Early in the life of the child and/or Early in the development of a problem – even before there is a problem Interventions that ward off the initial onset of a disorder; i.e. intervening before damage takes place in a way that avoids the later costs in both human and financial terms of handling the consequences of the symptoms of that damage’ (Allen 2011)

Identifying, and working to minimize, risk Working to develop the capacity of children and families to cope despite risks It is about the whole population of children, not just those with a problem now, and is therefore an everybody issue. A public health issue.

A commitment to prevention Priority focus on early years Continuing early intervention in later years A multi-agency systems approach High quality workforce Investment in programmes that work Centre for Social Justice (2011)

Early intervention is well down the priorities table for almost everyone The capacity to implement effective early intervention in mental health is under- developed Spend now to save later is a tough message to make credible in times of cuts

PROBLEMSOLUTION DiseaseNational Health Service IgnoranceUniversal Education IdlenessBenefits and training SqualorPublic Health Services WantNational Insurance and welfare benefits

Social exclusion: Is multi-dimensional Is inter-generational Affects individuals, groups and communities Is at the root of poor outcomes Removing the barriers to inclusion is key

Identification of risk Identification of positive strengths Targeted and universal services Partnership (IPP) approach Long term (10-20 year) strategies

Overwhelming economic case for early intervention Strong evidence base for effectiveness of early (cf. late intervention) Localism Building ‘social and emotional bedrock’

Normalising mental health Attachment Brain development Risk and resilience Interprofessional practice Training for the next generation of parents Supervision and consultation – capacity building

We need to build capacity at tier 1 - but training, on its own, will not transform practice or be sustainable We need to train and influence commissioners and budget holders – not just practitioners We need to know the evidence that’s out there and add to it We need to win the argument for early intervention locally and share good practice in an age of localism We need to promote integrated approaches at a time when people are pulling up the drawbridge We need to find creative ways to share in an age of competition

Be strategic Be systemic Get connected Look for strengths Don’t be disheartened by the challenges - we’re used to swimming against the tide – its what we do best

Making sense of early intervention: a framework for professionals, Centre for Social Justice (2011) y_years_report_web_v3.pdf y_years_report_web_v3.pdf Early Intervention: the next steps. Allen, G (2011) report-early-intervention report-early-intervention