Early intervention – effective early identification of children and families at risk, and timely action taken to address risk early – holds out the promise that as a nation we can move from ‘a focus on ‘picking up the pieces’ once things have happened, towards prevention’ (Early Years and Early Intervention: A joint Scottish Government and COSLA policy statement, March 2008).
Giving children the best possible start in life and improving the life chances of children, young people and families at risk has the potential to make a genuine, long-term contribution to breaking the cycle of underachievement, poor educational attainment and poor life chances.
Based on experiences in Glasgow, however, this is not as simple as it sounds. To be effective, early intervention requires fundamental changes in the way that policy makers and practitioners think and act.
How we define ‘at risk’ or ‘vulnerable’, and what interventions are likely to prove really worthwhile in the longer term, are just some of the questions that remain to be answered as practice and services evolve.
In April 2006, Glasgow City Council Education Service, along with Dundee City Council and North Ayrshire Council, was invited by the then Scottish Executive to submit proposals to develop innovative provision for young children and their families.
The Vulnerable 2s project
Perhaps the greatest challenge faced in the Vulnerable 2s pilot project (and nationally) is how we manage change so that we can provide integrated services, make innovative and imaginative use of existing provision, and develop expertise in partnerships across services.
Taking positive action now means investing to improve longer-term outcomes while continuing to address the real and pressing problems that are with us today. It is about commitment.
Glasgow City Council drew on insights from the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) study, accepting the principle that ‘it matters more what parents do than what they are’.
Glasgow built on the opportunities provided by the integrated service provision which had already been developed and its response highlighted its aim to provide dedicated outreach and family support. The proposal pointed to utilisation of the already established network of pre-school provision, and maximisation of parental involvement in helping to support children’s emotional, personal and social development.
Managed jointly by Glasgow’s Education and Social Work Services, the Vulnerable 2s project targeted children and families across the city. Initially providing 400 part time places for some of the most vulnerable children and families, the project sought to make a real difference to their life chances.
By building positive relationships between families and local services and employing a dedicated Outreach and Family Support Team to work alongside staff in pre-school establishments, the project aimed to take active steps to ensure that services were fully accessible to young parents.
Children and families were able to benefit from the support and expertise provided by Health, Education, Social Work and a whole host of other services. It was about much more than an early nursery place.
Support for children and families at Bellrock Nursery
The experience of children, parents and staff at Bellrock Nursery in Cranhill gives a flavour of how the initiative was able to be effective in meeting the needs of vulnerable children and families in the community.
With 30 places for vulnerable 2-year-olds (15 in the morning and 15 in the afternoon), Bellrock Nursery was in a position to provide high quality support to children and families facing a whole range of challenging circumstances. The nursery played a crucial role in co-ordinating tailored packages of support and advice, including parenting classes.
The range of families drawing on the extended service gives the lie to the assumption that all vulnerable families are basically the same. The flexibility provided by the addition of an under-3s’ room meant that the nursery was able to create learning spaces designed to meet the changing needs of children experiencing difficult times or trauma. Building positive relationships and involving parents in their children’s learning helped contribute to raising achievement, and promoting children’s learning and development. At the same time, ‘vulnerable’ children could take their place alongside contemporaries as confident, successful learners.
In May 2008, when funding arrangements for the pilot changed, Glasgow City Council’s Executive Committee took the decision to invest almost £1 million to ensure that 2-year-olds from vulnerable family backgrounds in Glasgow would continue to have the opportunity to start nursery one year early. This means that the number of childcare places for vulnerable children under 3 will increase from around 435 to 500.
As well as being a firm commitment to making a difference to the life chances of children who ‘face more challenges than others’, the continuation of the project will in turn ensure the continuation of high quality, effective early intervention throughout the city of Glasgow.
John Butcher, Head of Early Childhood and Childcare Services, and Gerard McKernan, Quality Improvement Officer, Glasgow City Council
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