Kate takes step back into public life with support initiative

Athena Stavrou, The Independent

The Princess of Wales has taken another step back into public life after she launched a new initiative aimed at developing the nation’s social and emotional skills. The Shaping Us project, published through Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, provides a framework for teaching 30 skills during a child’s development, from pregnancy to the age of five. The skills are grouped into clusters, including managing emotions, focusing thoughts and communicating with others.

The publication comes after Kate made a surprise visit to Royal Marsden Hospital last month to thank staff who looked after her during her cancer treatment. It was her first public engagement of this year, as she looks to slowly return to public duty after recovering from cancer. Upon the launch of her latest project, Kate said: “Modern society is complex. At times, it can feel like the world is filled with mistrust and misunderstanding, leaving many people feeling isolated and vulnerable during difficult times.

“The impact of this, poor mental health, addiction and abuse, can be devastating, for individuals and for society. “If we are to address this properly, if we are to find real, lasting solutions to these deep-rooted challenges and create a physically and mentally healthier society, we must reset, restore, and rebalance. We must invest in humankind.” She will this week attend an event showcasing the work, which will be her fourth public engagement this year as she continues to make a gradual return to royal duties.

It comes as Kensington Palace said it will no longer release details of Kate’s outfits because the princess wants the public to focus on her work rather than what she wears. A palace source told The Times: “There is an absolute feeling that it (the public work) is not about what the princess is wearing. She wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting. “There will always be an appreciation of what the princess is wearing from some of the public and she gets that. But do we need to be officially always saying what she is wearing? No. The style is there but it’s about the substance.”

In 2023 Kate launched the Shaping Us initiative. In Sunday’s publication, Kate said in the foreword: “The Shaping Us Framework is designed to provide an accessible way of focusing on social and emotional skills. “It can be used by organisations of all shapes and sizes to design and deliver interventions that raise awareness across society, and to support the development of these critically important skills for people at all stages of life. “Most importantly, it shows that we can all play a vital part in building a more loving, empathetic, and compassionate society, and a world with humanity reconnected.”

The Centre for Early Childhood’s annual perceptions survey found that while 94 per cent of 5,353 people, interviewed by Ipsos last May, believed social and emotional skills were important to happiness in adult life, 42 per cent had little or no understanding of how these skills developed during early childhood. The princess concluded: “At the heart of all of this is the need for us to develop and nurture a set of social and emotional skills which we must prioritise if we are to thrive.”

One of the framework’s main aims is to introduce a universal way to talk about social and emotional development that cuts across disciplines and reaches audiences.

It is hoped the new initiative will be used to inform conversations, like those between early years practitioners and a parent, help design and deliver campaigns and programmes on a range of topics, from young people’s mental health to corporate leadership, and support organisational development like recruitment processes and human resources activities.

Vicky Nevin, policy manager at the NSPCC, said: “The early years of life are a time of great opportunity, but they are also a time of great vulnerability. We would like to thank the princess for raising awareness of babies’ social and emotional wellbeing. “We know that raising a young child can be challenging and stressful. Families need to know where to find trusted advice to do the best for their baby. When parents feel supported, they are better able to support their children. “That’s why health visiting and Family Hubs should be accessible to every family.”