Wellbeing (Tessa Livingstone)

At the European Early Childhood Research Association Conference (EECERA) 2010, Dr Tessa Livingstone talks about child wellbeing.

Dr Tessa Livingstone, best known for her work with BBC's Child of our Time, tells 700 delegates at the conference that England is at the bottom of the pile for wellbeing standards.

She offers potential solutions for early years practitioners, recommending making children feel welcome and recognised as the person they are at their setting.

She promotes the value of chat - not just talking about the curriculum, but about what children deem to be important.

Tessa relates her theory that the 21st century is the era of the battery child, suggesting that by allowing children freedom to adventure is at the heart of improved wellbeing.

She shows how this freedom has been eroded generation by generation and concludes by rallying practitioners - knowing they are at the heart of raising levels of wellbeing.