Three overriding questions guided the qualitative research:

1. What are the key transitions in children’s lives, how are they experienced and what influences these experiences?
   
2. How is children’s well-being understood and evaluated by children, caregivers and other stakeholders?
   
3. How do policies, programmes and services shape children’s transitions and wellbeing?

The qualitative research entailed a mix of methods to generate data on the themes of transitions, well-being and services, including individual interviews with children, caregivers and teachers, and group interviews with children (both cohorts), as well as with adults in the community. Creative methods such as drawing and neighborhood walks with the children were used as a basis for discussion of key research themes. Semi-structured observations of homes, schools and community settings provided the context for analyzing and understanding the data.

The main themes the review focuses on are children’s key transitions, their access to services and their well-being. Transitions are defined as ‘key events and/or processes occurring at specific periods or turning points during the life course’ (Vogler et al. 2008). These include educational transitions, such as going from home or a pre-school setting to primary school, and from primary to secondary school, experiences that Young Lives children were undergoing at the time of survey and case study data collection (2006/7–2007/8 respectively). As the review makes clear, ‘transitions’ as such is not a topic which has been studied much, and the information gathered on these transitions comes from a variety of sources. The topic of ‘socialisation’, for example as well as related concepts such as life cycle or life course, yielded interesting information about a variety of transitions, including baptisms, indigenous traditions and integration into the wider community, as well as the home–school transitions mentioned above. The availability, access and quality of services for children and their families are examined in a variety of studies considered here, especially those evaluating the functioning and results of such services. Finally, child well-being is addressed, looking at general welfare indicators and some specific topics such as violence, work, resilience and development.