Over 150 delegates gathered in Edinburgh on Tuesday 29 September at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre for a symposium on the theme ‘These Islands: Cultivating Communities and Tackling Inequalities’, an event split across four overarching sessions showcasing the breadth of the BIC’s work.

The event was opened by the Scottish Government Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Jenny Gilruth MSP, and Shona Riach, Director General Exchequer, Performance and Strategy.

Reshaping Communities Through Place

The first formal session of the symposium considered the story of Belfast Grand Central Station through a range of different lenses , viewed here as a case study in reshaping communities through place-based infrastructure and regeneration.

The session began with a keynote address from John Glass, Director of Infrastructure & Projects at Translink. John’s address was called ‘Connecting People, Places and Opportunity: The Belfast Grand Central Story.’

This address was followed by parallel workshops on Traffic Management from James Redmond, Director of Transport Planning, Modelling and Data Analytics within the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland; and Accessibility and Place, presented by Louise Doyle, Station Manager, Belfast Grand Central Station, and disability advocate Michael Lorimer head of the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC) Secretariat.

The session concluded with a panel discussion that explored the wider community, planning, and accessibility considerations linked to the project. This discussion brought all previous panellists together, where they were joined by Katheryn McFerran, Director of Regional Planning Policy and Casework at the NIE Department for Infrastructure, and Gary Marshall, Senior Infrastructure Stakeholder Engagement Manager with Translink Major Projects. The panel was chaired by Sian Kerr, co-chair of the BIC Transport Work Sector.

Circularity and Sustainability

The session explored place-based and community approaches to achieving the energy transition through a renewable energy and circular economy lens.

Chris Stark, Head of the UK Government’s Clean Power Mission in DESNZ, opened with his keynote address ‘Bringing the Energy Transition Home’. Chris spoke about the importance of shifting discourse away from public energy deployment to public participation, the work of GB Energy in supporting communities and local authorities in taking ownership of energy projects, as well as the symbolic importance of GB Energy’s HQ being based in Aberdeen.

A panel session then followed exploring ‘Achieving Circularity and Sustainability at the Local Level’, led by Nicola Hopley, Chair of the Environment Work Sector. Chris was joined on stage by Dr. Rachel Lombardi, Chief Executive of International Synergies, an industry leading organisation on industrial symbiosis and the circular economy in action; Calum MacDonald, founder of the Point and Sandwick Trust – the UK’s largest community-owned onshore wind farm situated on the Isle of Lewis; and Elaine Brown, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Remakery – an award-winning charity based in Leith which specialises in repair and reuse, in addition to delivering several community outreach initiatives.

Panellists reflected on the value of involving communities, both individuals and businesses, in circular and sustainable initiatives and the importance of communities seeing and feeling the tangible benefits.

Supporting a Healthy Society

During the third session the Symposium turned its focus to both the early years sector, and health, wellbeing, and certain support pathways within communities.

The opening panel discussion explored how perinatal and family supports can be strengthened for women with substance use challenges where we were joined by leading health experts and those with lived experience. Featured on the panel were Ellen Crushell, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, Ireland; Dr Aisling Sheehan, National Lead of Alcohol and Mental Health and Wellbeing Programmes at the Irish Health Service Executive; Professor Maeve Eogan, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; and Sharon Graham, Research Assistant and the Lead for Lived Experience at Glasgow University within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health team.

This was followed by parallel workshops focusing on screen time and post custody recovery supports respectively:

Dr Katie Daubney, developmental psychologist and neuroscientist at the Institute for the Science of Early Years (ISEY), University of East London, led a workshop exploring healthy digital experiences in the early years titled: Not All Screen Time is Equal: The Importance of Supporting Healthy Digital Experiences in the Early Years. Dr. Daubney spoke about ISEY’s research on the neurological impacts of screen time on young children, as well as a range of different scenarios where screen time can have a negative and positive impact on child learning and brain development.

Alongside this, leading academics from Ireland and Scotland participated in a panel exploring recovery and reintegration support for individuals leaving custody. The discussion raised the many complex challenges individuals face in this context, and emphasised the importance of joined-up, evidence-informed and person-centred approaches that respond to the needs of those leaving custody. Chaired by Professor Diarmuid O’Donovan, Director of National Health Improvement with the Irish Health Service Executive, the panel included Elaine Dunne, Healthy Prisons Lead for the Irish Prison Service; Lisa Miller, operational lead of Scottish Recovery Consortium’s (SRC) Prison Recovery Development Team who drew on her lived experience, and Dr John McGhee, a researcher from both the University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh, whose work focuses on the intersections of health, inequality, and the criminal justice system.

Culture and Heritage

The final session of the symposium explored the role of culture, heritage, language and the creative industries in supporting identity, community and inclusion.

It commenced with two parallel workshops.

