Evidence library

The Scottish Government commissioned GEN and Illuminate (specialist 'drama in education' practitioners) to undertake qualitative research with parents, carers and children to explore their views and experiences of early interventions, early years services and support for families with young children. Many of the consultees were attending services provided by the voluntary sector at the time this research was undertaken. The motivation for the research was to provide a robust evidence base with which to inform the development of the Early Years Framework which was launched in December 2008 and which the Scottish Government is jointly developing with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA). The approach was designed to address key early years issues and maximise participation amongst the target groups. The research methods involved gathering qualitative information from structured focus groups with parents and carers across Scotland, as well as from a series of interactive workshops with groups of children aged up to 8 years. A total of 59 focus groups were carried out in a mix of urban and rural locations across Scotland. The outputs from each focus group were recorded and analysed using a framework structured around the themes of the research.