ACEs support “fragmented and variable” across England, say MPs
MPs on Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee have warned that intervention to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is “fragmented and variable” across England.
The Committee says more help in the early years can help stave off mental health problems in later life, saying: “When delivered effectively, there is strong evidence that early intervention can dramatically improve people’s lives and reduce long-term costs to the government”. The report urges the Government to draw up a new national strategy for early intervention approaches.
The report says: “There is now a body of evidence that clearly demonstrates a correlation between adversity suffered during childhood and an increased prevalence of health and social problems in later life.”
The MPs say that while there is evidence of good practice in some local authorities, we lack any “clear, overarching national strategy”.
They said: “This has led to a fragmented and highly variable approach to early intervention across England, with evidence of a significant gap between what the latest evidence suggests constitutes best practice and what is actually delivered by many authorities.
“Where local authorities are not providing early intervention based on the best available evidence, vulnerable children are being failed.”
MPs have called for:
- More support for local councils to plan and deliver effective early intervention.
- Better collection of data to help assess the effectiveness of intervention schemes.
In the North East former Sunderland University academic Wendy Thorley set up the ACE Network NorthEast on which Schools North East is represented.
Read the Committee’s full report here.