Bruce Leeke, Ormiston Families Chief Executive, on how early intervention could help families facing tough times.
“Families are the anchors of children’s lives, the circle of love and support that guides young people through the ups and downs of life.”
What a great summary of the importance of families – shame I can’t take the credit for it.
Believe it or not, it’s a line from a government report. Not the first place I’d look for something as poetic.
‘Every child achieving and thriving’ was released in March to outline the Education Secretary’s new plans for SEND provision – but it also talks about how tough life has become for families in general.
I’ve been Chief Executive at Ormiston Families since February and it’s something I’m learning quickly.
Our teams work with families across the East of England who are struggling with mental health challenges, bereavement, the impact of imprisonment and children being taken into care – and have been for 45 years.
And what’s quickly becoming clear to me is that those families we work with are under more pressure than ever in a world that is changing at incredible pace.
Just to pick out a few of the consequences that is leading to, according to the report:
- 1 in 4 children are starting school without being toilet trained
- Higher screen time is leading to poorer language development
- Parents don’t know where to look for support
- 1 in 4 can’t access a local children’s centre or family hub
Warning lights on the dashboard
These are just a few of the warning lights on society’s dashboard – and they are flashing brightly.
However, the finding that really worried me was that spending on early intervention services, including children’s centres and family support, fell by 42% between 2010/11 and 2023/24, with the most deprived areas hit hardest.
That means 4 out of 5 pounds that the government spends is now on late or emergency intervention.
Once the horse has already bolted, basically.
Early intervention is Ormiston Families’ stock in trade and the foundation of all our work.
To explain the jargon – it simply means ensuring that children and families who are facing challenges are seen as early as possible.
For example, our Supporting Smiles service works with hundreds of children in Norfolk and Waveney each year who are experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues.
Recent examples of the team’s work include supporting children with anxiety and phobias.
If you’re thinking those things don’t sound too serious – that is the point.
We are working with children at the earliest opportunity so that their anxiety or phobia doesn’t develop into something much more serious.
Think of society’s dashboard again – if a light is flashing on your car, you get it sorted asap, don’t you? You don’t wait for the engine to blow up first.
Common sense, not common practice
It’s common sense, but unfortunately not always common practice.
However, according to the report, there is some cause for encouragement.
The government insists that more funding will be made available for early intervention as part of its £4b plan.
That means more expert practitioners – like the ones I’ve been so inspired by at Ormiston Families – can make a difference in young people’s lives as soon as possible, giving them the tools to thrive.
But it’s only the start.
We need a sea change in our approach to helping families so that more of them have access to the advice and support they need.
If we can support parents as early as possible and provide them with the tools to do the job, we can protect ‘the circle of love’ that children need now more than ever.
I’m in the privileged position of leading a charity that puts early intervention at the forefront of its work and I’m glad that the government is putting a greater focus on prevention.
You never know, early intervention could become the norm.
This article originally appeared in the Eastern Daily Press and East Anglian Daily Times.