Early Life

Question 1

What are the ‘early years’?

Answer 1

Pre-birth until starting school.

Question 2

List the 5 dimensions of health development.

Answer 2

• Physical
• Language
• Attachment
• Socio-emotional
• Cognitive

Question 3

Define physical health.

Answer 3

Absence of disease and physical impairment, nutrition. e.g.growth, physical health, maturation, presence or
absence of disability

Question 4

Define language health.

Answer 4

Ability to communicate and exchange information.

Question 5

Define attachment health.

Answer 5

Bonding relationship with caregiver.

Question 6

Define socio-emotional health.

Answer 6

Ability to express and regulate emotions, ability to maintain
positive relationships, e.g. emotional regulation, self-awareness, understanding emotions, self-esteem

Question 7

Define cognitive health.

Answer 7

Ability to think and understand, e.g. literacy and numeracy
skills, problem-solving

Question 8

Why are the early years important?

Answer 8

• Adverse experiences in early-life affects development in the short and long term
• Risk of exposure to adverse experiences are not equal
  across society – the social determinants of health

Question 9

Give examples of early outcomes.

Answer 9

• Alcohol use during pregnancy can cause a range of lifelong physical, behavioural, and intellectual disabilities.
• Breastfeeding is associated with lower rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), gastroenteritis and diarrheic disease, and lower respiratory tract infections

Question 10

Define early intervention.

Answer 10

Policies & interventions directed at parents and children, from conception up to age five years.

Question 11

What is the purpose of early intervention?

Answer 11

To prevent a range of problems developing later in life.

Question 12

Give examples of problems that can develop without early intervention.

Answer 12

• Poor physical and mental health
• Low educational attainment
• Crime and anti-social behaviour

Question 13

List the different forms that early intervention can be taken in.

Answer 13

• Universal: offered to all families, e.g. health visiting
• Targeted: aimed at vulnerable families
• Delivered to parents, children or whole families

Question 14

List examples of universal early year policies.

Answer 14

• Paid parental leave
• Health visiting & Healthy Child Programme
• Childcare (early years learning)
• Sure Start Child Centres

Question 15

What is the Healthy Child Programme?

Answer 15

Public health programme for children 0 -19 yrs in England that is offered to all families (progressive universal service)

Question 16

What does the Healthy Child Programme involve?

Answer 16

• Immunisation during pregnancy and childhood
• Health and development reviews
• Advice and support to help children’s physical and emotional development
• Antenatal, newborn and infant screening

Question 17

What is the aim of the Healthy Child Programme?

Answer 17

To support child’s health through immunisation of diseases.

Question 18

What is ‘targeted selected’ intervention?

Answer 18

Intervention offered to those at higher risk of poor outcomes, e.g. low family income, single parenthood

Question 19

What is the aim of targeted selected intervention?

Answer 19

To prevent problems from occurring.

Question 20

What is ‘targeted indicated’ intervention?

Answer 20

Intervention offered to those who have been identified as having a specific problem requiring more intensive support.

Question 21

What is the aim of targeted indicated intervention?

Answer 21

To manage problems and minimise long-term impacts.

Question 22

List examples of targeted early years policies.

Answer 22

• Family Nurse Partnership
• Healthy Start
• Early education entitlements for disadvantaged two-year-olds

Question 23

What is the Family Nurse Partnership programme (FNP)?

Answer 23

Home visiting programme for first time young mothers <20y from early stages of pregnancy – child 2y.

Question 24

When was FNP first introduced in England?

Answer 24

2007

Question 25

Why were the FNP trials in the UK less effective than those in the US?

Answer 25

In the US there is no other universal support whereas in the UK mothers always receive health visiting which is probably why the trials in the UK were less effective than the ones in the US.

Question 26

What is the aim of the FNP?

Answer 26

To support mother to have healthy pregnancy, improve child’s health and development and plan for the future.

Question 27

Describe the life course argument as to why intervening early is important.

Answer 27

• Disadvantage starts before birth and accumulates
  throughout life.
• Later interventions, although important, are considerably
  less effective where good early foundations are lacking.