Support from the Start - the East and Midlothian Equally Well test site

YouI work on The Garden Project for East Lothian Roots and Fruits.

Your roleShowing children how to grow their own food to encourage healthier eating.

Your experience of being a Service ChampionI am employed by Roots and Fruits and funded by Support from the Start.

What you did and who you worked with?>Secured funding and resources for 7 schools in East

Lothian to set up school kitchen gardens.>Teaching resource used to conduct regular sessions

with multiple groups of children from Nursery to P7.>Skills taught include, using tools, preparing ground,

sowing and maintenance. Differentiating crops from weeds.

>Enjoying harvesting, tasting and cooking.

Impact - what it achieved>Increased knowledge of healthy food and eating.>Readiness to experiment with different foods.>Improved skills and confidence in the garden.>Enthusiasm to garden and maintain their garden

space.>Willingness to grow food at home.

Developing School GardensBarbara McKenzie

The future>Funding is secured from RBS CommunityForce for work

to continue and further develop.>Help from Corporate Volunteers established.>Programme of open gardens sessions to encourage

parents to lend their support and learn about what we do.

Evaluation - what people have said - children, families, other staff>School grown beetroot a tuck hit at Prestonpans

Primary.>A Cockenzie boy rejects chips and cheese for Curly

Kale and Spring Onion as new favourite food.>Video highlighting how teachers are incorporating

Roots and Fruits’ work into curriculum for excellence released on YouTube.

Support from the Start - the East and Midlothian Equally Well test site

What is the Early Development InstrumentThe early development instrument (EDI) is a population based measure of children’s early development which is being piloted in East Lothian.> The EDI is teacher-completed (20 minutes) checklist that assesses

children’s readiness to learn when they enter school.> It measures the outcomes of children’s pre-school (0-5 years)

experiences as they influence their readiness to learn at school.> As a result, the EDI is able to predict how children will do in primary

school.> The EDI does not report information about individual children’s

development, rather groups of children.

Impact - what will it achieve?> Tells us what % of children are “vulnerable” in our communities and in

which development areas> Provides picture of what early learning looks like at the community level> Reports on populations of children in different communities over time> Identifies strengths and where the needs are greatest> One predictor of how children will do in primary school> Identifies gaps in programmes and services

Benefits of EDI> paints a picture - EDI results yield neighbourhood profiles of early

childhood for every community in the district>building more bridges – agencies that serve infants, toddlers &

preschoolers have an opportunity to plan and enhance their services including parenting programmes

>planning – assists principals, schools and school boards to look forward to adjust school programmes to meet the needs of incoming students

>takes a village – emphasizes the role of the community before the child reaches school

>teachers tell us – doing the EDI helps focus their thoughts for report card writing, parent/teacher meetings and programme planning

>Look forward – adjust school programmes to meet the current needs of incoming students (schools).

>Look backward – adjust early childhood programmes to help ensure children are ready to learn and make it easier for them to make the transition to school (community).

Language & cognitive DevelopmentBasic literacy- e.g., able to write own nameInterest in literacy/numeracy and memory- e.g., interested in games involving numbersAdvanced literacy- e.g., able to read sentencesBasic numeracy- e.g., able to count to 20

‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t change it’

Communication Skills & General Knowledge>Ability to clearly communicate one’s own

needs and understand others>Clear articulation>Active participation in story-telling (not

necessarily with good grammar and syntax)>Interest in general knowledge about the

world

What does it measure?

Physical Health & Well Being>Physical readiness for school day e.g., arriving to school hungry>Physical independence e.g., having well-coordinated movements>Gross and fine motor skills e.g., being able to manipulate objects

Social Competence>Overall social competence e.g., ability to get along with other children>Responsibility and respect e.g., accept responsibility for actions>Approaches to learning e.g., working independently>Readiness to explore new things e.g., eager to explore new items

Emotional Maturity>Pro-social and helping behaviour e.g., helps other children in distress>Anxious and fearful behaviour e.g., appears unhappy or sad>Aggressive behaviour e.g., gets into physical fights>Hyperactivity and inattention e.g., is restless

The FutureThe early testing of the early development instrument was successfully completed in the autumn of 2011. All Primary 1 teaching staff were trained in how to use the instrument in November 2011. Assessments are being carried out early in 2012 and the first data will be reported to communities in the summer of 2012.

