Babies and Young Children Healthcare - Essay Example

BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN HEALTHCARE Introduction Early childhood development and education emerged in the late 18th century in the United Kingdom. Its inception was inspired by need to develop a program that would establish a foundation and offer a learning setting environment that would motivate children at the initial childhood education for babies and young children. Therefore, to ensure full implementation and effectiveness, a curriculum was developed to facilitate early childhood language skills and some vocabulary. International evidence indicates that there is a wide income-gap in readiness for school before the time joining formal education starts. This research paper explores how factors such as family networks and social support, parent-child relationships, poverty, housing and the safety of the environment influences a child’s (0-6 years) early experiences and the consequences they have on the later well-being and health of that child. Health and welfare needs of babies and young children in the context of early childhood practice, provision, and curriculum The main early childhood practices entail a baby’s brain development journey. Extensive researches on brain development demonstrate there is a close connection of the brain to emotional, social, and physical growth of individuals (EYFS, 2014). Thus, if such primary abilities are not initiated at early ages, they would effect a child’s learning capacity and advancing in education. Thus, all this initiation should be invoked from a health perspective because the well-being of the child would depend on the health status of the child. The health of young children aged (0-6 years) is essential to the overall development, school readiness, and well-being of children to avoid such instances as; higher rates of absenteeism in preschool, serious illness, emotional and physical distress, and even long-term disability (Crosson-tower, 2005). Provision of high-quality care in the early ages of development has a lasting implication on the child’s learning and development. Research shows that children experience faster growth in their first 3-years study than any other period in their later years. Therefore, if the children receive high quality care during these years they will tend to achieve higher results in school as well as develop better skills, which are necessary for future long learning (Barlow and Calam, 2011). Moreover, recent research articulates that the first five years of a child’s life influences and are important for the development of a child’s brain while the first three years are imperative for the development of the child’s brain architecture. Therefore, it is evident that the early 0-6 years are very crucial because they are the lay foundation for a child’s organizational brain development and future life functioning, hence, influencing directly how a child’s learning skills; social and emotional abilities develop (Barlow and Calam, 2011). In the provision of better health and welfare to children, the UK Curriculum has envisaged several provisions to facilitate the well-being of young children. As delineated by the statutory framework for the early years-foundation stage (EYFS, 2014), all providers of early childhood education have to stick with certain health provisions. The provider must facilitate a high-quality health of children attending their facility. In line with this, the provider should enact procedures in consultation with parents in response to children who might be ill or infectious. Such procedures should entail compulsory steps to prevent the spread of illness, and take suitable action if kids are ill (EYFS, 2014). Moreover, providers ought also to implement a policy for proper medicine administration. The policy must invoke systems for obtaining up-to-date information of a child’s medical needs. The curriculum also states that the provider must provide training to staff on instances where the administration of medicine necessitate medical or relevant knowledge (EYFS, 2014; Sanchez, Gomez and King 2010). It also envisages that medicines must be administered with proper doctor prescription. Therefore, all these provisions and many other programs should be aimed at ensuring that children between the age of 0-6 years receive better health to enable them develop better learning skills through enhanced health care (Ansell, 2004). The Impact of Child Neglect on Babies and Young Childrens Development Learning Child abuse and neglect is the top pervasive form of abuse issue in United Kingdom. Child abuse does not only rob children of their childhood rights but also leaves the corresponding families broken, and dashed (actionforchildren.org.uk, n.d). According to action for children report, “in England, 17200 of the 39100 young children (about 43.5%) registered by the termination of March 2010 were on the record because of neglect and abuse, as either the partially or primary reason” (actionforchildren.org.uk, n.d). With such reports and knowledge of the impact of child neglect, it remains the reason for a child to need protection. A child is considered neglected or abused if the adults who are their care-takers are not offering the support they ought to or if provided, it is inadequate. Such needs include; “basic daily care- provision of food, clothes, and shelter; safety, healthcare and stability and emotional warmth” (Ross and Marks, 2009). The health of the children is impacted negatively when responsibility is deterred. Such neglect often causes stress and other stimulating circumstances in both the early and prospective life of the children. The stress experienced will ultimately derail children brain development. On the physical impact, result of negligence will affect children resulting to underweight or overweight, relentless illness, being late in mounting abilities such as walking, and having toileting challenges (actionforchildren.org.uk, n.d). Physical injuries can result from an accident, slapping, burning, or pinching due to negligence or improper care (Tanner and Turney, 