University’s Head of Early Years to appear on BBC TV

​​Dr Eunice Lumsden, Head of Early Years at the University’s School of Education, will be appearing on BBC television this weekend.

Dr Lumsden is due to discuss the issue of adoption on the Sunday Politics South show, which airs at 11am on Sunday, on BBC One Oxfordshire. The show will be available to view online via the BBC iPlayer after broadcast.

“Prior to my academic career, I was a social worker and worked in the area of adoption,” said Dr Lumsden.

“From my experiences, I firmly believe the system needs to have a more joined-up approach in the early years.

“By intervening and supporting families earlier and ensuring that young children have the highest quality early learning and care experiences we may be able to prevent even more children coming into the care system. There is growing research evidence that highlights the life-long impact of early trauma and we need to ensure the process for children who need adoption is speedy and efficient to maximise their life chances.”

Dr Lumsden was interviewed for the show on Tuesday, when she was in Oxford for the UK’s first-ever conference for people working with traumatised children and parents.

Experts from across the country attended the Trauma, Resilience and Recovery Conference 2015, where they heard how local support and care groups are dealing with issues including sexual abuse, neglect and child exploitation.

Dr Lumsden gave the opening keynote speech, in which she talked about her work in early years and its role in early intervention, prevention and how early learning and care can make a difference along the life course.

She also talked about the new Government’s offer of 30-hours free childcare, the importance of a well-qualified workforce and the role of the Early Years Teacher(0-5) in safeguarding young children.

You can watch BBC Oxford’s television coverage of Tuesday’s conference on the BBC website. The item starts at 7:15 into the programme.

The BBC Politics South show will air at 11am on Sunday. More details about the show, and details on how watch it online via BBC iPlayer after it has been broadcast, can be found on the BBC’s programme listing.