The First Childhood Screening (FCS) is a structured observational instrument, developed academically, designed to be applied by educators in nursery and kindergarten settings — not by clinicians.
Educators answer a multiple-choice questionnaire based on daily observation of the child. Results are recorded on the Nestly™ platform and classified using a traffic-light system (green / amber / red) across six developmental domains.
When a result is amber or red, the system automatically triggers an alert for the health specialists connected to the child, who can initiate a referral to SNIPI, NHS, or other support services.
Green — Typical development
The child is developing within the expected range for their age band.
Amber — Monitoring recommended
Some indicators warrant attention. Follow-up monitoring and reassessment recommended.
Red — Urgent referral
Significant delay indicators present. Immediate referral to health specialist triggered.
Each screening assesses the child across six fundamental developmental domains, adapted to their specific age band.
Speech, vocabulary, verbal comprehension, and non-verbal communication.
Walking, running, balance, coordination, and postural control.
Grip, object manipulation, drawing, and emergent writing.
Symbolic play, empathy, and relationships with peers and adults.
Self-care routines, independence at mealtimes and hygiene.
Concentration, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
The questionnaire differs for each age band. Questions and risk criteria are specifically calibrated for what is developmentally expected at each stage — from 0 to 6 years.
This ensures results are accurate and contextualised, avoiding false positives from comparing children of different ages.
0–12m
Babies
12–24m
Young Toddlers
24–36m
Toddlers
3–4y
Pre-school
4–5y
Nursery
5–6y
Reception
A simple, transparent, and secure process — from consent to referral.
01
Before any screening takes place, parents explicitly opt in through their Nestly™ dashboard. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
02
A trained educator answers structured questions across 6 developmental domains based on daily observation — no clinical training required.
03
Each domain receives a green, amber, or red rating. An overall risk level is calculated and stored in the child's longitudinal timeline.
04
Amber and red results automatically appear in the Health Dashboard, where specialists can review, follow up, and initiate referrals to SNIPI or NHS.
05
Where safeguarding or welfare concerns arise, the Social Worker Dashboard enables case coordination, intervention planning, and multi-agency communication — all in one secure place.
No screening can be initiated without the child's parent having given explicit consent through their Nestly™ dashboard. This consent is granular — it can be granted or withdrawn per child, at any time.
Screening data is treated as special category health data under GDPR. It is stored securely, accessible only to authorised parties (parents, educators, and health specialists connected to the child), and never shared with third parties.