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Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch is set to call for a focus on the wellbeing of the early years workforce, at this year’s Early Years Alliance annual conference. 

Minds Still Matter: a positive approach to supporting wellbeing in the early years, will take place virtually on Thursday 20 June at 6pm. 

This comes less than three months ahead of the roll-out of the next phase of the entitlement offer. Overall, the expansion will require an additional 40,000 educators by September 2025.  

In his speech, Neil will criticise misconceptions surrounding mental health, using his own personal experiences to reaffirm that mental health challenges are not a choice but an illness.  

Neil will then highlight the impact this has had on the sector’s workforce directly, referencing the Alliance’s Minds Still Matter report, saying: 

“Mental health challenges come in all shapes and sizes and rarely are those challenges obvious. When I visit early years settings, I often see smiling educators, engaging with young children, chatting happily with parents.  

 “And yet, I know from our own research that beneath the surface, many within our workforce are struggling. Struggling with anxiety, depression, fatigue, low morale. With insomnia and panic attacks.” 

He will also acknowledge the dedication of educators to support families at a time when they are facing acute and significant challenges. and in turn, the subsequent impact this has on educator’s own wellbeing. Recounting a recent conversation with an educator, Neil will say: 

“Just a few days ago, I was talking with a manager at a setting that has a total of 51 registered children, with 35 of those requiring additional support.  

She said to me: “Neil, I’m not sure I can cope with this much longer. I am constantly worried about safeguarding and in trying to support these children, and I worry that I am the one who will end up in prison, because I am overstretching myself”. 

“We cannot underestimate the pressure this puts on the workforce and for someone to feel like that, is totally unacceptable.” 

Neil will then stress the vital need to focus on wellbeing in the sector, urging anyone who is struggling to seek help and support: 

“It is no exaggeration to say that those who work in the early years change lives. The work you do, day in and day out, lays the foundations for future generations… And be in no doubt, for many children and families, you are among the most important people in their lives. But as the saying goes, you cannot pour from an empty cup.” 

The conference will also feature keynote addresses from Professor Jack Shonkoff, director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and Poorna Bell, award-winning journalist, author and public speaker. 

A recording of the conference will be available shortly after the event and an embargoed transcript of Neil Leitch’s speech is available on request.