Lesley Abbott

Prof Lesley Abbott is Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Education and Social Research Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has a background in primary and early childhood education and has worked in both teacher education and multidisciplinary training and research developing one of the first multidisciplinary degrees in the country to meet the diverse needs of professionals working with young children and their families across a range of sectors and services. She has given evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees on early years issues, has served on a number of government committees and working parties and presented keynote papers at national and international conferences. She has worked in Australia, Singapore and Ireland where she helped to develop integrated centres for children and families together with new forms of cross-disciplinary training for professionals working in these services. In Belfast she worked with Health, Social Services and the Education department to develop a 'wrap around' programme to support families with young children in the Shankill community. She has directed a number of major research programmes including Educare for the Under Threes, funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Trust, and the recent, government funded project, Birth to Three Matters to develop a Framework to support practitioners working with children from birth to three years together with subsequent training programmes and materials.She has published widely, involving practitioners and families in research and writing thus providing opportunities for their voices to be heard.She recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the journal Early Years Educator in recognition of her work in the field of Early Childhood.