The best start in life: An early years framework for action

• All Wales/National

Introduction

There is a strong and long-standing policy ambition in Wales to enable every child to have the best start in life. However, inequalities continue to arise early and persist throughout children’s lives. There is currently a gap between our policy ambition and the ways in which this ambition is enabled and implemented in practice. This gap allows poorer outcomes to persist and drives inequalities.

This Framework for Action describes what we mean by the best start in life and sets a clear vision for the system to achieve this. It identifies the key components of an effective system and describes what good looks like in relation to each of these components. The framework is designed to provide a guiding light, directing action towards a more effective and impactful Welsh early years system. Its implementation would reduce inequalities and enable Wales’s strong policy ambition to feel real and impactful in the lives of babies, young children and their families.

Purpose

The Framework for Action has been developed to help improve outcomes for babies, young children and their families by:

• Improving understanding of what the best start in life means for babies in Wales
• Improving understanding of the building blocks that make up an effective early years system and the role everyone has to play in supporting babies to have the best start in life
• Setting a vision for what good looks like in relation to each of the building blocks within the early years system
• Describing what needs to be in place at local, regional and national levels within the early years system to enable the vision to be achieved.
• Providing a structured approach for understanding the gaps in the current system and facilitating the identification of priorities for coordinating future action.

The framework has been developed to help coordinate the action needed to bridge the gap between our policy ambition and the inequalities in outcomes experienced by babies, young children and their families in Wales.

It is designed as a benchmark that describes what good looks like. It is designed to help organisations, partnerships and national agencies identify, understand and prioritise action to strengthen the early years system.

The framework is not an assessment of what is currently in place. Some elements identified in the framework may already be in place, some may exist but need strengthening and some may be in development. There will be some areas where new action is required.