The data will be an important part of mapping the early development assets in each school cluster area as a basis for planning and development of services to meet children’s development needs and improve readiness for learning. The champions groups envisaged for each school cluster as the second phase of Support from the Start will use the information from EDI as an important indicator of what actions are needed. The groups will also be able to subsequent results from repeat assessments to gauge how successful they have been.

Support from the Start - the East and Midlothian Equally Well test site

Social Marketing is an approach that uses marketing concepts and techniques to change or maintain people’s behaviour.

First Step and Social Marketing

Develop SMART behavioural goals and activities based on

behaviour theories

Recognise that there is always competition to what is being offered

Explore different ways to segment or target

your audience

Examine what is offered to people to encourage and support a given behaviour

Use mix of different approaches to achieve

behavioural goals

Gain insight into what will and will not motivate and

encourage people BehaviourBehavioural TheoryBehavioural Goals

Intervention and marketing mix

AudienceSegmentation

CUSTOMER

INSIGHTEXCHANGE

COMPETITION

The use of a social marketing approach was piloted within First Step, a voluntary sector, community based early years organisation.

The Social Marketing six step planning model

Get Started

Scope

Develop

Implement

Evaluate

FollowUp

Reference: National Social Marketing Centre

First Step Social Marketing Steering group:With members from Health, Community Learning and Development, Childcare Development, First Step Staff and Parents.

What we learned

Get an understanding of social marketing and its key concepts and principles before you start.

Allow plenty of time for this stage.

Don’t assume a common understanding of health.

Be flexible with your engagement process and build in staff time to take this forward

Bring service users on board when appropriate- which may not be right at the start

Strike the right balance between providing new activities and the core business of the organisation

Consider if you really need to use social marketing terminology with everybody

Allow time to support parent, grandparents and carers to take part and come up with their own ideas

Plan this as early as possible

What we did

Set up Multiagency steering groupAttended Social Marketing trainingMade links to other social marketing projects

> Developed healthy lifestyle questionnaires for First Step users > Held focus groups > Utilised independent university research with local mums > Conducted a competition analysis > Baseline survey of breakfast and snacking habitsUsed the understanding and insight from these to identify behavioural goals and tested these with First

Agreed goals: > Start the day with a healthy breakfast > Replace one unhealthy snack a day with a healthy snack > Prepare and cook healthier meals on a budget > Learn and share parenting hints and tips around food and children

Developed a mix of activities: > Big Breakfast event> Information sessions and demonstrations > Super snack even> Food hygiene training > Cooking classes> Parent led Lunch Club > Playroom healthy eating practice enhanced > Hints and tips sheets in development

Focus group with First Step usersProcess evaluation with Steering group membersShare learning at various opportunities(still to complete these)

Get Started

Scope

Develop

Implement

Evaluate

FollowUp

Support from the Start - the East and Midlothian Equally Well test site

WhoFirst Step is a successful community-managed project primarily for families with children under the age of 8 years old, living in Musselburgh, Whitecraig and Wallyford. The project provides pre-school for children from 18 months to 4 years. It also offers opportunities for parents, young parents, parents with addictions and grandparents to realize their own value and potential.

Your experience of being a Service ChampionOur experience of being service champions has been very positive. We have secured funding quickly and without too much bureaucracy and this has allowed us to respond to the needs of our service users. We have found the learning sets interesting. They have helped us gain an understanding of other agencies and services. In planning our service we have considered our client’s needs but have also been influenced by the research and training offered by Support from the Start.

