ABSTRACT
Research evidence tells us that integrated early education systems have a positive and pronounced impact on children and families. Indeed, nobody would argue about the value of designing an effective early life-course approach which promotes effective intervention and support for children and families. However, there is far less research about navigating a way through those systems and what professional energy and skills are required. Forward thinking means remembering that complicated systems must still ensure we promote care, warmth and concern for children and parents. This is because complex, non-personal systems can give the impression they are immune to failure and not fully accountable to the communities they serve and the professionals who make those systems work. Systems need to be interrogated, deconstructed and taken apart by policy-formers and those ‘on the ground’. We therefore need to explore systems, share our views and understand what works and why.
