Evidence to Education Commission

Impact of neglect

Sally Robinson, Assistant Director (Children’s Services)Danielle Swainston, Head of Access and Strategic

Planning

Brain development

• At birth our brains are only 25% developed

• By age 3, a child’s brain has reached almost 90% of its adult size and has accomplished 80% of its total development.

• The growth in each region of the brain largely depends on receiving stimulation.

• This stimulation provides the foundation for learning.

Experience Affects the Structure of the Brain

• Brain development is “activity-dependent”

• Every experience excites some neural circuits and leaves others alone

• Neural circuits used over and over strengthen, those that are not used are dropped resulting in “pruning”

The pattern of neglect

Intervention Intervention

'G ood enough' level

Intervention ceases

The pattern of neglect

Intervention

Intervention

Good enough level

Intervention ceases

The pattern of neglect

Failure of cumulativeness

T h r es h o ld f o rin te r v en tio n

SEXUAL

ABUSE

PHYSICAL

ABUSE

NEGLECT

NEGLECT

NEGLECT

NEGLECT

Cumulativeness

T h r es h o ld f o rin te r v en tio nS

EXUAL

ABUSE

PHYSICAL

ABUSE N

EGLECT

NEGLECT

NEGLECT

Building a child

Building a child is like building a house, each new level built on the one below. If the lower levels are unsound, no amount of tinkering with the upper floors will make it stable.

Independent reports supporting early intervention

• The Early Years: Foundations for life, health and learning. Dame Clare Tickell

• The Foundation Years; preventing poor children becoming poor adults, Frank Field

• The Next Generation: A policy report from the Early Years Commission, Centre for Social Justice

• Early Intervention: The Next Steps, Graham Allen

How the department has utilised early intervention research in delivering solutions.

• Universal Plus Pathway

• 2 year old childcare

• Think Family, Think Communities

• Effective interventions

Universal Plus pathway

• Integrated pathway with health - pregnancy to 2 years old;

• Family Support worker allocated to every pregnant mother in hotspot area;

• If there are identified needs Family Support Worker will undertake common assessment;

• Family Support Worker supports family to access children’s centre services

2 year old childcare

• Children identified by national criteria – Phase 1 from Sept 2013 (400 children)– Phase 2 from Sept 2014 (700 children)

• 97% of eligible children have taken up in Phase 1(One of the best take up figures in the country)

• Working with providers to increase places for Phase 2

Think Family, Think Communities model (Troubled Families programme)

The five family intervention factors • Dedicated workers, dedicated to families • Practical ‘hands on’ support • A persistent, assertive & challenging approach • Considering the family as a whole • A common purpose and agreed action

Multi agency team

Effective interventions

• Family lead plans;

• Workers to be the resource to support the plan developed with the family;

• Use of solution oriented/ strengths based approach across all our work;

• Development of a toolkit to support workers to effectively support families to make positive change