The issue was the major theme of yesterday’s British-Irish Council summit meeting at Les Cotils, and Policy & Resources president Lindsay de Sausmarez said that while the island appeared less generous in terms of free provision, it ranked highly in terms of quality of service.
Discussions took place among government representatives from Guernsey, Jersey, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on early years and family support.
‘It is a theme dear to my heart and it was really interesting to discuss,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.
‘It’s a really valuable forum for us, we’re the smallest of the administrations in the British-Irish Council and it’s an opportunity for us to learn from other places about what works and what doesn’t work. In this respect, we had a lot to contribute as well.’
Guernsey was commended on its child-centred approach and joined-up response across different areas of government and third sector support.
Deputy de Sausmarez said the meeting was a good opportunity to explore similar challenges and take away ideas of what other jurisdictions have implemented.
‘Our free pre-school provision is probably not as generous as other administrations, but it is not just a box-ticking exercise, it’s important we provide high-quality provision centred on children development. It’s not only about enabling parents to get back to work, although that is a big consideration,’ she said.
‘There were lots of shared challenges around recruiting people into the sector and retaining them and ensuring they have access to the professional training and development they need to support the children in their care.
‘It’s reassuring to hear that we’re not the only ones facing the challenges that we’re facing.’
There was a significant discussion about digital technology, screen time and appropriate ages for screen time.
But technology was not necessarily the biggest issue that children are facing.
‘There was a broad recognition that there are positive impacts of technology, but negative ones too,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.
‘One of the best things we can do for early years is really focus on language and social interaction and play, which are the skills that they really need.
‘What is worrying is when screen time replaces social interaction and play, and that was an interesting part of the conversation.’
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