2003). Psychological and emotional impacts are also a consequence of negligence. The effects emanate when the bond connecting a child and care-giver weakens gradually or when it is unavailable completely. The after impacts are an insecure attachment between the two, low self-esteem and self-disregard unease and depression. Often, such children resort to anger or hostility intricacies in seeking for emotional support from care-givers. Because of this they exhibit depression, eating disorders, suicide attempts and anxiety (Goldman & Padayachi, 2000; Vopat, 2013). Thus, because of poor health resulting from the aforementioned, a child’s brain can fail to develop fully. Further, factors such as depression can be very disruptive to a child’s concentration capacity thus affecting his/her learning ability (De Bellis and Thomas, 2003; Radford et al., 2011). Social impacts are also common with child abuse and neglect. Most of the neglected children will at all times confine themselves into isolation and always remaining feeling sad. Social isolation is manifest due to difficulty in initiating and maintaining friendships, and the consequence include being bullied or being unnoticed by peers. Additionally, such exclusion leads to neglected children joining others who portray anti-social traits where they feel accommodated. Moreover, teachers can also face challenges in managing a school setting for children experiencing such abuse. This is so because of absenteeism that is prevalent with such behaviours and, therefore, implying that such children cannot reach full education potential. Cognitive impacts are also prevalent. According to several Researchers, probable evidence in U.K suggest that children who are placed out-of-home care due to neglect or abuse tend to score lower than the general population. Such areas of low performance include those on the cognitive capacity measures, academic development, and language advancement (actionforchildren.org.uk, n.d). Effects of Poverty and Inequality on Babies and Young Children and Their Families The Organization for Economic-Cooperation and Development refers child poverty as; “A child deemed is to be living in relatively high poverty level if she or he is developing up in a family where the available income, when budgeted against family size and structure, is less than 50% of the average disposable income for the country concerned.” The Office of Research studies at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) found out that, one in every four children in U.K are living in poverty. The U.K. is among the developed countries with child poverty above 30%. Loss of parental employment has led to increased number children that are living under poor conditions. Basic needs such as clothing, shelter, & food are denied to children and families that are living in poverty. Moreover, poverty among the babies and young children impacts the fundamental period of the brain development (Adams et al., 2011). This means that poor babies are denied of the resources that they need to thrive later in life efficiently. Homeless and displaced young children are negatively influenced socially, academically, emotionally, and physically. The basic foundation of a family unit comprising love, acceptance and safety begin to erode as the economic pressures increase upon the guardians/parents increase (Albon, and Mukherji, 2008). For instance, economic hardships affect the way that the parents interact with each other and the children. Parents that face financial constraints often engage in harsh and less supportive acts of parental-hood, which impacts the behaviors of their children negatively. Poor and hungry children have difficulties in concentrating and staying on track academically. Additionally, they are disadvantaged due to poor substandard living conditions, poor health care, and exposure to the higher crime rates, drug abuse, and schools lacking the quality of the education (Sacks, 2010). Further, the inability to access foundational education is a critical factor when discussing the connection between childhood poverty and the growing inequality. It’s hard for the children from poor families to develop academically. The schools they attend will some time deviate out of the set curriculum. They rather employ teaching procedures that are ineffective, and lack the programs that target the non-typical well-brought-up children. The better the provision of resources, the better the standard of education (Kiran, 2001).In addition, because of educational inequalities; the poor students are often in pain, have inherent family personal problems, suffer from the untreated illnesses that distract them. Children in poverty lead disturbed lives and perform lower on the IQ tests, behavioral problems, and experience anxiety and depression (Roberts, 2010). Identify and Plan for Childrens Welfare Needs in the Context of an Early Years Curriculum and Respond Appropriately to Child Protection Concerns The identification of the children’s welfare needs is obviously elaborate. Their crop-up is from the very challenges that the young children face and is outlined in the early childhood curriculum. The first set of needs is the fulfillment of desire and feelings of the concerned children. In assessing behavior of the antisocial children, the authorities should always consider whether or not the reaction is due to the children’s desire and feelings or whether there are other factors that may influence their decisions. The second need is catering for the physical, educational, and emotional needs. There is an obligation by the providers and tribunals to uphold the natural parent’s conjecture that child upbringing should be the sole responsibility of the natural parents (Inbrief.co.uk, n.d.). Other Child welfare needs include security, stimulation, continuity, reciprocity, and value orientation. Thus, because children are born helpless, they require longer periods of dependent caretaking. Babies and young children need stimulation as well as good nurturing and protection (Frost and Parton, 2009). Those young children that are adequately nurtured