FIVE GIANT STEPS
Improving early childhood learning and family support systems

Early support of some sort for babies and pre-school children who have difference, delay or challenge is an invention of the latter part of the last century. There is very great disparity between countries with some having almost nothing in place. Where there are early support approaches we can see a sort of halting evolution over the years in which support was first for the child and then, secondly, a recognition of the need to support each child’s family. The third stage in this evolution will be proper support and training for the early support workforce. At present, support for children is outdated, support for familis is in its infancy and thers is no recognisable unified worksforce. Hence my campaign.

Systems theory or systems thinking can help us in this to take a fresh look at babies and infants, a fresh look at families and a fresh look at practitioners. Systems-thinking is very straightforward. There is no mystery about it. The basis is that when separate elements are joined together effectively, new characteristics and potentials emerge that were not present in the separate elements. This is very basic and it can feel like magic. There are five giant steps to improvement:

ONE
Taking a fresh look at babies and infants

TWO
Taking a fresh look at families

THREE
The family body and the professional body

FOUR
The family body and the professional body coming together

FIVE
Taking a fresh look at practitioners and their training