Victoria Monkhouse, Preparing for Life Aileen Kelleher, ABC Start Right

1. Victoria Monkhouse, Preparing for Life Aileen Kelleher, ABC Start Right Tara Scott, Child Development Initiative UiT The Arctic University of Tromsø 25th May 2018

3. www.pein.ie • PEIN, the Irish Erasmus + partner, is a representative body for organisations who share a commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people and their communities across Ireland • Aims: • harness key learning in prevention and early intervention to enhance the capacity of practitioners and services to deliver evidence-informed interventions • influence policy in services for children to embed early intervention • support evidence-based practice, advocacy and research organisations across Ireland

4. Irish Population Census 2016 • 4.7 million in 32 counties: an increase of almost 1.9 million over the past 60 years • Average children per family stands at 1.38 • 218,817 families headed by one parent • 89,686 were single • 50% of lone parents with one or more child experience poverty • 1 in 9 children live in persistent poverty (8.3%) • 16.5% of child population at risk of poverty • Increasing rates of ‘working poor’ • Immigration has become more prevalent in past 5-10 years and this population is at risk of poverty

5. Social Policy Context • Significant universal education, health and social services • Health care is low cost, but many choose to pay for private health insurance due to overstretched system • Means-tested medical cards give free access for all health care for those with income below national threshold (@ €266 p.w. for couple with children) • Introduction of universal free GP access under 6s in 2015 created new challenges • Universal child benefit has been available for decades

6. Early Years Policy and Provision • Department of Children and Youth Affairs wereestablished in 2011 to consolidate policy and provision for children • Provision of universal and targeted services • Focused interventions for child welfare and protections, school attendance, family support etc. • Oversight of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency • State financial support for early years education is limited • All children have access to two years free pre-school care (3 hours per day, 32 weeks per year) known as ECCE • Higher capitation available for staff qualified at degree level working in the free pre-school year rooms. This has led to movement of highly qualified staff leaving the most vulnerable cohort of 0-3 year olds • Minimum qualification levels for EY staff only introduced in 2014 • Government funds “Better Start” and “AIM” programmes to support practice, quality and inclusion contributing to exodus of highly qualified staff • ‘Free’ primary and secondary education but hidden costs of books; stationary; uniform; extra curricular; insurance; trips, registration / voluntary contributions

7. The Area-Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a national area-based, prevention and early intervention initiative announced in the 2013 Programme for Government • Particular emphasis on improving health, educational and social outcomes and on improving the effectiveness of existing services to break intergenerational cycle of poverty • 13 sites were selected. Each devised their own programmes to improve outcomes for young children based on local needs. This gave unique opportunities for each project • Ask that interventions be evidence-informed/based • Co-funded by the Irish Government and the Atlantic Philanthropies. Funding has been extended on piecemeal basis to date • National evaluation carried out by the Centre for Effective Services which is describing the contributions of ABC programme

8. https://www.twcdi.ie/ • A response to local need and children’s under achievement, despite decades of investment • Consortium of 23 people undertook a needs analysis “How Are Our Kids?”in 2004 to identify local population needs • One of three Prevention and Early Intervention Programmes funded by Government and The Atlantic Philanthropies • Funding granted for the design, implementation and evaluation of interventions to respond to identified need (2007-2012) Childhood Development Initiative

9. CDI’s Guiding Principles • Identify need • Develop a coherent, community informed, integrated response • Design, implement and support the quality delivery of evidence-based programmes • Support inter-agency collaboration • Outcomes focused approaches • Evaluate what works and what doesn’t • Share the learning regarding programmes and processes in order to inform future policy and practice

10. How that looks on the ground… Doodle Den:An afterschool programme to improve literacy among Senior Infant Children (5-6 years) Doodle Families:A literacy programme for children (6-7 years) and parents Parental Support in Early Years: Additional supports to early years children and their families Chit Chat (formerly called the Early Intervention SLT Service): Therapeutic support to children (3-6 years) which also works with parents, teachers and carers to maximise their development Restorative Practices: A community based approach to managing conflict and tension in communities Antenatal to Three Initiative (ATTI): To improve access and co-ordinate services for families of children aged 0-3 Family Links:Strengthen family supports to facilitate on-going contact with prisoners while in custody and their reintegration post release, with appropriate supports and programmes.

