Research confirms that a child's experience in the first three years of life shape its future - out of all proportion to the rest of childhood. A secure primary attachment relationship is the main protective factor due to the impact it has on the developing brain. When a child's first 3 years are right, it brings huge benefits not just for the child but for the whole of society.
The research and our campaigns
Scientific research is convincing in its message that the first three years of life shape a child's physical, emotional and mental development – for good or bad – out of proportion to the rest of childhood. What About The Children? is a voice for children too young to speak out about their emotional needs themselves.
Advocacy
What About The Children? speaks out for the emotional needs of children under three who are too young to speak for themselves. We publish a monthly Blog and you can followed us on Twitter@WATCthechildren
Advice
Young children, who are nurtured, talked to and played with attentively by a constant, sensitive and responsive carer – most often, but not always, the mother – with other caring adults as secondary attachment figures, will almost invariably thrive.
Campaigns
We campaign to ensure children receive consistent, responsive loving care in their earliest years critical for optimum brain development and long term physical and mental health.
Conferences
What About the Children? brings together academics and practitioners at its annual conference & bi ennnial Goodman lectures on a broad range of aspects of early child development. Past conference papers can be downloaded here.
Research
What About the Children? searches out current scientific research in neuroscience, psychology, biology and the medical sciences, selecting research that provide new insights into early life experiences. We summarise these academic papers for the wider professional community and others interested in children's well being.
Our Research Summaries are grouped by the year the research was published.
Latest News
How you can help What About The Children?
What About The Children? is entirely dependent on the commitment of volunteers and donations from supporters. The charity has no paid staff. Please will you help us to raise funds the next time you shop on Amazon by using smile.amazon.co.uk when you log on and, when prompted, choose What About The Children? as your chosen charitable organisation.
September 2020 online Conference seminars: ‘What About The Children? a critical question in a time of change’.
As you know, our planned March 2020 national conference had to be cancelled due to the Covid 19 Lockdown; thanks to the support of our four speakers, Dr Anna Machin, Dr Sebastian Kraemer, Mandy Cuttler, Pedagogy Mentor at LEYf, and Prof. Sonia Jackson, we have hosted the conference as a series of webinars.. A report on the conference will be available on the website in due course and we will be making available to those delegates, who have been unable to attend all four of the webinars, access to an audio recording. Using the online webinar facility has been a new experience for What About The Children? and something of a learning curve. We would welcome your feedback on what went well, what we could do better and ideas for future use of webinars. Please email to conference@whataboutthechildren.org.uk
Treasury Select Committee Inquiry: 'Tax after Coronavirus. Which areas of the tax system are most in need of reform?’
Our current taxation system penalises 'single earner families', families where one parent is not in paid work but caring for their babies and young children at home. Mothers At Home Matter (MAHM) have been campaigning for some time for a fairer family taxation system; You can read their submission to the Treasury Select Committee Inquiry by clicking the link https://bit.ly/361R8U4
Early Years Healthy Development Review: ‘call for evidence’ launched 18th September 2020.
The Prime Minister has asked the Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP to lead a new review into improving health and development outcomes of babies and young children in England. 'We know that the period of conception to age 2 is critical and they (the department) are committed to ensuring every baby and young child has the best start in life and determined to level up the opportunities for babies no matter what their circumstances'.
To find out more about this latest government review of early years or to access the online consultation form, click the link https://bit.ly/3iTm1hj
What About The Children? in the media:
An article by What About The Children? Trustee, Jane Reddish was published in Byline Times on 19th September, click the link to read the article.
https://westcountrybylines.co.uk/charity-focus-what-about-the-children/
Byline Times is an online and print publication that provides a platform for freelance reporters and writers to produce journalism not found in the mainstream media.
Get involved
What About The Children? relies entirely on its supporters for funding and on the hard work of its committed volunteers.
Help us get the important message about emotional needs and early brain development out to even more people.
Who we are
What About The Children?, a small national charity, brings together people from a range of backgrounds and expertise who have come together to campaign on behalf of the emotional needs of children too young to speak for themselves. The charity is independent with no political or religious affiliations.