Early Years

This document has been prepared for the Youth Health Improvement and Health Inequalities Strategic Leads Group. It sets out the key government policies that aim to support young people’s health and wellbeing. It is a broad overview and does not attempt to describe every policy or initiative that will have an impact on the health of young people in Scotland.

Paper that examines whether there are any changes the Scottish Government can make, in the short-term, to improve the way the government-funded nursery provision works as well as feed into the wider debate on childcare.

Guidance that is supplementary to, and should be read in conjunction with the Scottish Government 'National guidance for child protection in Scotland 2010'. The guidance outlines key definitions and concepts, specifically a definition of what constitutes child abuse and neglect and harm/significant harm.

First in a series of Spotlight papers which build on the findings of the NSPCC report – All Babies Count: Prevention and protection for vulnerable babies -  which highlighted the pressing need for effective interventions for parents and their babies.

The papers focus on the specific developmental importance of pregnancy and babyhood, shining a light on a particular issue for families, policy and practice, in this case parental misuse of drugs and alcohol.

The Early Years Collaborative was launched on 1 October 2012 at a multi-sector event hosted by Ministers, the Chief Medical Officer and COSLA as chairs of the Early Years Taskforce. Its objective is to accelerate the conversion of the high level principles set out in GIRFEC and the Early Years Framework into practical action.

This resource provides general information on the collaborative, as well as the latest updates.

Interactive web resource for parents and children on early years development, including playing, reading and talking.

Paper aimed at all professionals who may, during the course of their work, provide advice to parents and carers in relation to maternal and infant nutrition. It aims to highlight the key updates which were made to six universal resources produced by NHS Health Scotland during routine reviews in 2012.

Designed to guide health professionals through the national information resources available to support effective communication with parents and improve maternal and child health outcomes.

It covers pre-conception, pregnancy, infancy, toddler and the pre-school period up to the age of 5 years. It also signposts to related services and resources to support parents and carers.

Guidance to facilitate the implementation of an effective 27-30 month review for all children in Scotland. It is primarily aimed at front line health staff involved in delivery of the review, in particular Public Health Nurses - Health Visitors (PHN-HVs), and their managers. 

It is also of wider interest to general practitioners and colleagues involved in early learning and childcare and the wider care and support of young children.