2025-04-05-accounts - Foundation Years Information And Research

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Foundation Years Information and Research

Annual report and unaudited financial statements

6th April 2024 – 5[th] April 2025

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025

Reference and administration details

Charity registration number 1158170 Charity name Foundation Years Information and Research Registered address 35 Ulleswater Road London N14 7BL Telephone number 020 8372 1516 Email address fyiroffice@gmail.com Website www.fyir.org.uk

Trustees

Maya Ellis, MP, Chair (appointed 2025)
Dr Rob Hale, Vice Chair (appointed 2014)
Dr Amanda Jones, Vice Chair (appointed 2014)
Nick Peacey, MBE, Secretary (appointed 2014)
Robin Balbernie (appointed 2020)
Dr Sunil Bhopal (appointed 2020)
Marcus Codrington-Fernandez (appointed 2016)
Professor Gabriella Conti (appointed 2016)
Professor Dame Sarah Cowley (appointed 2014)
Merle Davies (appointed 2021)
Professor Pasco Fearon (appointed 2015)
Professor Eva Lloyd, OBE (appointed 2022)
Dr Carine Minne (appointed 2014)
Dr Matthias von der Tann (appointed 2014)

Bank National Westminster Bank, 250 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4AA

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025

The Trustees present their reports and financial statements for the period 6th April 2024-5[th] April 2025

Structure, governance and management

Foundation Years Information and Research is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and was established with the approval of the Charity Commission on 7[th] August 2014. The CIO is governed by a constitution.

The first Trustee appointments were made in August 2014 for a three-year term. The Trustees meet three times annually and hold an Annual General Meeting.

New trustees are briefed on relevant trust matters by the Secretary.

Officers

The first Chair of FYIR was Lord Field of Birkenhead. Lord Field resigned as Chair in September 2015. He was succeeded by Karen Buck MP and from 2017 to July 2024, Karen Buck MP and Catherine West MP were Co-Chairs. Karen Buck did not stand for Parliament in the July 2024 General Election. On becoming a Minister, Catherine West resigned as Chair. From December 2025, we welcomed Maya Ellis MP as our new Chair.

Objectives and activities

The objects of the CIO are:

To advance public education and understanding of the substantial body of scientific work on the extent to which the earliest relationships play a major role in shaping a baby’s brain and in influencing their future mental and physical health
To promote research and study into all aspects of the foregoing, including improved knowledge of neuroscience and developmental processes and to make available the useful results

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025

Report

Change of Chair

We were very sad to lose our Chair, Catherine West, who has done so much to support FYIR’s activities over recent years, when she resigned after appointment as a Minister in the incoming Government in July 2024. But we consider ourselves exceptionally fortunate that Maya Ellis, MP for Ribble Valley, agreed to take over the post from Catherine. Maya’s commitment to the cause of 0-3 year olds is now well known. She is also Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Babies and looks forward to leading initiatives that can be taken forward from her work with both organisations.

The FYIR New Government, New Thinking seminars

We set up these seminars as signposts to the possibilities of improvement in the lives of 0-3 year olds and their carers after the General Election and were delighted by the level of contributions. Recordings of most seminars can be found on the FYIR Youtube site.

New Government, New Thinking 23[rd] April 2024

Michelle Morris, MBE, Pathway Lead, Greater Manchester Early Years Language and Communication (L&C) Policy

Current concerns about L&C for the 0-3s

Michelle explained the lessons learned from the development and successful practice of the Greater Manchester Language and Communication Pathway, an effective whole-system approach to providing Language and Communication provision right across Greater Manchester.

Autism in the Early Years

Dr Sarah White, Group Leader, Developmental Diversity Group, Institute of Neuroscience, UCL

Sarah discussed the relationship of the recently widened definition of autism to increased diagnoses of the condition, and noted that the increases have largely taken place in age groups other than early years. Study of the reliability of autism diagnosis (best between 5-9 years of age, and certainly not reliable before 3) suggests that an emphasis on early intervention support for parents and carers offers promising ways ahead.

Progressive universalism now and hopes for the future

Alison Morton, Chief Executive, Institute of Health Visiting

Alison stressed a commitment to progressive universalism is essential if we are to address the rising levels of need faced by many young children and their parents in our society. Within this commitment the health visitor has a vital role across every clinical pathway and future investment should recognise this.

New Government, New Thinking 5[th] May 2024

Infant Mortality: Closing the Inequality Gap Shown by Recent Evidence Professor Karen Luyt, Director of the National Child Mortality Database, University of Bristol

Karen Luyt used NCM database findings to demonstrate how inequalities in our society play out in the position of the UK in the infant mortality league tables: the likelihood of infant death among the poor communities from Black and Asian backgrounds in the UK is as high as that of far poorer nations.

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025

T he UK is 30th of 49 rich nations in ranking for infant mortality. What's going on? What can be done about it?

Dr Camilla Kingdon, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Camilla Kingdon, under the banner of Don Berwick’s ‘It is not a smart investment to keep running health care as a repair shop without moving upstream to real generators of illness, injury, injustice and disability ’ stressed the universal support of the medical profession for a shift to early preventive provision and its benefits across the life course and set out a three strand solution that we know from the evidence can make a difference.

New Government, New Thinking 14[th] May 2024 Fair Shares and 0-3s?

