Early Years

A collection of resources on the topic of early years.

Poverty, parenting and poor health: comparing early years' experiences in Scotland, England and three city regions

Report that investigated whether there were indeed differences in early years' experiences between Scotland and England, and between the three 'city regions' of Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Glasgow and the Clyde Valley (GCV), that might partly account for the poorer health status of Scotland, and these areas.

It drew on four cohort studies of children, born in Britain in 1946, 1958, 1970 and 2000, supplemented by analyses of routine data and other large scale surveys.

Scottish Government equality outcomes: pregnancy and maternity evidence review

Paper that is one of a series written to inform the development of equality outcomes for the Scottish Government. Guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) states that a range of relevant evidence relating to equality groups and communities should be used to help set equality outcomes that are likely to make the biggest difference in tackling inequalities.

Supporting young people's health and wellbeing. A summary of Scottish Government policy

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.

All babies count: spotlight on drugs and alcohol

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.

Early Years Collaborative

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.