What you did and who you worked with?We applied for costs for TRAINING from Support from the Start so that we could offer a SLEEP CLINIC to families who felt their child or children had sleep issues. Many of these parents believed these issues were affecting their health and relationships. We were awarded a grant to source training.

Sleep Consultant Linda Russell “The Sleep Lady” worked with us for a year to conduct training weekly and offer a clinic fortnightly. We also offered two group meetings a year, in the evening, to discuss children’s sleep issues with parents who might not be able to attend in the day sessions because of work commitmentsStaff involved: Tina Pollock, Early Years Manager;Jane Holden, Outreach Worker; Annie Brown, Community Nursery Nurse

First Step Community ProjectSleep Clinic

Impact - what it achievedThis service had a really big impact on most of the families who came along, were willing to discuss the issues and work out a plan of action. The plan was agreed and tailored to their family situation. Follow up support was offered. Families have benefited significantly from attending. They found that it helped them to take control of the situation and this improved their sense of wellbeing.

Evaluation - what people have said - children, families, other staffComments from parents:“We were offered support but once we had a plan improvement happened quickly. The plan was adapted to suit the family. Very handy information.”“Brilliant we have our life back”“I felt better and stronger- felt there were other people to support and understand my problem”

External evaluation- focus group for Changexchange “Happy Healthy Bairns”“The problems that many of the parent experienced, the sleep deprivation and all pervasive effects of this, were causing them serious emotional, psychological and relationship problems. All the parents were at their wits end and felt that they had nowhere to turn for help and that they were suffering on their own. As a result of attending this group these parents now feel that they have been lifted from a state of depression. All parents (who attended) said that as a direct consequence of attending they were able to lead a “normal family life” in that what they were able to do was no longer determined by the child’s inability to sleep.”

The futureAs a result of the training we now offer regular sleep clinics on demand and it has become integrated into our service.

Support from the Start - the East and Midlothian Equally Well test site

WhoWhitecraig Primary school is a small nursery and primary school on the edge of Musselburgh. The school works closely with the co-located Whitecraig community centre.

Project RationaleTalking to the parents/carers of young children in WhitecraigNursery and 0-3 play projects in the Whitecraig Community Centre identified a need for a way of sharing information about a variety of health topics in a fun and active way.

From this grew - Whitecraig Healthy Story Sacks – A resource which can be shared with families to promote an awareness of healthy living.

What you did and who you worked withThe Story Sacks:We now have 15 healthy story Sacks which cover a variety of areas of Health and Wellbeing. Examples include – Feelings, Personal Safety, A Visit to the Doctor, A Visit to the Dentist, Healthy Eating, Staying Fit and Active, Bedtimes.

The contents of each Healthy Story Sack vary but can include a story book or rhyme, a non-fiction book, a game or activity, play resources, useful leaflets or books for parents/carers and an evaluation form.

Impact - what it achievedParents/carers and other family members enjoy sharing the story sack with their children. The story sacks have linked well with other areas of development within Support from the Start e.g.

>The development of children’s emotional literacy through Creating Confident Kids and Music and Me

>Dental health - Child Smile >Outdoor play and learning - Forest Adventures and

Nature Play

Story SacksWhitecraig Primary

Whitecraig has also been part of the ‘Raising Awareness of Breast Feeding’ Project and we designed a Healthy Story Sack as part of the programme.

Making the links with other Support from the Start areas and Curriculum for Excellence has strengthened the impact of the story sacks on children’s health and wellbeing and learning.

Evaluation - what people have said - children, families, other staffHead Teacher:‘fits perfectly with the school’s health and well being outcomes and parents enjoyed sharing’

The futureFocus Healthy Story Sacks for children and families when a particular need arises e.g.

>Moving house >A new baby >Bereavement >Family separation >Family illness

Encourage further parental and involvement in deciding the focus of further story sacks and also maintaining the ones we have currently.