daniel’s age and the fact that his first language was not English should not have been prohibiting factors in engaging with him. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131017/debtext/131017 -0004.htm#13101777000003 Foundation years: Sure Start children’s centres: Oral evidence The House of Commons Education Committee has published an uncorrected transcript of oral evidence given on 15 October 2013 about Sure Start children’s centres. Elizabeth Truss, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, gave evidence. Foundation years: Sure Start children’s centres: oral evidence. House of Common Education Committee, 18 October 2013. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmeduc/uc364- vi/uc36401.htm 2 ECU Bulletin 2013 (20) 24 October 2013 Parliamentary question: Pre-school education On 17 October 2013 in the House of Commons, Barry Sheerman, MP for Huddersfield, asked the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the (a) supply of and (b) demand for early years workers in each of the next three years. Elizabeth Truss, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, replied for the Government: ‘The early years and childcare market is dynamic and diverse and we expect it to respond positively to a growing demand for places, including through the recruitment of additional high quality staff. We know that the quality of the workforce is a crucial element of high quality early years provision, and that teachers, or other suitably qualified graduates, are particularly effective. The Government is, therefore, taking action to raise the status of the profession and help attract high quality people into early education’. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131017/text/131017w0 002.htm#13101791000011 Parliamentary question: Daycare On 21 October 2013 in the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central, asked the Secretary of State for Education what models he is considering for childminder agencies and organisations; and which childcare providers he and his Ministers have visited in each of the last 12 months. Elizabeth Truss, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, replied for the Government: ‘The Department believes that childminder agencies will encourage more childminders to enter the market, support the training and development of childminders, make it easier for parents to find a suitable childminder, and further improve the quality of provision. Within the regulatory arrangements we will be putting in place, it will be for organisations setting up an agency to decide on their business model. Trials started in summer 2013 to explore how childminder agencies might work and the models which might be established. These are due to continue into 2014.’ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131021/text/131021w0 001.htm#13102135000017 Parliamentary question: Children's centres On 21 October 2013 in the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central, asked the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of fathers who use children's centres and other services including parenting classes. Elizabeth Truss, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, replied for the Government: ‘As part of the ‘Evaluation of Children's Centres in England’, a research project funded by the Department, a baseline survey of families using children's centres in the most disadvantaged areas showed that mothers were far more likely (96%) to use family services than fathers. CANparent Trial classes are of potential benefit to all carers in helping them engage with their children and build parenting skills. So far, 8.89% of the over 1,000 participants who have taken CANparent classes have been male. Marketing efforts in the summer to increase male engagement with classes have resulted in the proportion of men attending between May and September 2013 increasing to 12.5%.’ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131021/text/131021w0 001.htm#13102135000018 Parliamentary question: Pre-school education On 21 October 2013 in the House of Commons, Damian Hinds, MP for East Hampshire, asked the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on participation rates of children in early years settings (a) in London and (b) outside London. 3 ECU Bulletin 2013 (20) 24 October 2013 Elizabeth Truss, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, replied for the Government using