Review will examine how early intervention can support most disadvantaged children

The review will be chaired by Graham Allen, Labour MP for Nottingham North, who spearheaded early intervention programmes for children and young people in Nottingham.

The review was announced by Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and children’s secretary Sarah Teather.

It is the first piece of work to be commissioned under the remit of the Social Justice Cabinet Committee, a cross-departmental committee set up to tackle poverty, chaired by Mr Duncan Smith (pictured).

Launching the review, he said, ‘I am delighted that Graham will be chairing this review. He understands that early intervention means tackling the root cause of social problems rather than ineffectively treating the symptoms. If we are serious about unlocking children from generations of poverty and giving them a real chance to make something of their lives, then we have to make sure the support is there from the start.’

Mr Allen (pictured) - who co-authored with Mr Duncan Smith a pamphlet on the benefits of early intervention called Good Parents, Great Kids, Better Citizens - said that he had insisted that the review would be strictly independent.

He said, ‘Nottingham has proved we can intervene successfully. Now we not only need to prove that we can take early intervention to a national level, we also need to find inventive ways to fund it in a time of economic drought.

‘I have insisted that this work be strictly independent and the lessons shared with all parties. If early intervention is to be a success, it must last a generation and therefore has to be owned and sustained by all parties.’

He added, ‘I have been passionate about early intervention throughout my tenure as an MP. It holds the key to so many of our social problems, and this is especially evident in my own tough constituency. In essence we need to tackle the causes of dysfunction, not just its symptoms. Early intervention is both cheaper and more effective than late intervention. It will help attack the structural deficit by reducing the massive costs of failure – lifetimes on welfare, poor educational attainment, low aspiration to work, drink and drug abuse, vandalism and criminality.’

Mr Allen said the two key questions for the inquiry would be about how to spread best practice on early intervention throughout the country and how to fund projects sustainably. He said that the money markets could be used to raise finance through bonds.

The review will report in January 2011. citing examples of successful early intervention programmes, with an interim report on funding. A final report on funding will be published in May 2011.

Sir Paul Ennals, chief executive of NCB, said, 'Graham Allen has shown a long-standing commitment to promoting early intervention. I was privileged to have launched his Nottingham initiative, One Nottingham, to roll out early intervention services across the city. NCB hosts C4EO (the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children's Services) which has been gathering together the evidence in support of early intervention, and we will make this evidence available to support Graham in his review.'