Momentum of reform in a changing political environment Naomi Eisenstadt CB Senior Research Fellow Departments of Education and Social Policy, University of Oxford
Key themes over the Blair Brown years • Reducing child poverty (PM announcement 1999) • Reducing gaps in outcomes between poor children and the rest • Evidence based policy • Supporting parents/supporting parenting • Progressive universalism: system designed to ensure maximum support for the most disadvantaged within a universal platform of services for children • Key emphasis on the bottom 20‐30%, no worries about the top 2%
Key themes: the Coalition year Deficit reduction Big Society (small state, attack on bureaucracy) New localism Supporting parenting, especially the most disadvantaged • Funding for outcomes not activity, payment by results • Concern about stalled social mobility • Key emphasis on the bottom 2‐3%, no worries about the top 2‐3% • • • •
We now know an awful lot about poverty and poor outcomes for children
Children from families facing multiple disadvantages are at greater risk of a range of negative outcomes
Source: Families and Children Survey (2004 and 2005, 8 disadvantages measured for this study)
Prevalence of multiple disadvantage (2006) 45% have multiple disadvantages
% of families
55% have 0 or 1 disadvantage
Number of disadvantages (total possible 18 for this study)
But ongoing debates about the role of Government: supporting parents and parenting Reduce pressures • Rights and legal protection • Financial support: benefits, tax credits, mortgage tax reliefs • Flexible working and child affordable childcare • Targeted benefits
Enhance capabilities • Information and guidance • Skills training • Targeted interventions • Family social supports
Intervening to safeguard children
What did Blair and Brown do? Sure Start: 1999 •
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result of Treasury review of services for young children, key principles: early intervention and poverty matters Area based initiative aimed at poor areas, for all under 4s in the area Local partnerships free to design program, but common set of goals, outcome driven 524 local programmes set up, eventually ‘mainstreamed to become Sure Start Children’s centres
Every Child Matters: 2003 • • •
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Response to death of a child, failure of services to work together Integration of children’s social care, education, youth offending, 0‐19 Built on 5 outcomes: being healthy, staying, safe, enjoying and achieving, economic well being, and making a positive contribution Improved information sharing, creation of DCS role, Reframing of responsibilities around the person not the profession, Dept for Children, Schools and Families (2007) but name changed by new Govt in 2010, Dept for Education
Did Sure Start work: impact results 2005
2007
2011
Non teen mothers: • Greater child competence • Fewer child behaviour problems • Less negative parenting Teen mothers • Less child social competence • Poorer child verbal ability
All groups • Better child social behaviour • Better child self regulation • Less harsh parenting • Less home chaos • Better home learning environment • Increased service use
All groups • Mothers greater life satisfaction • Less chaotic homes • Better home learning environment • Reduction in worklessness • Better child health • Less child obesity (disappointing no differences in school readiness measures)
Overall achievements from 1997‐2010 • Maternity leave extended to 12 months, paid leave for 9 months • Right to request flexible working for all parents with children up to age 6 (in first 2 years, 25% of working parents made request, 81% granted) • Child poverty rate reduced by ½ (absolute measure) 15%, (relative measure) • A Sure Start Children’s Centre in every community. Currently 2.5 million children using 3,500 Children’s Centres, progressive model with more funding going for Sure Start Children’s Centres in poorer areas • All children in early years provision accessing single play based framework, EYFS • legislation passed, making provision of Children’s Centres statutory duty for local authorities • Legislation passed requiring every local area to have a strategy for reducing child poverty
Gap narrowing in school readiness between poor children and the rest based on Early years Foundation Stage profile.
The current government vision (not that different) Renaming ‘early years’ to ‘foundation years’ Reforming the Early Years Foundation Stage Maintaining children’s centres, but greater emphasis on ‘neediest’ 0
2
3
4
5
Preparing for parenthood
Transition to parenthood
2 year olds
Free early education
Primary school
Midwives, GPs and health visitors Preparing for Pregnancy Birth and Beyond
• 4200 more health visitors • Delivery of Healthy Child programme
• Disadvantaged 2 yr old entitlement to early education • requirement to provide summary of progress between 2 and 3
• Universal • Choice of school entitlement, 15 • Reception classes hours per week all 3 and 4 yr olds • New flexibilities on hours
But dangers ahead Key emphasis in new regime is supporting parenting, not reducing pressures on families • Likelihood of rising unemployment • Tax credit changes • Changes to housing benefits • Increased conditionality on disability benefits • Overall benefit cap (particularly hard on large families More poor children, more demands on children’s services
The new political environment and what we have learned • Community development essential for engagement, but not enough to shift child outcomes • The need for reliable data (and bureaucrats to collect it) • Challenges of working across agencies • Key to success is staff quality and support • New enthusiasm for payment by results very tricky in early years territory
The legacy • The need to invest in services for young children no longer contested • Universal provision for 3 and 4 year olds unlikely to be reversed • Better understanding of the challenges of integration: information sharing and accountability • All three parties had families and children policy in their manifestos in 2010 Lots achieved, lots to be proud of, but also lots to learn, reflect and improve