2. From the ground up: The role of YK in implementing the science and policy of early childhood development
Katherine Harford, Programme Manager , Young Knocknaheeny ABC

3. Policy
Practical implementation of the national policies, Better Outcomes – Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (DCYA, 2014),
Healthy Ireland, (Department of Health, 2013),
EU Commission recommendations in Investing in children: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage (2013),
WHO recommendations in the European Report on Preventing Child Maltreatment (2013).
Aligned to, and compliments, the Tusla Child and Family Agency Prevention, Partnership & Family Support strategy (2015),
National Maternity strategy (2016)
Nurture HSE Infant Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2016).

4. National Policy to Practice
Area Based Childhood Programme
Nurture HSE Infant Health and Wellbeing
Quality and Capacity Building Initiative (QCBI)
CYPSC
Meitheal
Better Start Quality Development Service
Cork Northwest Quarter Regeneration
So how do YK provide an implementation mechanism?
Implementation Mechanism

5. The Young Knocknaheeny Approach
Implementation Mechanism
What the framework for our approach?

6. Michigan Association of IMH
Collaboration
North Cork Infant Mental Health Network
Tusla/ Springboard
Parents and communities
Cork Healthy Cities
Scoil Padre Pio
HSE Community Work Department
Tusla/ School Completion Programme
HSE Speech and Language Department
Kidscope
YK PROGRAMME
Hollyhill Library
HSE Cork University Maternity Hospital
St Mary’s on the Hill National School
HSE Primary Care, Child Adolescent and Family Psychology.
General Practitioners
Archways
UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery
NICHE **Lead agency
St Mary’s on the Hill Crèche
Tusla/ North Lee Social Work Department
Cork City Council/ City Northwest Regeneration
Youthlinks
UCC Department of Applied Social Studies
ABC programme sites and structures
Padre Pio Early Start
Hollyhill/ Knocknaheey Family Centre
UCC Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
More information in our document “preparing for a whole community prevention and early intervention programme
Implementation science,
building on existing community & services,
collective planning,
design,
resources,
implementation: 4 strands of work
HSE Public Health Nursing
Before 5 Family Centre
Sundays Well Girls National School
Sundays Well Boys National School
No 3 Preschool and Crèche
UCC Department of School of Applied Psychology
Barnardos Brighter Futures Centre
Cork City Childcare Company
Tusla North Lee Social Work Dept.
Highscope Ireland

7. Science and Evidence
Pre-birth and the first three years of a child's life is critical to their brain development
Early relationships are key to a childs’ social and emotional development
Financial investment in the early years leads to long term savings
Integrated, community based service delivery model, designed around the child and family experience
Evidence-based practice with fidelity
Continuous upskilling of caregivers
Building Workforce Capacity and Environments of Continuous Learning together with Reflective Practice supervision
Strengths based Early Intervention and Prevention of the highest quality can improve outcomes for children who experience disadvantage
Cherishing all the children equally? 2016
Local area child focused profile
Informed ourselves as a consortium, drew on evidence and best practice for implementation and built in research to our programme.

8. Practice: Direct Service Work Force Capacity building
Service Integration
Quality Improvement

9. Direct Service
Developing a framework and infrastructure which supports 0-3 years: a critical period of development
IMH interdisciplinary Home Visiting programme pre-birth to 3
Babbling Babies universal communication session with parents and 9month baby in conjunction with PHN clinics
Groups: preparing for parenthood, communication, education, parenting
Building a universal tier which otherwise doesn’t exist, to be preventative before secondary and tertiary services kick in
See more about this service in the leaflet in your conference brochure

10. Workforce Capacity Building
1: Infant Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
Environments of continuous learning:
Infant Mental Health 2 day Masterclasses in communities and in-house training, followed by monthly practitioner network meetings.
Reflective practice supervision
3: Early Childhood Care and Education Strategy
Highscope curriculum training for Crèche and Preschool Staff
Montessori 3 day Masterclass
Outdoor play
2: Speech Language and Literacy Strategy
Delivering Early Years Hanen ‘Learning Language & Loving It’ programme
-Delivering Hanen ABC and Beyond to Junior Infant teacher
-Provision of oral language development training for Elklan Let’s Talk with your Baby
4: Pro-social Behaviour and Self Regulation Strategy
Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Training
-Incredible Years Basic Parent Leader Programme Training
-Incredible Years Whole Classroom Dina Programme Training
Only examples, more detail elsewhere.

11. Ongoing Quality Improvement
Baseline data (ECRS, Language Assessments etc)
Science, knowledge and best practice for Early Intervention & Prevention
Evidence based programmes for parents (coaching model)
Evidence based capacity building programmes for practitioners(coaching /reflective practice)
Mentoring
Whole community

12. Service Integration Consortium & Service Delivery Partners
Whole community approach
4 Interconnected strategies
Common language of early childhood development
Co-facilitation
Kidscope
Mainstream service provision of secondments/clinical governance/referral pathways
Wrap around for families
Cross-Service Implementation groups
Cross-service and multidisciplinary training/coaching

13. Mainstreaming in every YK action
National policy alignment
National Programme
Consortium interagency local service delivery
Common understanding and language
Shared resources
Co-facilitation
Wrap around for families
CPD for mainstream service providers
Co-ordinated implementation processes
Alignment and growth from existing best practice
Complex but deliberate, right thing to do

14. Conclusion:
I think every C&V sector organisation needs to align with the national and international policy framework it relates to.

15. Thank you