11. www.paulpartnership.iewww.loveparenting.ie • Aims to break ‘the cycle of child poverty within areas where it is most deeply entrenched and where children are most disadvantaged, through integrated and effective services and interventions’ • Focuses on the ante-natal to 6 years age group in Limerick city centre and north side • Aims to enhance child development and well-being, provide capacity building supports to parents, and tackle educational disadvantage using evidence informed approaches and interventions • Originally part of the National Early Years Access Initiative (2011-2014)

12. Early Years Services in the Area

13. How that looks on the ground… • IY Parent & Baby programme – co-delivery model • Partnership with EY services & schools including IY • Creative Therapeutic Intervention Service • Community-based SLTs • Parent & Baby/Toddler groups • Baby Reflexology (mental health) • Home visiting supports: Homemakers & Community Mothers (home visiting programmes) • Weaning clinic & Breastfeeding support groups • Tag-on clinics at developmental checks • Relationships with all relevant partners

14. www.preparingforlife.ie • Prevention and Early Intervention project based in North Dublin City designed to improve outcomes for children and families and one of the original Prevention and Early Intervention Programmes • Planning began in 2003 using a bottom-up approach and consultation with 28 community stakeholders to develop tailored activities to improve school readiness • Research conducted in 2004 showed that over 50% of children in this community were not ready for school • Evidence-based Home Visiting Programme from pregnancy to school entry was developed and evaluated using an RCT between 2008-2015. Included offers of Baby Massage and “Triple P: Positive Parenting Programme” • Evidence demonstrated significant impacts across 5 domains of child development including: • lower C-section rates for partaking mothers; fewer child behavioural problems; increased social competence; less likelihood of obesity; 10 point increase in IQ at school entry

15. Snapshot of the Area

16. How that looks on the ground… Home Visiting Programme Manualised programme with proven effects Pregnancy to school entry Strengths-based approach Ante-Natal Care and Education Midwife led community-based ante-natal clinics Baby Massage Classes “Bosom Buddies” parent and child group Parenting Programme “Triple-P Positive Parenting Programme” Range of intervention levels Early Years Practice Programme “Strengthening Foundations of Learning” Aistear – learning environment; planning and assessing SLT led oral Language Development – “Hanen” Pedagogical Leadership Schools Programmes “Write to Read” literacy model “PAX Good Behaviour Game” self-regulation Rolling out an IMH practitioner study network

17. Collective Parting Points • The importance of evaluation and fidelity • Participants enjoying a service doesn't mean it’s doing what it’s meant to do. • Both CDI and PFL have ceased implementation of programmes. Balancing formal and informal processes is critical (data collection while also engaging service users). The challenges of community development ethos and being evidence informed • Relationships are key • Essential to meet people and services where they are at • Current issues include: • Short-term nature of funding for our programmes • Long-term sustainability of individual programmes and loss of expertise when staff leave • Embedding sustainability into all elements of the programmes when running pilots • Uncertainly caused with the end of pilot phases and where to next? Mainstreaming, amalgamation, cessation? • Children and their families are our best ambassadors

18. Thank you. Any questions? Tara Scott, Programme Manager Childhood Development Initiative, Tallaght West, Dublin 24, tara@twcdi.ie Aileen Kelleher, Early Years Coordinator, ABC Start Right, Limerick, akelleher@paulpartnership.ie Victoria Monkhouse, Early Years and Schools Programme Officer, Preparing for Life, vicki.monkhouse@nspartnership.ie