In one room was a panel discussing ‘Pride in Place’, focussing on the impacts of Bergerac in Jersey and An t-Eilean in the Isle of Lewis, featuring Ben Bickerton and Phil Trethowan of BlackLight TV, Bill MacLeod of MG Alba and Arabella Page Croft of Black Camel. The panel, which was chaired by Chris Kelleher, Chair of the Creative Industries Work Sector, discussed how the productions had provided employment and career opportunities in Jersey and the Isle of Lewis, the response from local residents, the importance of embedding the production teams in Jersey and the Isle of Lewis, as well as the wider economic benefits provided by the productions, including increased tourism.

In parallel, a panel took place exploring the role of ‘Minority Languages in the Age of AI’, featuring Professor Will Lamb of the University of Edinburgh, Gruff Prys of Bangor University, Dr Brian Ó Raghallaigh of Dublin City University. Chaired by Niall Bartlett, this discussion considered the associated opportunities and challenges Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-used (IML) languages face amid rapidly developing large language models, and its impacts on translation, education and minority language.

Freelance Director and Producer, Liz MacBain, then addressed delegates on the BIC’s Celtic Exchange Programme, which – with the support of the Welsh Government – has been running the past two years, with programmes taking place in the Outer Hebrides in 2025 and Belfast in 2026. Liz spoke about the positive feedback given by young participants from across the island of Ireland, Cornwall, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, and the value of breaking down silos and supporting a network for young, language creatives from across these islands.

The symposium programme formally concluded with the final panel exploring ‘Breathing Life Into Third Places: Language and Intangible Cultural Heritage Policy’, featuring Wyn Roberts, Chair of Tyn’ Llan, a community-owned pub in Llandwrog, North Wales, Dr Esbjörn Wettermark of the University of Sheffield’s School of Languages, Arts and Societies, Bláithín Mhic Cana, an award-winning singer, educator and language activist from South Armagh, and Steve Byrne, Scottish singer, folklorist and cultural advocate as Chief Executive of TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland). The panel was led by Llŷr Gwyn Lewis, Chair of the IML Languages Work Sector.

Following the Symposium, the Consulate General of Ireland in Edinburgh hosted a networking event with additional attendees joining from the Network of Academics for Irish and Scottish Engagement (NAOISE).

The Government of Guernsey will host the 45^th Summit meeting of the British-Irish Council (BIC) this week.

The Summit will be attended by political leaders from the BIC’s eight Member Administrations and will focus on the theme of ‘Nurturing Beginnings: Strengthening Early Years and Family Support for Happy, Healthy Childhoods and Lifelong Wellbeing’.

Leaders will also have the opportunity to brief each other on topical political developments.

This will be the sixth BIC Summit hosted by the Government of Guernsey. Previous BIC Summits hosted by the Government of Guernsey have taken place in 2004, 2010, 2014, 2018, and most recently in 2022.

The British-Irish Council was established under the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement to promote good, practical, positive, and mutually beneficial relations between the peoples of these islands. The eight BIC Member Administrations are the Government of Guernsey, the Government of Ireland, the Isle of Man Government, the Government of Jersey, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government, the UK Government and the Welsh Government.

On 7-8^th May 2026, officials from the Early Years Work Sector participated in a visit to Douglas in the Isle of Man with the visit and discussion focusing on supporting young children with additional needs. The programme, which featured a visit to the Isle of Man’s Pre-School Assessment Centre, was a follow-up to a virtual Early Years Ministerial meeting from November 2025 and was designed to give officials an opportunity to share best practice on this crucial topic.

The visit began with a site visit to the Pre-school Assessment Centre (PSAC). The PSAC provides assessment, teaching strategies and therapeutic interventions for pre-school children with complex needs. Officials heard from Head Teacher Jo Radcliffe and her team about the supports in place for young children and their families, including a tour of the school and its facilities.

Jo Radcliffe, Head teacher of the PSAC and her team briefed officials on the impact of their work, including their delivery of pre-school parent and toddler sessions. These sessions are proving to be a highly effective model for early intervention and identification of social and communication needs. Delegates also learned about the PSAC’s focus on working directly with parents alongside their children.

Delegates were then welcomed to the Isle of Man Government offices in Douglas for a presentation by their Early Years Team on the government’s Childcare Inclusion Scheme. The scheme, which began in 2025, has a particular focus on enabling eligible children to access and participate fully in early learning and childcare.

Representatives from Childcare Isle of Man, the representative body for child daycare providers on the Island, also came along to share their perspectives on the Scheme.

The visit concluded with a productive Work Sector meeting at the Isle of Man Government offices, where the group received a presentation from the Scottish Government setting out their evaluation of their early learning and childcare offer.

On 22- 23 September 2025, officials from the Early Years Work Sector participated in a visit to Glasgow and Falkirk with discussions focussing on the impacts of Child Poverty in the Early Years, as well as Play Pedagogy. The programme was designed to give officials an opportunity to share and discuss play policies and practices across Member Administrations.

The visit began with a productive Work Sector meeting at Scottish Government offices in Glasgow, where the group received a presentation on measures to address Child Poverty, with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive presenting learnings from the Northern Ireland Department of Education report and action plan ‘A Fair Start’ on educational underachievement in the early years. 