but insufficiently stimulated may suffer from the infant diseases and are like to demise. Consistent caretaking is an essential basic need. If a sound stimulation and care is not provided intermittently, the capacity of the child to trust may be inadequately developed. Reciprocity is another basic need. It’s characterized by the mutual give and take that is significant to both parties. Value system is also another important need that is important for anchorage and guidance of the young children (Ward and Davies, 2012). The plan should focus on exploring on the whole early childhood education. Such a plan involves the following principal areas; physical development, personal development, emotional and social development. Young children can boost this type of effective learning by being given time to play with what they know, making relationships, self-awareness and self-confidence, and exploration (Glaser, 2000). On learning and curriculum development, an active approach should be initiated as such can be boosted through motivation. This is achievable through; being actively involved and concentrating, attention and listening, speaking, understanding, and achievement of their targets. The prime areas under active learning include; language, communication, and literacy. Finally, the plan should allow and facilitate critical think in the children. Young children can achieve this by being encouraged to have their ideas, making links, choosing their ways of doing things, expressive Design and Arts, and understanding of the world. Reading, writing, technology, imaginations, exploration, and among others can also boost critical thinking (Articles.Courant.Com, n.d.). It is evident that a significant population size of the young children facing substantial neglect or abuse is prevalent in UK and that calls for an appropriate child protection approaches. Providing early childhood services and interventions in support of the healthy development of the young children can create positive effects that lasting throughout childhood into adulthood. In responding to the child protection, U.K has taken the following actions; helping families to have the best start in life, helping the parents to keep their children healthy, encouraging healthy living from an early age, and protection of the children through immunization (Euronews.Com, n.d.). Consequently, they need to facilitate the implementation of the comprehensive Child Find systems to locate, identify, and evaluate children that are in need of the early intervention services, raise the public awareness, and provision of advice in the implementation of the child protection programs (Collins and Foley, 2009). Roles of the Early Years Practitioner and Different Statutory and Voluntary Agencies The entire early childhood education and overall quality of service provision are dependent on all providers and practitioners having suitable qualifications, well trained, knowledge, and skills. They should, therefore, show apparent understanding of their position and responsibility (EYFS, 2014). Providers must at all times ensure that the entire staff receives up-to-date training to facilitate their service delivery endeavours. The induction training must, therefore, encapsulate information concerning “emergency evacuation procedures, child protection, general safety, health facilitation, and the provider’s equality policy (EYFS, 2014).” As per the UK curriculum, in group settings, the facility manager must possess at least a complete and relevant level 3 certifications and at least half the subordinate staff ought to also have at least applicable level 2 qualifications. The manager needs also to have served in an early childhood setting for over two years or possess any other suitable two years’ experience. All this requirements are to ensure that the right professionals are in charge of the early childhood development (EYFS, 2014). Therefore, in regards to the role of practitioners, different professional groups have specific expertise to offer in varied aspects of the child development even although there are considerable variations in individual experience and knowledge (Sidebotham and Weeks, 2010). The first group of practitioners is community Nursing Staff, which embodies midwives, school nurses, and health visitors. Their role include the chronology of the child’s history-infancy, school years, pre-school; the physical development of the child, temperamental and behavioral; hygiene, health needs, growth parameters, feeding; observations of the parent-child interactions; child health surveillance and among others. Second class is general practitioners; they do the following; chronology of the child’s medical history; identification of the health problems; the background history of the parents. Finally, is the secondary Health Care Providers (specialist consultants, therapists, hospital staff, and pediatricians). They perform the following roles; assessments of the child’s mental and physical health, development, or growth; identification of the health needs; assessments of the parent’s health and among others. Conclusion Since the inception of early childhood education, the development in United Kingdom has undergone some milestone. The several areas the necessitate consideration range from issues relating to the wellbeing and comfort of babies and young children and their families. The discussion herewith also took analysis of the early year’s practitioner’s role and the welfare and protection of children ages 0-6. The policy initiatives should be designed to strengthen the support for the young children’s health development and the school readiness. Other areas of impact on early setting also encompass issues of health and poverty. Bibliography ACTIONFORCHILDREN.ORG.UK, (n.d.). Neglecting the Issue - Action for Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/926937/neglecting_the_issue.pdf [Accessed 6 Nov. 2014) ALBON, D., and MUKHERJI, P., 2008. Food and Health in Early Childhood, London: Sage E book. ANSELL, N. (2004). Children, youth and development. 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