SPPA Conference 2011: Improving Outcomes for Early Years

The early years are the building blocks for life.

That was the message to emerge from the SPPA national conference held in Edinburgh on 8 November.

Delegates from across the sector heard a range of top speakers highlight the importance of early intervention to ensure our children get the very best start in life.

Opening the conference, Angela Constance MSP, the Minister for Children and Young People, spoke of the Scottish Government’s aspiration that Scotland should be ‘the best place to bring up children’. She told delegates that despite the ‘challenging’ economic climate, the Government is committed to the early years and to a programme of preventative spending through the Early Years Change Fund, including the Communities and Families Fund which will help community childcare and parental and family support services.

A full report on the conference, including speakers' presentations, can be viewed here.