Die Entwicklung integrierter familienunterstützender - Qualiflex.lu

England – 2. In-depth description of selected programmes and services
2001) as well as the long-running Head Start and Perry Preschool programmes
(Zigler and Styfco, 1994; Schweinhart et al, 1993). Moreover, the
notions of ‘critical periods’ in child development and ‘brain plasticity’ developed
in the neurosciences added to the impetus to focus on integrated
early years’ service provision (Baird and Hall, 1985). Early intervention was
found to be crucial for preventing developmental disorders and lessening
the effects of disabilities. Finally, growing evidence on the importance of
integrated communities led to a holistic, community development approach
to early year’s intervention (Melhuish and Hall, 2007).
One of the most salient needs that Sure Start aimed to address was child
health. Previous to the implementation of Sure Start, there was general consensus
that health services for children, social services, education, and the
voluntary sector were highly uncoordinated, which made diagnosis and
treatment for children difficult (Melhuish and Hall, 2007). The situation was
aggravated by a clear lack of communication and collaboration between
professionals in these sectors. This was exacerbated by differences in training,
culture, and concepts of confidentiality and evidence. Particularly problematic
was the high number of children with ‘low severity’ disabilities, especially
in low-income families (Burchardt, 2006). Cost-benefit analyses
showed that ‘low severity’ disabilities, though less serious than disabilities
such as cerebral palsy or autism, are far more frequent and consequently
most costly for society. Behavioural disorders and general learning disorders
are more difficult to identify but in the absence of effective intervention
often lead to antisocial behaviour and crime (Rutter et al, 1976; Farrington,
2003).
2.2 Are services targeted or are certain services de
facto used by certain groups only?
The Sure Start programme makes provisions for childminders, Children’s
Centres, Extended Schools, Maintained Nursery Schools, and Out of School
Childcare (kids’ clubs). Each of these components focus on particular age
groups, settings, or community needs. The programme aims to work across
sectors and among various levels of government, encouraging cooperation
between the private and independent sectors and local and national governments.
Presently, the scope of Sure Start includes roughly a third of all
children in poverty in the UK. However, there is impetus to expand services
by mainstreaming programmes to reach all children in poverty and by introducing
additional rural and mini-Sure Start programmes. This section will
explain the rationale for area-based interventions and include specific examples
of targeted programmes and discuss their relationship to broader childcare
policies.
There remains disagreement over the relative merits of targeted and universal
services among social policy research. In response, the designers of
Every Child Matters attempted to combine both approaches, mixing the
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