Health, Well-being and Care

Every Child Matters, Children Act 2004 outlines the importance of focussing on children achieving, with an approach that involves children, families, communities and public services working together towards a shared set of goals. The paper sets out five key outcomes that really matter for all children and young people, and all services and settings for children will be assessed under these five outcomes:

• Being healthy
• Staying safe
• Enjoying and achieving
• Making a positive contribution
• Economic well-being

All registered settings are supported to meet legal minimum requirements and nationally agreed standards. High quality settings meet the needs of children, parents and the community and strive for continuous improvements.

High quality settings recognise and support:

• The importance of developing an inclusive, welcoming environment
• The rights of children and young people;
• The importance of a good quality play environment;
• The importance of providing a wide variety of opportunities, which aid intellectual, personal, social and emotional development;
• The importance of developing a safe but challenging environment that is accessible to all;
• The importance of consulting with the children and young people, and involving them in decision making that effects them;
• The importance of the parent/ child/ practitioner partnership;
• The importance of supporting parents and carers with their children, as appropriate;
• The importance of high quality staff who are reflective practitioners;
• The importance of on-going training and staff development;
• The importance of their role in developing communities;
• The impact they can have, through creation of an infrastructure, which enables economic and social growth.

BEYCS is currently developing a Universal Support and Quality Framework, to help us work with childcare, early years and play settings to develop quality.