Essay on Early Years Social Policy

Hey All

Me again :) This term's module is Social Policy within Early Years and I have thoroughly enjoyed the content. I have an academic essay due in on the 24th June which as it's half term I thought I would make a start with it. I have done loads of reading but am stuck for a starting point for the essay.

The essay is: With reference to historical changes, explain how and why services for children and families have developed to the present day.

data.bolton.ac.uk/academicaffairs/viewmodulestyle.asp ?code=EYC1005

Been looking forward to this as I found the lesson content really grabbed my attention, however now that I have sat down to start it I am stuck... this usually happens to me!

I decided to go back to the Children's Act of 1989 and compare it to the current Children's Act 2004 and the Every Child Matter's framework as I was worried that if I went back to Post Industrial or Post William Beveridge that with only 2500 words I would quickly eat up my word count.

My essay needs to look at historical legislation, including social reform and the making of social policy. Analyse the impact of change in legislation and link to current UK legislation.

Hoping someone could point me in a direction or give me a few idea's to start the essay with - be much appreciated. As soon as I get a direction I normally have no problems lol

Thanks
Mel

Mel, I notice you've been posting some very helpful advice for other forum users. Thanks! And, of course, that's good for you too. One reason that both basic composition and advanced writing instructors use peer feedback groups is because we learn even more about writing by reading and reflecting on others' work.

For this essay, I'm glad to hear that you're excited by the topic and have done so much reading already. I want to encourage you not to close off your possibilities by narrowing your topic too quickly. While you certainly could do a very simple compare and contrast essay looking at just those two pieces of legislation, there might be something more complex you want to say. For example, you might want to choose just one aspect of early years social policy and trace that all the way back.

Have you done some prewriting (brainstorming, mind mapping, or freewriting)? Have you looked through all of your notes on your readings and let your mind wander over and around the issues and ideas that most interested you? If this is the field into which you'll be going, it's this kind of mental work that will develop your own thinking and expertise.

If you do choose to compare the two Acts, be sure to fully cover the social and political forced that led to the enactment of each in its time. It doesn't matter which you pick to discuss first. You could use the current act as your touchstone, going back to compare it with the legislation that preceded it. Or you could start in 1989 and simply move forward in time using chronological organization. Either way, it would probably be good to use at least a paragraph to summarize what came before 1989.

Yes, great advice here. As you read articles about historic legislation and other changes, be on the lookout for a theme that may emerge in your reading. Certain alchemy takes place when you write about various, related articles, and your unique personality will infuse the mixture with a special perspective.

The theme that you find in your (casual, enjoyable) reading will become a profound unique idea that makes your essay special. (makes it easier to write, too!)

Since you have already researched the two acts, why not write up a list of differences between them, and identify the reasons behind each one? I'm guessing that a clear pattern will emerge, in which you can see how the changes in policy reflect changes in a particular philosophical outlook on what responsibilities the government has to protect and care for children (and what the government should not do, I imagine). Then, you can either start crafting an essay on the acts, or you can look for other legislation that demonstrates the trends you have discovered, and write about either those trends in general or the legislation you have found in specific.