Every child is unique and child development is not a race.
The six-year-old who runs the fastest on sports day may also be the slowest in her class at learning to read. Even within families, children learn to walk and talk at different times.
Sometimes a child’s development can go backwards for a while – like starting to wet the bed again after a parental separation.
Most of the time, with the right support, children get there in the end. But sometimes, things are a bit more complicated. A baby might be slow to start walking because they are spending too much time in their pushchair. This could be because there is such little space in the family’s bed and breakfast, or maybe their mum is trying to keep them safe from a violent partner. Perhaps their dad needs reassurance that it is OK for a toddler to get some bumps when they fall down, especially if a social worker is involved. Or maybe there is an underlying health issue that needs attention.
Hectic home visits can be a challenge. Observing the child, spending time playing and talking, getting to know the whole family and talking to other professionals can help us notice when a child needs more support, understand the bigger picture about what is happening and how we and others can help. It might also help us protect a child from significant harm.
Social workers and others who work with vulnerable families do not all have to be experts in child development but they do play a crucial role in noticing when children are not meeting their milestones. A new Frontline Briefing summarises key aspects of child development in children aged between 0 and 11 years, with a particular focus on early childhood.
Aimed at frontline social work and family support practitioners, the briefing brings together long-established knowledge and understanding of child development with more recent evidence and insights to support an inclusive and equitable approach. An accompanying child development chart draws on different theories to show the ages at which key developmental milestones typically occur.
This briefing and accompanying chart is aimed at frontline social work and family support practitioners. It focuses on key aspects of child development in children aged 0 to 11 years, with a particular emphasis on early childhood.
Many different factors can influence a child’s development. For practitioners working with children and their families, it’s important to consider the extensive range of influences that may affect an individual child’s development.
Social work and child development in the early and middle years (ages 0 to 11): Frontline Briefing (2024)
This briefing and accompanying chart is for frontline social work and family support practitioners. It summarises key aspects of child development in children aged between 0 and 11 years, with a particular focus on the age range 0 to 5.