Nursery World - Government dismisses MPs' call for national early intervention strategy

MPs have been left 'frustrated' by the Government's rejection of a new national early intervention strategy to tackle childhood adversity and trauma.

This was a key recommendation by the science and technology committee in its Evidence-based early years intervention report published in November, which also urged the Government to hold the long-delayed consultation on children’s centres or re-instate Ofsted inspections for them.

Describing the Government response to its report as ‘inadequate’, committee chair the Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb said, ‘It is extremely frustrating to see the Government largely dismiss our recommendations, opting instead to list existing programmes and shifting responsibility onto local authorities.

‘We already know that this isn’t working as well as it could or should be.

‘Early intervention offers young people who have suffered adversity in their childhood an opportunity to avoid the long-term problems associated with such experiences. When delivered effectively, there is strong evidence that early intervention can dramatically improve people's lives, whilst also reducing long-term costs to the Government.’

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