Professor Eva Lloyd, University of East London

Eva explored the UK situation for 0-3s (invisibility in society?, gaps between principle and practice in health, financial and family support) in the context of international initiatives such as the WHO Nurturing Care Framework and the UNCRC objectives on a child’s rights in early childhood. She noted the recent shift to an emphasis on ECEC provision in Europe and expressed concern about the equity of the major UK policy change in that direction in 2023/4: ‘a regressive policy, restricted to working families’ (National Audit Office).

Christine Farquharson, Associate Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies

While expressing concern about the distributional outcomes of the new UK entitlements to ECEC, Christine Farquharson wondered if the policy would meet its stated aims around labour supply and saw potential danger in its effects on wider early years provision. She emphasised the importance of being guided by the strongest evidence of successful programmes for the youngest children, such as Sure Start.

New Government, New Thinking 20[th] May 2024 John Bowlby, Attachment Theory and the Foundation Years

Professor Jeremy Holmes, University of Exeter

Jeremy Holmes gave us a succinct tour of the life of John Bowlby and his role in developing attachment theory and its significance for understanding patterns of behaviour right through to adulthood. He explained the principles of attachment and the research and activities, like the collaboration with the filmmaker

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025

Robertson, that built the case and led to Bowlby’s rejection by the psychoanalytic community. He stressed the significance of Bowlby’s ‘intellectual marriage’ with the (often neglected) Mary Ainsworth who with her successors was responsible for taking forward thinking on attachment in the United States. The persistence of attachment patterns through life offers Government, policymakers and all of us principles on which to base the building of healthy societies.

The Politics of Attachment

Dr Sebastian Kraemer, Whittington Hospital

Sebastian Kraemer argued that many of our senior politicians had started boarding school at 7 or 8 years and so been plunged into premature self-reliance in an environment that downgraded ‘looking after’. This can leave them at risk in the pressured and often dangerous political environment, as well as creating an unwillingness to engage with aspects of policy or approaches to policy-making that take them to thinking about attachment. Sebastian suggested that politicians, forever involved in ‘groupwork without a consultant’, should take note of all the evidence on the essential importance of strong relationships between those who care for us, whether during our infancy or during such exercises as interdisciplinary planning to improve the treatment of long Covid.

Continuity of care and GP practice

Dr Helen Salisbury, GP/University of Oxford

Dr Salisbury explained how previous contributions supported the case for continuity of care in GP practice. The evidence is strong: for example, a large population Norwegian study, published in 2022, demonstrated significant positive outcomes in terms of patients’ health and happiness, as well as reduced costs for the health services, for those who had been cared for by the same GP for fifteen years. Dr Salisbury argued that at minimum every GP practice should measure its own rates of continuity of care.

New Government, New Thinking 8th June 2024 Assessing the success of Germany’s early years provision

Dr Nadine Wieduwilt, Director of Quality Assurance for provision for children in the Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, Berlin Dr Wieduwilt gave a clear, concise account of driving forward the German strategic partnership for the under 5s between government and the Lander (state) and how its progress is monitored.

Health and Social Care Select Committee Inquiry: The First 1000 days : a renewed focus

FYIR responded to the March 2025 call for evidence from the Health and Social Care Select Committee. Our response pointed to: the weakness/unavailability of many sources of data, despite their centrality to policy making; workforce issues, particularly maintenance of effective integrated services against a background of burgeoning childcare provision and major gaps in health visitor and other community support; the importance of supervision and other forms of support for leaders of provision in difficult times. We also argued for initiatives linked to Chairs of FYIR: Frank Field’s advocacy of a cabinet-level post for early years to integrate working across ministries; the extension of Catherine West’s innovative development of the Fairness Commission as a model to promote community action on local inequalities.

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025

Financial review

There are no funds materially in deficit. The principal sources of funding in the period to 5[th] April 2025 were: Funds carried forward from the previous year’s operations: £1419.

FYIR’s expenditure supports the key objectives of the charity through the continuation of the organisation’s seminar programme, meetings and collaborations alongside development of the website and Youtube channel to broaden the scope of information and evidence we make available relevant to the organisation’s aims.

Reserves Policy

The aim of the trustees is to hold at least 6 months overhead expenses in reserve. The fund at 5[th] April 2025 meets this test.

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025

Statement of financial activities incorporating income and expenditure account for period 6th April 2024 to 5[th] April 2025

	2024/2025 Restricted Funds £	2024/2025 Unrestricted Funds £	2023/2024 Total £
Incoming resources
Incomingresources -grants	0	0	0
Donations	0	0	0

Resources expended - charitable
Administration/staff development	0	0	0
Design	0	0	0
Phone	0	0	0
Refreshments/sustenance	0	0	0
Speakers honoraria/hospitality	0	0	0
VAT	0	0	0
Accommodation		0	0
Total expenditure	0	0	0

Surplus/deficit for the period	0	0	0
Brought forward from previous financial Year	0	1419	1419
Carried forward	0	1419	1419

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025

Balance sheet

As at 5[th] April 2025 Balance sheet

	Restricted funds £	Unrestricted funds £	2024/5 All funds £
Fixed assets	0	1419	1419
Current assets: Debtors Cash	0 0	0 1419	0 1419

Accounting policies

a) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with applicable accounting standards.

b) Income

Grants are credited to income when receivable.

c) Expenses

Expenses are recognised in the period when they are incurred.

d) Restricted funds

These are grants received for specific purposes. Expenses incurred for these purposes are charged to the restricted fund.

2. Staff costs

The charity has no employees.

Annual report and unaudited financial statements FY2024-2025