Viewpoint: Early intervention is key to supporting the vulnerable

While it is vital to conduct this debate, we must remember that every family and situation is different and demands a unique and individually tailored solution.

However, we know one factor pivotal to successfully supporting all vulnerable children and families — swift intervention in the earliest stages of a problem.

By intervening early, social workers can work intensively with families, giving them the tools and support they need to nip emerging problems in the bud before they escalate. This is paramount to children's safety.

This year, 700,000 children will be born. All are full of potential but some will struggle right from the start. About 50,000 are already on the journey their parents took to the margins of society.

These are the children at risk of inter-generational deprivation and neglect. Almost half of children who demonstrate anti-social behaviour in early years, will continue it into adulthood, becoming serial offenders.

It is estimated that a serial offender costs society between £1.1 -1.9m over a lifetime. The cost of this criminal activity is estimated at £84bn a year in the UK. Yet there is overwhelming evidence that not only does early intervention work, but also it makes good economic sense.

Supporting families to tackle the roots of problems prevents greater costs being incurred later on, when problems have worsened.

In fact, research carried out by Action for Children and the New Economics Foundation (NEF) has shown that moving to a more preventative approach would benefit the UK economy to the tune of £486bn over 20 years.

The research included an independent evaluation of three Action for Children projects. It showed that, taking into account reduced health costs of children, reduced crime and anti-social behaviour, reduction of costs and care, increased tax revenue through employment and decreased benefits, the projects returned between £4 and £9 of social value for every £1 invested in them.

The coalition government must hold its nerve and resist looking for short-term fixes which ignore future impact. Long-term solutions are key to addressing the complex, diverse needs of vulnerable families in a way that benefits future generations.

Cuts to public expenditure over the next three years must be grounded in rational decisions. The government must encourage the prioritising of funding for early intervention services which are intensive, targeted and founded on robust evidence.

We are seeking a new settlement to enable local children's services to embed early intervention, increase efficiency and break the cycles of deprivation and neglect. A commitment to early intervention is a commitment to giving the most vulnerable children and families the support they deserve.

Dame Clare Tickell, chief executive of Action for Children