Early Intervention Foundation report: Realising the Potential of Early Intervention
The Early Intervention Foundation (EIF), a member of the UK Government’s What Works Network, has published a report (30 October 2018) on the importance and benefits of early intervention to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children, setting out a call for a number of national and local actions in England.
Realising the Importance of Early Intervention explains the concept and advantages of early intervention and how to identify children and families that would most benefit from this support.
The report acknowledges that although early intervention can’t solve all problems, it can significantly improve the lives of vulnerable children and their families, and calls for a bold plan of action to ensure effective early intervention is available to the children, young people and families who need it most. It says, “...experiencing challenges or disadvantages early in life need not dictate a child’s wellbeing and opportunities as they grow up.”
The report emphasises that early intervention can be a vital way of both providing and teaching children the skills and resilience they need to succeed in life and reducing the negative impacts of factors such as poverty and other forms of disadvantage.