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
A written summary of our 2021 conference ‘What Last A Life Time?’ with Steve Biddulph and Naomi Stadlen, is now available in the Conference section of the website.
New Research Summary
Parents’ experiences of emotional closeness to their infants in the neonatal unit: A meta-ethnography.(2020)This paper fascinating research by Thomson, G., Flacking, R., George, K., Feeley, N., Haslund-Thomsen, H., De Coen, K.., Schmied, V., Provenzi, L. & Rowe, J aims to compare existing research findings, from a variety of sources, in order to identify what both facilitates and enables parents’ experiences of emotional closeness to their infants: and this while all are being cared for in a neonatal unit.
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.
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.