– Javed Khan, chief executive of Barnardo’s – a charity with the aim to change the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children – recognises that the matter of birth is still by chance. Some kids are lucky to be born into families that can provide for their economic and psychological needs to prosper, but many others are still born in poor families or in families using inefficient parenting practices. The reality is that although the world changes over time, the basic needs of children do not.

– The most crucial period for brain development happens within the first few years of a child’s life, a process in which parents have a critical role to play. For some families, this is however a confusing time because they lack information about good parenting. In response, Barnardo’s has taken up the “five to thrive” model in its early years services. The method encourages parents to learn and apply five key elements when raising their children: respond, cuddle, relax, play and talk.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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