Research published by the children's commissioner for England last year estimated that there are more than two million children in England living in families with substantial complex needs and that 1.6 million of these children have no established, recognised form of additional support. These include children whose lives are affected by parental drug and alcohol dependency, domestic abuse and poor mental health. For some, if early help is not offered or taken up, these difficulties escalate, family circumstances deteriorate and children are more at risk of suffering significant harm.
The provision of "early intervention" services has long been recognised by those working with children and young people as a way of helping prevent problems escalating to a point where they require more costly interventions, such as being taken into care.
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