The early years agenda in Scotland’s Parliament has advanced rapidly in recent years. Early childhood is now recognised as the formative time in a person’s life for future health and well-being. Yet while policies such as ‘Getting it Right for Every Child’ have received wide acclaim for their focus on early childhood, there are concerns for their effective implementation in practice, which may not support the natural abilities of younger children.

This programme of advanced seminars and events will develop philosophical, scientific, and practical understanding of the needs and virtues of babies and young children in their families and communities. It will draw on multi-disciplinary academic scholarship to support and improve practices in all early years agencies in Scotland and for all our youngest children.

Based on new philosophical and psychological research about the nature of early childhood, the seminar series addresses the importance of relations between younger children and their social, artificial and natural environments, and draws implications for multi-agency work in the early years sector. It will stimulate cross-disciplinary discussion helping agencies and institutions working with the early years in Scotland to compare their practices. By clarifying the nature of children’s development it will encourage common understanding and coherence of purposes across the bodies committed to strengthening services for early years.

The first four seminars were held in the Scottish Universities Insight Institute in Glasgow, a short walk from the main train stations. The final seminar in the series, on the topic of Early Childhood Education & Care in Policy and Practice, was held on Monday, 21 October 2013 at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

Please find below a list of seminar presentations from the Well-Connected Child: Developing a relational approach for practice with young children series, sponsored by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute. These seminars have aimed to develop a philosophical, scientific, and practical understanding of the needs and virtues of babies and young children in their families and communities, drawing on multi-disciplinary academic scholarship to support and improve practices in all early years agencies in Scotland and for all our youngest children.

Tam Baillie (Commissioner for Children and Young People, Scotland)	Dr. Ingela Naumann (Social Policy, University of Edinburgh)
Prof. Jon-Roar Bjorkvold (Music, University of Oslo)	Prof. Helen Penn (Early Childhood, University of East London)
Susan Bolt (Scottish Government, Early Years Team)	Dr. Pauline Phemister (University of Edinburgh)
Prof. Bronwen Cohen (Social Policy, University of Edinburgh)	Dr. Jenny Roe (Urban Environment, Heriot Watt University)
Prof. Gunilla Dahlberg (Education, University of Stockholm)	Patricia Santelices (Mental Health, City of Edinburgh Council)
Dr. Jonathan Delafield-Butt (Early Years, University of Strathclyde)	Prof. Josh Sparrow (Psychiatry, Harvard University)
Heather Douglas (Glasgow Council)	Kenny Spence (Gilmerton Child & Family Centre & Men in Childcare)
Prof. Aline-Wendy Dunlop (University of Strathclyde)	Prof. Colwyn Trevarthen (University of Edinburgh)
Anders Farstad (Hval Gard and Vepsebloet Nurseries, Norway)	Prof. Catharine Ward Thompson (Open Spaces, University of Edinburgh)
Dr. Jukka Makela (National Institute for Health & Welfare, Finland)	Julie Wild (National Parent Forum of Scotland)
Chris Miles (Former Preschool Education Coordinator for Fife Council; Chair Forest Schools Group, Forestry Commission)	Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk (Psychology, University of Dundee)
Prof. Darcia Narvaez (Psychology, University of Notre Dame)

SUII 2013 SEMINAR 1 PRESENTATIONS

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The theme of Seminar 1 was The Child’s Ecology of Relations. To download the slides presented in Seminar 1, click on the title of the talk below.

 

 

 

 

Prof. Colwyn Trevarthen	An Ecology of Relations (PDF)(podcast)
Dr. Pauline Phemister	Always an Ecology of Relations
Patricia Santelices	Supporting Children’s Mental Health & Wellbeing – at home, at school, at play (PDF)

 

SUII 2013 SEMINAR 2 PRESENTATIONS

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Please find below the presentations from Seminar 2 of the Well-Connected Child: Developing a relational approach for practice with young children series, sponsored by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute.

The theme of Seminar 2 was The Child’s Social Environment. To download the slides presented at this seminar, click on the title of the talk below.

Prof. Josh Sparrow	Touchpoints: Linking Families, Professionals, Institutions and Communities
Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk
Dr. Jonathan Delafield-Butt	Attuning Feelings for Working with Children
Kenny Spence

 

SUII 2013 SEMINAR 3 PRESENTATIONS

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Please find below the presentations from Seminar 3 of the Well-Connected Child: Developing a relational approach for practice with young children series, sponsored by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute.

The theme of Seminar 3 was The Child’s Natural & Built Environments. To download the slides presented at this seminar, click on the title of the talk below.

Prof. Catharine Ward Thompson	Engaging with the natural and build environment for children at home, at school, and into their teenage and adult years (PDF)
Dr. Jenny Roe	Terrain-led support for children and teenagers with special needs
Robin Ducket and Catherine Reding	Developing Environments of Enquiry: Early Learning in Nature

 

SUII 2013 SEMINAR 4 PRESENTATIONS

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Please find below the presentations from Seminar 4 of the Well-Connected Child: Developing a relational approach for practice with young children series, sponsored by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute.

The theme of Seminar 4 was The Child’s Moral Sense & Making Community. To download the slides presented at this seminar, click on the title of the talk below.

 

Prof. Darcia Narvaez	The Development of Moral Feelings and Generation of Community (PDF)
Dr. Desmond Ryan	Love as a moral system: The relational space of self-confident children (PDF)
Dr. Mark Smith	Upbringing (PDF)

 

SUII 2013 SEMINAR 5 PRESENTATIONS

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Please find below the podcasts (.mp3 files) of the morning and afternoon sessions of Seminar 5 of the Well-Connected Child: Developing a relational approach for practice with young children series, sponsored by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute.

The theme of Seminar 5 was Early Childhood Education & Care in Policy and Practice. To download the slides presented in this seminar, click on the title of the talk below. For the podcast of the morning and afternoon sessions (.mp3 file), click on the links at the bottom of the page.

 

Prof. Gunilla Dahlberg	Children’s Early Learning – Experiences Policy and Practice (PDF)
Dr. Jukka Mäkelä	How Knowledge about the developing child supports inclusion in Early Childhood Education and Care (PDF)
Dr. Ingela Naumannn	Children’s Access to Education and Learning Spaces in International Perspective (PDF)
Prof. Aline-Wendy Dunlop	Scottish Early Years: Values and Culture. Yesterday, today and tomorrow (PDF)

 

Seminar 5 – Morning session (podcast)

Seminar 5 – Afternoon session (podcast)

 

Additional audio and video of some presentations from these seminars will be uploaded when they are available. Please check back soon!