Alliance comments on Anna Freud Centre's Early Years Staff Wellbeing Report
The Early Years Alliance has commented on a report from the Anna Freud Centre on early years staff wellbeing. The report details the findings of their recent survey in which 1,500 nursery and preschool staff shared thoughts on their mental health and wellbeing needs. It can be accessed here:
Commenting, Neil Leitch, Early Years Alliance Chief Executive, said:
"Low pay, long hours and excessive paperwork are all common aspects of life in the early years, so it is no surprise that staff wellbeing has been placed under severe pressure for a number of years now, or that the Covid-19 pandemic has only added to this problem.
"We want the early years workforce to be in the best possible mental and physical health not just for themselves, but also for the benefit of the children in their care, as we know that young children pick up on the stresses and strains on the adults in their lives, which can in turn affect their wellbeing too.
鈥淥ur own research suggests the vast majority of early years professionals who come forward with mental health concerns to their colleagues have those concerns taken seriously.
鈥淗owever, there is clearly more work to do to make sure every practitioner is also aware of, and has access to, the right kind of professional and practical support, should they need it 鈥 and also that settings have the support which they need to ensure this is the case.鈥