27 March 2024
The Government has published a report which identifies
how future early years policy needs to evolve to support the best possible outcomes for
children.
The Early Years Roundtable was facilitated by the Isos Partnership and involved a series of
discussions with stakeholders, held between November 2023 and January 2024.
The ambition of the roundtables was to identify ways in which a new approach to early
years in Jersey could help deliver high quality, affordable early education and care, that
meet the challenges faced by families and how this would benefit the Island.
The stakeholders considered a selection of overarching principles for policy makers to help
relieve pressure and expectation on the existing early years system.
These principles
include:
- a need to be holistic and joined-up
- a need for a clearer offer to families
- a need to empower parents
- a need to build on existing strengths
- a need to develop a sustainable model for change
The discussions have allowed stakeholders to better understand the obstacles faced by the
early years sector and develop a series of key findings for ministers and Government. The
stakeholders found that more effective engagement with parents and carers would lead to
a clearer understanding of families’ needs and choices.
Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, Deputy Rob Ward, said: “I’d like to thank the
many, many people who contributed their time and expertise to these discussions, and for
their openness, honesty, and desire to see our children have the best possible outcomes.
“Providing children with the best possible start to life is a key priority and these findings
will be used to inform future early years policy work and to suggest improvements that will
make the system fairer and more inclusive for the whole community.”
The ISOS Partnership said: “As independent facilitators, we were struck by the strong
commitment, momentum and good will from all partners across the roundtable
conversations.”
Twenty-four early years stakeholders were involved in the discussions, which included
representatives from early education and childcare, public health, third sector, family and
parent support organisations, employers, government officials, and parents.
The report is available on the Government of Jersey website, via Early Years Policy work.
gov.je