This book makes the lessons learned from the evaluation of Sure Start accessible to the expanding number of practitioners, professionals, students, parents and other interested parties who will benefit from the reform of children's services through Extended Schools and Children's Centres.

This nation has an enormous stake in reversing the alarming deterioration of the circumstances in which poor and otherwise disadvantaged children grow up. Many past efforts to reverse unfavorable trends in damaging outcomes (school failure, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, and violent crime) have been relatively ineffective. Effective Services for Young Children describes the available options and steps that could be taken to improve the situation through more effective services to children and families. Many of the nation's leaders in current efforts to improve services, and many who are at the forefront of attempts to understand these efforts in current contexts contributed to the workshop and are represented in the volume. Policymakers, administrators, and practitioners will benefit from their perspectives on the possibilities for major improvements in education, social services, health care, and family support services.

Eighteen new chapters have been added to the 2000 edition of this valuable Handbook, which serves as a core text for students and experienced professionals who are interested in the health and well being of young children. It serves as a comprehensive reference for graduate students, advanced trainees, service providers, and policy makers in such diverse fields as child care, early childhood education, child health, and early intervention programs for children with developmental disabilities and children in high risk environments. This book will be of interest to a broad range of disciplines including psychology, child development, early childhood education, social work, pediatrics, nursing, child psychiatry, physical and occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and social policy. A scholarly overview of the underlying knowledge base and practice of early childhood intervention, it is unique in its balance between breadth and depth and its integration of the multiple dimensions of the field.

In order to achieve the best outcomes for all children and young people, schools must work in partnership with students, parents, other professionals and the wider community. In this changing landscape of education, the notion of the traditional school is fast disappearing. This book looks at what is possible in this exciting new world, and how some teachers and other professionals are putting into practice the best principles of multi-agency working. Finding innovative ways of supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in this context is more important than ever, as children are being diagnosed with increasingly complex needs. Those working with children need to be aware of the fresh opportunities that are opening up and which can help every individual to maximise their full potential. This book examines how partnership working affects children with SEND by considering: - the diversity of additional needs; - the role of specialist schools that have an SEN specialism; - partnership working between mainstream and special schools; - partnership working with groups of schools, including those that are co-located or federated; - the growth of academies and trust schools; - schools and other services working together; - the work of extended schools and children′s centres; - a wide range of other services for children, young people and families. Filled with case studies of effective practice from real schools and services, this book is a must-have for those looking at how to work together to achieve positive outcomes for all. Rona Tutt OBE is a Past President of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and works as a consultant, writer and researcher on all matters relating to education in general, and special educational needs and disabilities in particular.

Although the general public in the United States assumes children to be generally healthy and thriving, a substantial and growing number of children have at least one chronic health condition. Many of these conditions are associated with disabilities and interfere regularly with children's usual activities, such as play or leisure activities, attending school, and engaging in family or community activities. In their most severe forms, such disorders are serious lifelong threats to children's social, emotional well-being and quality of life, and anticipated adult outcomes such as for employment or independent living. However, pinpointing the prevalence of disability among children in the U.S. is difficult, as conceptual frameworks and definitions of disability vary among federal programs that provide services to this population and national surveys, the two primary sources for prevalence data. Opportunities for Improving Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities provides a comprehensive analysis of health outcomes for school-aged children with disabilities. This report reviews and assesses programs, services, and supports available to these children and their families. It also describes overarching program, service, and treatment goals; examines outreach efforts and utilization rates; identifies what outcomes are measured and how they are reported; and describes what is known about the effectiveness of these programs and services.

With the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage, young children's personal, social and emotional development is an area of ever-increasing interest to those working in the field of early childhood. This fully revised third edition of Marion Dowling's best selling book has been updated and expanded to include: - personal ,social and emotional development in children 0-6 years - an update on recent and current national developments which impact on young children's personal development - comprehensive references to the Early Years Foundation Stage - links to Early Years Professional Standards - research on brain development and links to young children's well-being and learning - aspects of work with children from culturally diverse backgrounds - multi-agency working, including Children's Centres, extended schools and communities Easy to read and including new case studies and points for practice this book is essential for students and practitioners.

This volume explores how children's rights has influenced research with children and how research can in turn shape policies and practices to enhance children's rights. The book examines the impact children's rights and Childhood Studies has had on how children are constructed and regulated internationally.

It is widely acknowledged that family factors have a decisive impact on children’s opportunities in life. Following its landslide victory in 1997, New Labour initiated Sure Start, a cross-departmental programme intended to combat child poverty and social inequality by providing comprehensive family-centred services to children in pre-school age and their families. First evidence, however, points to significant difficulties in reaching minority ethnic families. This paper seeks to explore conditions for engaging effectively with minority ethnic families in Sure Start Children’s Centres. Effective engagement is defined as provision which is accessible to as well as inclusive of users and has positive outcomes measured against policy, practitioner and user objectives. Given the significant diversity of ethnic groups and limitations of previous research, existing evidence on ethnicity and Early Years provision is complemented by findings of a case study on the experience of Somali parents in a South London Community. It will be argued that Children’s Centres’ potential for effective engagement can be enhanced through a) considering individual/ethno-specific factors as well as regulatory and physical contexts in service design; b) well-trained staff and adequate resourcing; and c) actively involving parents in service planning, delivery and evaluation. It will also be suggested that the ability to offer inclusive services is constrained by systemic tensions arising from the rapid expansion of service provision and the underlying target and performance management model.

This handbook offers practical strategies and evidence-based parent-implemented interventions for very young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It explores this important subject within the context of rapidly increasing numbers of toddlers who are diagnosed with ASD during the second year of life. The handbook discusses how parents of young children with ASD can effectively be supported, taught, and coached to implement evidence-based parenting strategies and intervention techniques, and describes a broad range of developmentally appropriate programs at the family, community, and service delivery levels. In addition, the handbook examines individual differences in parenting cognitions, emotions, and practices and proposes strategies for supporting the varying capacities of diverse families to meet the needs of young children with ASD. Chapters provide diverse coverage, spanning cultural/socio-economic differences as well as differences in family structure; parenting cognitions, emotions, and practices; parental learning styles; and access to social support. Featured topics include: Supporting families of high-risk infants who have an older sibling with ASD. The use of video feedback strategies in parent-mediated early ASD intervention. The Incredible Years (IY) Parent Program for preschool children with ASD and language delays. Self-help for parents of children with ASD. The Family Implemented TEACCH for Toddlers (FITT) support model. Parent-implemented interventions for underserved families in Taiwan. Family and provider-based interventions in South Asia. The Handbook of Parent-Implemented Interventions for Very Young Children with Autism is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians/professionals, and graduate students in clinical child, school, and developmental psychology, family studies, behavioral therapy, and social work as well as rehabilitation medicine/therapy, child and adolescent psychiatry, pediatrics, and special education/educational psychology.

Reviews the latest international experience on ways to improve access to quality early childhood education and care; achieve both high-level and equitable performance in reading literacy; ways to overcome teacher shortages; and redefining the concept of human capital.