| answer text |
<p>The government has funded the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) since 2013, including
almost £2 million in 2018-20, to assess, evaluate and disseminate evidence of what
works. The EIF has assessed the benefits of a wide range of specific early intervention
programmes and suggested that whilst producing robust estimates is challenging, there
is a compelling argument that the costs of intervening early are likely to pay off
to society in economic terms. In particular, they highlight that the long-term economic
benefits are considerable where early intervention leads to labour market gains, such
as improvements in employment and earnings. However, they are clear that it is not
a quick fix and is unlikely to reduce pressure on the social care system in the short
term.</p><p>The value of early intervention is reflected in statutory guidance ‘Working
Together to Safeguard Children’ (2018), which is clear that providing early help is
more effective in promoting children’s welfare than reacting later – playing an important
part in supporting children and young people to achieve better outcomes. The guidance
is clear that local areas should have a comprehensive range of effective, evidence-based
services in place to address assessed needs early. It is right that local authorities
are free to decide how to use their children’s social care budget to manage local
priorities and deliver the best services for children.</p><p>The government has also
committed £920 million to the Troubled Families Programme, an early intervention approach
which aims to achieve significant and sustained improvement for families with multiple,
high-cost problems.</p>
|
|
