Royal Foundation Archives - IHV

Today, The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood has published a report setting out the business case for prioritising early childhood. The report, Prioritising early childhood for a happier, healthier society, has been produced by Deloitte on behalf of the Taskforce and sets out the huge scale of opportunity for business to drive, and benefit from, prioritising early childhood in the workplace, community and wider society.

It details how investing in early childhood could generate at least £45.5 billion in value added for the national economy each year. This includes £12.2bn from equipping people with improved social and emotional skills in early childhood, £16.1bn from reducing the need to spend public funds on remedial steps for adverse childhood experiences, and £17.2bn from supporting parents and caregivers of under-fives who work.

A number of new initiatives have been announced, including funding for early years apprenticeships and leadership programmes, increased support for baby banks, and creating welcoming spaces for families with young children.

The Taskforce was established in March 2023 by The Princess of Wales to galvanise business action on early childhood. Since then, Taskforce members Aviva, The Co-operative Group, Deloitte, Iceland Foods, IKEA UK and Ireland, The LEGO Group, NatWest Group and Unilever UK, have worked together to identify the scale of the opportunity and the role that business can play.

A joint statement from eight founding CEOs calls on “businesses of all sizes, across the UK, to join us and help build a healthy, happy society for everyone.”

Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood said:

“Today marks another milestone moment in our work to make early childhood a priority across society. Some of the most significant businesses in Britain have joined forces to deliver a major rallying call to their fellow business leaders to prioritise young children and those who care for them – for the good of our society and economy.

“Whether it is helping families access the support they need, prioritising the social and emotional well-being of children and the adults in their lives, or building a culture that prioritises early childhood, business has a significant part to play.”

Welcoming the report, Alison Morton, iHV CEO, said:

“This important programme of work, led by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, is shining a much-needed spotlight on the social and economic case for investing in the earliest years of life. It is wonderful to see so many businesses joining this call and adding their weight of support. The commitments that have been announced today will quickly bring benefits to so many. They also lead the way for a lasting shift in our society that values early childhood and a legacy that can be proudly handed on to the next generation.

“The extent of the work of the Royal Foundation is far-reaching and we thank them for their ongoing support for health visiting and our work to improve the support that families with babies and young children receive.”

The report identifies five areas in which businesses of all sizes can have the opportunity to make the greatest impact for children under five, the adults around them, the economy and wider society:

Building a culture that prioritises early childhood within businesses, local communities, and wider society.
Helping families facing the greatest challenges access the basic support and essentials they need.
Offering parents and carers greater support, resources, choice, and flexibility with their work.
Prioritising and nurturing social and emotional skills in young children and the adults in their lives.
Supporting initiatives which increase access to quality, affordable and reliable early childhood education and care.

The release of the report is accompanied by a new business-focused area on The Centre for Early Childhood’s website containing practical information and resources.

Read the report

On 15 November 2023, Alison Morton iHV CEO will join The Shaping Us Symposium, hosted by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales and The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, at The Design Museum in London. The event will bring together cross-disciplinary leaders, child and adult specialists, and global thinkers for the first time to consider how we grow, think, and behave throughout life, in order to build resilience for the future.

Earlier this year, Alison was interviewed as part of a “global listening exercise” conducted by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, involving experts from 21 countries around the world, to unite the thinking and agree on the key foundational skills that shape everything from our ability to form positive relationships, to our capacity for learning, working, and coping with adversity. They all have their foundations in early childhood.

This work has been undertaken to agree a set of common core skills that can apply equally to children and adults, so we can bring people together with a united language and vision to drive action at every level. The Shaping Us National Symposium will share the findings from this exercise and focus on the action needed to make social and emotional skills a greater priority.

The Symposium will begin with a keynote speech, delivered by The Princess of Wales. Mental health and wellbeing advocate, and Shaping Us Champion Fearne Cotton, will host the event. The day will also feature talks from a range of thought leaders to outline the scientific, economic and human cases for prioritising early childhood, and our social and emotional development, including:

Professor Jack Shonkoff, Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard.
Sara Rajeswaran, Chief of Staff at Aviva, a key member of the Business Taskforce for Early Childhood which The Princess launched in March.
Professor Robert Waldinger, Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies of adult life ever conducted.

During the afternoon, Symposium attendees will join a series of workshops to look at what action can be taken at every level to protect and strengthen these skills for current and future generations across disciplines and across sectors.

The event and the research that has been carried out by The Centre for Early Childhood is a key milestone for The Centre’s Shaping Us campaign, which aims to increase awareness of, and action on, the unique importance of early childhood in shaping our future mental and physical wellbeing as adults, as well as the nature of the wider society we build.

Alison Morton, iHV CEO said:

“It is a privilege and a pleasure to support the work of HRH The Princess of Wales which is galvanising a global movement focused on the importance of the earliest years of life. The sharp focus and vision of The Centre for Early Childhood aligns closely with ours at the Institute – by laying strong foundations for social and emotional wellbeing in early childhood, we are making the smartest of all investments in the health and happiness of a rising generation of children”.

Use #ShapingUs to follow and support the campaign on social media.

Click here for more information about The Shaping Us campaign and latest news from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood