Rosemary Roberts
OBE PhD
About
Dr Rosemary Roberts’ work has for many years focused on child development from birth to three, and supporting those who live and work with the youngest children, especially their parents. She holds a post-graduate diploma from the Tavistock Clinic UK in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies; and a PhD for which she researched wellbeing development from birth to three, especially in the home.
Rosemary has worked in nursery, primary and higher education, and the voluntary sector; and was a founding director of PEEPLE (https://www.peeple.org.uk/), working with Sure Start programmes in disadvantaged areas. In 1999 she was awarded an OBE for services to early childhood. In 2011 and 2012 she worked with various early years projects in Australia.
Rosemary’s particular interests include babies and young children’s learning and developing well-being from birth to school; the impact of self-esteem on early learning; and ways to support families with the youngest children. Her recent work has centred on questions of resilience and the impact of early situations and experiences on later outcomes. ‘What Matters? for family wellbeing’ is a response to these perspectives, written for all who see a baby or young child often and know them well, and with whom they have a loving or affectionate relationship.
In the busy ten years since the previous publications there have been several attempts to write ‘What Matters?’. The challenge has been to take the research evidence that so far had been reported in academic texts with references, footnotes etc., and write it in a shorter and more informal way. It needed to be more readable for those probably madly busy and exhausted people caring for babies and toddlers at home. At first, using the same structure as before but a different ‘voice’ simply didn’t work; so eventually, while carefully keeping exactly the same message, there had to be a new voice and a new structure …….. and then a new publisher. Threaded through the rest of life since the start of the pandemic, all this took a while – but ‘What Matters?’ seems to have a life of it’s own.
If you would like to hear Dr Rosemary Roberts discuss some of the themes in 'What Matters?', you can listen to a series of 11 podcast episodes on Spotify:
Publications
WHAT MATTERS? for family wellbeing: Babies, young children and their companions mental health and happiness (2024) London, ‘O’ BOOKS, COLLECTIVE INK
‘What Matters?’ is for families with babies and young children. It is short, easy to read, timely and practical. Based on much reliable research evidence, it is a response to post-pandemic mental health problems for so many children and young people. Here is a way for parents and carers to decide what matters to them, and how their priorities can work in everyday life. The needs of babies and young children themselves come first, a perspective often ignored in the childcare debate. It also acknowledges what matters for parents and carers of young children, with many ideas for making life easier for everyone.
The basic theme is companionship. It is about the depth and quality of babies’ and young children’s relationships with their ‘companions’: the people they see often and know well, who are loving or affectionate with them. So not just parents and primary carers, but often grandparents and other family members and friends doing the caring. ‘What Matters?’ is about laying firm foundations for life-long mental health and happiness.
'Thinking within the wellbeing wheel' in S. Robson and S. Flannery Quinn (eds.) (2014) The Routledge International Handbook of Young Children's Thinking and Understanding London, ROUTLEDGE
Babies’ and young children’s situations and early experiences make a profound and lasting impact on their thinking and wellbeing development, with important implications for practitioners working with young children and their families. Within the context of recent early years research, this chapter introduces a wheel of wellbeing that shows cognition to be a fundamental part of holistic wellbeing development, within an ecological framework.
Wellbeing from Birth (2010) London, SAGE (out of print)
What do we mean by wellbeing, and what does it look like as it takes shape in early childhood? What can we do to support the wellbeing of children at home and in settings? ‘Wellbeing from Birth’ provides some answers to these complex questions, in a straightforward, accessible way. “This important book is immaculate in form and fascinating and convincing in content …… it offers a wide range of help with wonderful examples from real life in homes and settings; and might become a ‘do-it-yourself’ wellbeing kit for each centre of early childhood. This book is an inspirational guide to developing a framework for wellbeing from birth” (Chris Athey).
Self Esteem and Early Learning: Key People from Birth to School (2006) 3rd ed., London, SAGE (out of print)
‘Self Esteem and Early Learning’ is about babies’ and young children’s feelings, their learning and the ways in which the key adults in their lives can support their emotional, social and cognitive development. Self Esteem and Early Learning looks at attachment in practice, linking developmental issues with the foundations of long-term positive self concept. “This very accessible, enjoyable, well-informed, clearly conceived and emotionally intelligent book will be of interest to all early years practitioners, whether experienced or embarking on initial teacher training” (Journal of Early Childhood Research).
WHAT MATTERS? (2024)
Wellbeing from Birth (2010)
Self-Esteem and Early Learning (2006)
The Routledge International Handbook of Young Children's Thinking and Understanding (2014)