Norman Glass, of Croydon, London, who passed away after being diagnosedwith cancer last summer, began his career at the Department of Healthand Social Security following graduation from Trinity College Dublinwith a first-class honours degree. He was involved with major reforms ofthe social security system before becoming deputy director of publicservices at HM Treasury and chief micro-economist in 1995. It was duringhis time at HM Treasury that Mr Glass helped to establish Sure Start,which was based on an American project called Headstart.
The original Sure Start programme, launched in 1998, proposed around 200local projects, concentrated in deprived areas, which aimed to bringtogether core programmes of health, early education and play. However,in an article published in the Guardian in January 2005, Mr Glasscriticised the programme's hasty expansion to 550 projects in 2000,believing that it would have been better to wait and learn from theexperiences of the original projects. He also wrote of hisdisappointment at seeing the philosophy of Sure Start shift from that ofa child-centred programme, 'owned' by local parents, to a scheme with an'employability agenda' which concentrated on rolling out as manychildcare places as possible to support working mothers.
A statement by NatCen said, 'He will be remembered by colleagues asdynamic, intelligent and very funny, often displaying a cheeky andirreverent sense of humour. Many have spoken of Norman as someone whodid much to break down people's stereotypes of a "typical civilservant".'
Wendy Scott, president of TACTYC, writes:
The last time I saw Norman Glass was last summer, when ProfessorElizabeth Wood and I went to discuss the possibility of NatCen includingquality indicators in their research on childcare. Although early yearsprovision was no longer his main preoccupation, he listened intently,and endorsed the importance of ensuring the highest possible quality. Hereminisced about the early months of Sure Start, mentioning his concernsabout the speedy roll-out of the programme, which he anticipated wouldlead to a dilution of standards.
I had first met Norman ten years earlier when lobbying on behalf ofEarly Education. He joked then that Sure Start happened almost byaccident: he had a spare day during a high-level meeting with Treasurycolleagues in the US and was offered a choice between visiting a charityworking for senior citizens and a Headstart program. He opted for thelatter, and came back convinced that effective support for families andchildren in the early years is an investment rather than a cost. Hisinformed interest and commitment to all aspects of early years shapedand supported the vision we are struggling to fulfil today. His unusualcombination of human warmth and sensitivity, practical insights,analytical rigour, and varied experience made him a powerful advocatewho was a key influence on the Government's agenda for children andfamilies. He will be widely missed.
