A coalition of more than 50 leading charities estimate that failure to intervene early in social problems is costing £17bn a year. Staging early interventions to stop young people going off the rails and getting into serious difficulties could save £1.7bn a year, a coalition of more than 50 leading charities say.
The next government should set up a ring-fenced fund to tackle social problems early and stop young people’s lives being ruined by mental health problems, bad parenting and antisocial behaviour, the campaigners argue.
The charities – including Barnardo’s, NSPCC, Action for Children, Women’s Aid and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations – say that a failure to intervene in social problems at an early stage creates crises which are much more expensive to solve in the long run.
They estimate that failure to intervene early in social problems is costing £17bn a year – a 10th of which could be saved by establishing an early intervention investment fund.
Such a fund would award money over the life of the next Parliament to councils, schools, healthcare providers and other groups which could prove they had ambitious early intervention plans.
“If families and children are supported earlier, fewer children will need to be taken into care, be excluded from school, develop mental health problems or commit crimes. We must support them from the earliest stage to nurture the skills they need to cope with life’s challenges and flourish. We must transform these children’s lives before it is too late.” Read more
