Early Intervention Blog

Family Action is a leading provider of early intervention services. Rhian Beynon is Head of Policy and Campaigns at Family Action. She writes regularly on early intervention and family policy. Early intervention services form the building blocks to get families back on track. This blog will hold the Government to account and provide a commentary on the state of early intervention by examining developments in Government policy and early intervention services.

You can read Rhian's Early Intervention Blog below. For more information about our services see the panel opposite.

16/12/12: A look a the 'troubled families' figures: square peg, round hole?

The PM today announced £450 million of funding to help local authorities provide support to 120,000 'troubled' families... Read more

27/10/11: Time to Change: Throwing Cash Away?

This week I attended an event jointly hosted by the Department of Health, the Afiya Trust and the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition... Read more

12/10/11: Some Thoughts On Louise Casey's "Troubled" Families Action Plan

As per our previous report, the Prime Minister has confirmed today that Louise Casey is to take charge of the “troubled families” portfolio at the DCLG as part of her new role in responding to the issues raised by the riots... Read more

19/9/11: Where is the money to help "troubled" families?

“Family Action’s Building Bridges services is an outstanding example of how those families (with multiple complex needs) can get the help they need." So said the Minister for Education Tim Loughton... Read more

9/9/11: Developing Systems that are part of the solution, not part of the problem

Following the riots Mr Cameron has pledged to “turn around the lives of 120,000 most troubled families”. This issue is not new and was also identified by the previous government. To improve things we need to look at the systems used to work with vulnerable families... Read more

28/7/11: Payment By Results - The Devil Will Be the in the Detail

The piloting of payment-by-results in children's centres is getting under way soon. Most commentators welcome PBR in principle but point out the devil is in the detail... Read more

10/6/11: The Work Programme Won't Work for Cameron's "Troubled" Families

The launch of the Work Programme has merited a shirty response from the Daily Mail who report welfare-to- work providers will be “paid bounties of between £4,000 and £13,700 for every unemployed person they get into long-term work.”

This is not money that will be easily earned... Read more

5/4/11: The Train Is Running Late on Child Poverty

The train is already running late on child poverty: the Government today launched the first Child Poverty Strategy, together with its Social Mobility Strategy, some ten days later than envisaged by the Child Poverty Act 2010.

But has it been worth waiting for? Read more

14/2/11: Tackling child poverty: money will talk

The Government is legally obliged to publish its first strategy to show how it will take steps to eradicate child poverty in the UK by 2020. What is its progress?... Read more

4/2/11: Put Parenting into Mental Health

The Coalition’s new mental health strategy contains much to applaud, particularly its recognition of the importance of early intervention in preventing serious mental health difficulties developing... Read more

31/1/2011: Working Families Everywhere - But Not at the Expense of Children

As an organization which has supported very disadvantaged families for some time we’ve been watching the Government’s Family Champions initiative for “troubled” families with interest... Read more

19/01/2011: Early Intervention - The Best Investor is Still the Taxpayer

Graham Allen MP has done more than anyone to promote the value of early intervention in the lives of disadvantaged families and children – including working across the party political battle lines... Read More