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Charles Ellis says studies reveal that investing in support for quality, pre-school programmes leads to better educated – and better-paid – adults. With the current climate of stock market crashes, government uncertainty, and budgets feeling the strain, local authorities are facing immense pressure to demonstrate impact and outcomes, especially when it comes to services for children, young people and families. So, what can be done to meet this challenge, to make services for children and families first class? The basic issues have not changed, and it is now more crucial than ever that local authorities take stock and re-evaluate the way they approach services for those aged nought to five years. It is all too easy to think that economies in the short term mean savings in the long run. This is simply not true. In troubled times, people cling to what they know, but dealing with the problems before they happen rather then waiting for the problems to happen has been demonstrated as more cost-effective. Therefore, early intervention is the key to success. A recent investigation organised by the educational research foundation, High/Scope, and published as the Perry pre-school study, provides answers to many of the frequently-asked questions. At the very least, it provides rich discussion for research which has been conducted over four decades. The study follows a sample of severely-disadvantaged US children who were assessed to be at high risk of school failure. The study randomly assigned a proportion of them to a programme group which received a high-quality pre-school programme. The study produced eight monographs over the year. The findings of the programme cover education, economic performance and crime prevention. These key outcomes are explained below. The model helps identify and gain support for what should be effective, standard and universal levels of service provision early in the life cycle of children from disadvantaged areas. Pinpointing, clearly, the specific combination of services which need to be delivered at a neighbourhood level provides an example of how this model might work. Most importantly, the more recent Sure Start study, although still in its embryonic stages, appears to be showing similarly-compelling evidence. One of the key challenges is, would these changes have occurred anyway, and are they simply a feature of statistical analysis? And was it worth it? While it may be difficult to place a monetary value on any of the benefits of early intervention, nevertheless, specific cost benefits to the wider community cannot be ignored. The model seeks to show that by describing the direction and intensity of effects of services for children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods, as those services play out across the child's and young person's life. Without early support, the consequences for the parent and child can lead to problems such as health issues and anti-social behaviour. So, in these times of change, pre-empting and finding solutions to the challenges that children and young people face is vital. Keeping the faith in early intervention and investing in our children's future is a safe bet. As they say, spend today and save tomorrow! Charles Ellis is deputy chief executive of 4Children, which is also the sponsor of the Best Achievement in Children's Services category in The MJ Local Government Achievement Awards 2009.

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WHITEHALL

Spend today, save tomorrow!

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