Accessing early years settings and services

Young refugee children have the same entitlement to early years education as other children in England.

By accessing early education settings, young refugee children and their families can get support with educational needs, health and childcare. Many early years settings, such as Sure Start children’s centres, are also places where refugee families can obtain important information and advice about local services and ways to obtain further support. By improving access, children and families can therefore receive help with their immediate needs and start the process of integration.

As young refugee children and their families may experience barriers to using early years services, a range of effective strategies can support access.

Early years educational settings play a key role in the joined-up system of health, family support, childcare and education services so that all children, including those who are refugees, can be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. The holistic approach to meeting the needs of children is central to Every Child Matters: Change for Children . Through multi-agency working early years settings can ensure that families receive the help they need to integrate and children can thrive.

Many refugee parents play an active part in the life of early years education settings. Parents may be involved as governors of maintained nursery schools, represented on local Sure Start partnership boards, or take an active part in the management of other early years settings. Early years settings should ensure that parents of refugee children are aware of the role of governance bodies in supporting refugee families and are encouraged to be involved.