Developing Early Childhood Services: Past, Present and Future

Understand early childhood services and how to make the changes work best for you and your clients

When Labour came to power in 1997, early years services underwent a huge transformation--for example a significant increase in the scale of provision, the creation of an over-arching policy approach (Every Child Matters), the establishment of new departments focused on children and their families at local and national level,and more.

Developing Early Childhood Services offers an historical account of the development of early years services in the United Kingdom (with consideration of developments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as England). After an Introduction arguing the relevance of an historical perspective, it presents a fairly brief account of developments from the 16th century to the Second World War, a similarly brief account of developments from the Second World War up until the Conservative victory of 1979, a more detailed account of developments in the period of Conservative Government (1979-1997) and three chapters with an even more detailed account of developments since 1997.

It is easy to become so focused on the implementation of the latest changes that you lose sight of the process of change itself. This book helps you understand what has happened so far, to evaluate that process and to prepare for the future. Its objective is to assist you to understand what has happened, and why, rather than argue that what we have now is, or is not, better than what went before or than any other set of arrangements that might be conceived.

Peter Baldock is an associate lecturer with the Open University, delivering courses on Early Years.