The Government of Jersey then set the scene for exploration on the theme of Play with a presentation on the approach they have taken to the development of their Play policy. Delegates also heard from Sian Neil, Senior Education Officer at Early Learning and Childcare Education Scotland. Sian gave a thought-provoking presentation on ‘Realising the Ambition’, the National practice guidance for Early Years in Scotland.

Day two of the visit included a visit to Glenburn Early Learning Centre in Hallglen to showcase the approach to Play by Falkirk Council. Delegates had the opportunity to meet with staff and management of the setting as well as hearing from Falkirk Council on the approach to play in this setting and across the wider Council area.

Officials learnt about the creative use of both indoor and outdoor space at Glenburn, particularly the effective use of no cost and low-cost equipment to encourage creativity in play.  Officials were extremely impressed at how play specific approaches such as place spaces, outdoor learning and learning for sustainability had been utilised within the setting to support a diverse cohort of families within the local community.

On 12- 13 March 2025, officials from the Early Years Work Sector and the Drugs and Alcohol Work Sector participated in a joint visit to Powys, mid-Wales, to learn about the whole systems approach being developed in Wales on trauma-informed delivery of services and ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) awareness.

The visit was designed to afford officials across both Work Sectors the chance to share learning and practice on the best approach for supporting families dealing with the impacts of drug and alcohol abuse.

The visit began with productive Work Sector meetings at Welsh Government offices in Newtown. Both groups also received a presentation on the work of the BIC’s Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-Used Languages (IML) Work Sector and language in Early Years and Drugs and Alcohol services.

Day Two of the visit featured a series of presentations highlighting the extensive research in Wales around the experiences of ACEs and substance use.  It also explored the impacts of the practical application of the trauma-informed approach in service delivery in Wales. 

Before proceeding to a site visit to Kaleidoscope, the group heard contributions from the Powys Substance Use Expert Reference Group members. These were Neville Brooks (Substance Misuse Commissioner & Area Planning Board Manager for Powys) and Detective Superintendent Gareth Roberts (Out of Court Disposal Initiative, Dyfed Powys Police, Substance Use Drugs Force Lead who spoke about “The Powys approach to implementing the Trauma-informed Framework”.

During the visit to Kaleidoscope, BIC officials met with staff and service users involved in the various projects taking place across Powys, which forms part of the support Kaleidoscope provides up to 10,000 people a year across Wales.

The visit concluded back at Welsh Government offices with a showcase of powerful animated films made by people from Powys with lived experiences in drug and alcohol abuse exploring the stigma surrounding drugs and alcohol use. Officials then participated in a Q&A session with the film makers and heard how the film-making process had empowered them to speak out about their experiences and the benefits of a trauma informed approach – utilised by Kaleidoscope – in improving their wellbeing.

Overall, the visit offered an excellent opportunity for fresh learning and discovering new insights and approaches and for strengthening professional networks.

On 7 September, officials from the BIC’s Early Years Work Sector were invited by the Government of Guernsey to attend the Joyous Childhood Conference at St Sampsons High School, to meet with Early Years practitioners on the island.  

President of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen opened the conference alongside Ruth Sharp, the Head of the States Early Years Team.

As part of the Conference, the group were given the opportunity to attend workshops led by prestigious Early Years Specialists; Jon Cree, Tamsin Grimmer, Rachel Cowper, Erica Mason and Jamel Carly Campbell. Collectively, they brought a depth of knowledge and expertise on outdoor learning and storytelling, parental partnerships, pedagogy, early phonological awareness, curriculum development and attachment theory.   

Over lunchtime, Ruth Swailes, independent Education Consultant, delivered a keynote speech looking at how children develop a sense of self and how practitioners can support children to regulate, build resilience, curiosity, and emotional intelligence.

Closing the Conference, Baroness Floella Benjamin delivered a keynote speech, where she took delegates on an inspirational journey emphasising how they could make a difference and change the world for the children and young people in their professional care with the message ‘childhood lasts a lifetime’.

Overall, the visit was an excellent opportunity for the BIC’s Early Years officials to meet with and learn from practitioners on the island. Officials also gathered the day before the Conference at Le Rondin school to discuss initiatives across these islands to improve the public perception of childminders.

On 10th May 2024, the Early Years Work Sector held an online workshop to discuss approaches from across the BIC’s Member Administrations to Early Years workforce professional registration and qualifications.  

There was a presentation on workforce professional registration by the Welsh Government, which explored the benefits, risks and challenges associated with professional registration, followed by a presentation on workforce qualifications by the Government of Ireland and UK Government which examined qualification requirements, standard – setting, recognition and support available. 

The British-Irish Council (BIC) Early Years Work Sector, held a Ministerial meeting hosted by the UK Government. The meeting was chaired by Julie Morgan MS, Deputy Director for Social Services, Welsh Government.

Ministers approved a Forward Work Plan which involves approaches to workforce, childhood experience, child poverty and child development.