Neighbourhood and preventive strategies with children and families: what works?

Abstract

This paper argues that the 1989 Children Act has provided a poor context for discussing ‘prevention’. The Act has not helped the development of either a proper understanding of childhood disadvantages or policies to deal with it. This paper presents a fresh perspective on ‘prevention’ in the context of Government initiatives such as Sure Start, and argues for analysis of neighbourhood disadvantages and neighbourhood‐based policies. The ‘geography of disadvantage’ has to be understood as well as the facts of disadvantage, that is, the concentrations and persistence of variations in income, health, and educational outcomes as they affect children. Examples of early years programmes and projects are reviewed for their impact on disadvantaged children and their families. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.