NSPCC, Children's Society, Barnardo's and Action for Children join forces on early intervention

The Children’s Society chief executive Matthew Reed will be joined by Peter Wanless at NSPCC, Javed Khan at Barnardo’s and Sir Tony Hawkhead at Action for Children for the Early Intervention Conference on 12 September.

In a striking show of unity, the charities will use the CYP Now conference to launch a joint report emphasising the importance of early intervention services as they bid to put the issue centre stage ahead of the general election. The report also has the backing of Save the Children.

Delegates at the conference will be able to put questions to the charity chiefs on the day about their approach to a range of issues.

The panel is likely to address funding challenges, intervening in early years including through children’s centres, and intervening in adolescence through teenage mental health or youth services.

The quartet of chief executives join a packed programme of speakers, which includes Early Intervention Foundation chief executive Carey Oppenheim, who will provide the conference with an update on how it is supporting organisations to commission and deliver effective services.

There will also be presentations on the Big Lottery Fund’s Better Start initiative; measuring impact; and case studies on reconfiguring children’s centre provision and adopting an area-wide “whole-family” approach.

Khan, who became Barnardo’s chief executive in May, told CYP Now in his first media interview back then: "I think it is scandalous that the life chances of children are still a lottery – where you happen to be born, the family you happen to be born to, the school you go to, the care services that are available to you or not.
 
"It is absolutely appalling that in 2014 children are still within a lottery that is not of their choice, so there are huge amounts of work to do."
 
Upon taking the Action for Children helm in April, Hawkhead said the children’s sector must “recognise that there is huge value in saving time and saving money by working collectively".
 
The Children's Society's Reed last month criticised the government’s revised child poverty strategy as a “wasted opportunity”. He said: “At a time when drastic action is needed to improve these children’s lives, it has delivered a plan that cannot reverse this growing crisis.”
 
NSPCC chief Wanless was this month appointed by the government to lead the review into the handling of historic child sex abuse allegations.