Bringing new hope to disadvantaged children

Providing a support framework for children who need help with their early years development.

Disadvantaged children in Hungary and England, and their families, benefit from research by the Child and Youth Studies Group, part of the Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology at The Open University.

John Oates, Senior Lecturer in Development Psychology, is consultant author of the English Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Development Matters, a chart of expected developmental milestones for children in the early years. He is also project lead of the Early Support Developmental Journal, linked with the EYFS, to track progress for children with additional needs.

'Child development is a universal issue. Our work is helping children in England and Hungary who need support by providing a framework to help where there is concern about a child’s development.'

He was part of the team that established the first 40 Biztos Kezdet (Sure Start) Children Centres in Hungary. Sure Start is a programme developed in the UK to improve the life chances of pre-school children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. He negotiated the adoption of the English Early Years Foundation Stage as the framework for the Hungarian programme, and the use of the Developmental Journal in computerised form to track children’s progress.

He is currently leading a project based at The Open University, integrating the Developmental Journal into an app that parents will be able to use on mobile devices. This project is part of the work of the Early Support consortium, the current government strategy for meeting the needs of disabled children, young people and their families. John Oates presented his work on early intervention at an international conference in Budapest, where the Deputy State Secretary for Social Inclusion in Hungary, Katalin Langerné Victor, announced that the Hungarian government will legislate for the continued expansion of the Biztos Kezdet Children Centres in Hungary to improve the lives of children in poorer areas.

In Hungary, John Oates’ work is particularly benefiting the Roma population, where poverty is a priority issue. He has completed a number of documentary films and photographic assignments in Hungary to raise awareness of Roma issues, and provide training resources.

He says: “Child development is a universal issue. Our work is helping children in England and Hungary who need support with their development, by building bridges between families and professionals and providing a framework to help where there is concern about a child’s development.”

Watch the video for more information about this research: