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In a hurry? Here's the quick run-down
- As Early Years practitioners, you know that babies are extremely fragile. In this article Rachel Buckler discusses how Early Years practitioners can save the lives of vulnerable children under 1, just by being observant.
- Many injuries to and deaths of babies under 1 are preventable. This is heartbreaking to know but also empowers us to take action to prevent these tragedies.
- The effects of neglect and trauma upon young children is harmful to their development - this trauma can follow the child well throughout their childhood and into their adult life. We can help prevent this.
Let’s take a moment to think about how even the smallest actions can make a difference. As an Early Years practitioner, you have the power to save children’s lives, just by being observant.
But why bring this up now? Because at certain times of year, vulnerable children often suffer even more than they usually would. Periods of celebration are often a significant trigger for increased alcohol consumption, domestic abuse and violence, as well as mental health difficulties and an increase in financial stressors. This takes a massive toll on our little ones. When adults and parents are struggling, vulnerable babies and children under the age of one need our help.
This piece will hopefully give you, as practitioners, the tools to identify and help prevent abuse of vulnerable children.
You have more superpowers than you realise.
It’s no secret that during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns, vulnerable babies and children were affected particularly badly. Ofsted stated that more babies than usual experienced intentional harm and, heartbreakingly, they noted a ‘high number of unexpected infant deaths’.
Ofsted’s previous Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman reported that there was an ‘alarming’ amount of babies killed or harmed during the first lockdown – a 20% increase in comparison to the previous year. Ms Spielman stated the ‘toxic mix of isolation, poverty and mental illness’ were the cause for a further spike in the second lockdown. This ‘Covid pressure cooker’ was adding ‘extra pressures upon families who were already struggling’.
But why am I so intent on focusing on such a gloomy story? Because a lot of these deaths were preventable.
Important safeguarding measures to protect under 1s are often given through face-to-face interactions with healthcare providers and healthcare professionals, but these were significantly restricted due to lockdowns. Had this not been the case, these deaths may never have occurred.
As Early Years practitioners, you know that babies are extremely fragile.
New-born and older babies are prone to infection – they’re still building immunity and resilience as they become exposed to health threats. A safe environment where they can develop and thrive, both physically and emotionally, is therefore absolutely essential.
But it’s not just that they’re exposed to health threats – in terms of safeguarding and child protection, under 1s are one of the most vulnerable groups. It is widely documented that risks to babies often occur right in the family home. Factors such as domestic abuse, parental ill health and parental alcohol or drug abuse significantly increases probability of harm or abuse.
Serious case reviews, published as a result of a child tragically dying or being harmed where abuse or neglect is suspected, frequently capture this familiar theme. With everyone being cooped up for a lot of the year, many of us will not be surprised to hear that an increased number of children under the age of one have been negatively affected by lockdowns.
This may not always be the fault of direct abuse, however. For some parents, safe environments are compromised for a variety of reasons. We always have to be mindful that parents’ knowledge of what a safe and healthy environment is may be limited or completely non-existent. Some may be reliant on additional help from family members.
Babies need to be safe and secure, and their relationships with parents and other significant adults in their lives need to be nurturing and positive. It’s absolutely vital that parents understand the importance of safeguarding and the risks involved if measures aren’t taken to protect under 1s.
It isn’t just the home environment that we need to be mindful of. Babies have basic needs, and when those needs aren’t met it starts to get dangerous. It’s extremely important that we recognise these needs and why a lack of them has severe consequences.
Basic necessities such as food, water, warmth and a place to rest and sleep may seem obvious, but not every home will provide these. Maslow’s hierarchy of need shows us that when the first level of ‘needs’ isn’t met, it’s very difficult for the baby to progress.
If we consider the neurological development of babies alone, 70% of a baby’s brain is already developed by the age of one year. This emphasises the importance of healthy neural connections, development and growth in babies’ brains, as their basic needs must be met in order to form these connections.
The effects of neglect and trauma upon young children is indisputably both dangerous and harmful to their development, both in the short and the long run. This trauma can follow the child well throughout their childhood and into their adult life.
It’s extremely important to mention that this isn’t a small number of babies. In the 2018 publication A Crying Shame the Children’s Commissioner reported the extent of vulnerable babies in England. It noted 19,640 babies known to social care and ‘identified by local authorities as being in need’. That’s a shockingly high number.
But that isn’t even the real number. The statistics didn’t include the babies who were not identified as being in need or at risk. These children remain invisible to local authorities, as they just haven’t been identified yet.
When talking about invisible children, we have to remember that one of the main vulnerabilities for babies is that they aren’t seen.
Babies don’t go to school, they don’t always access childcare, and health services have minimal engagement with them unless a concern or need is identified or addressed. This has always been the case.
Fewer referrals this year are a clear indicator of how many children’s needs have simply gone by unnoticed. This is even more devastating for babies and children under one, as they can’t even communicate what’s happening to them or around them to ask for help.
The need to isolate from other family members has put a strain on parents themselves, as they might not have the support or help they really need in order to care for their children.
It’s simply inspirational to see the help and support provided by the Early Years sector who have consistently reached out to children and families.
Below are some examples of actions you can take, inspired by the dedication of the Early Years workforce. I hope they inspire you to look at your own practice and think about where you can add little improvements to make big waves.
Giving parents resources to help and educate can save a life. Below are a few important messages for parents of babies and children under the age one that you can share:
Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.
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The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
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