Theme 1: Early interventions for children and families

Primary prevention through universal and targeted programmes to reduce health inequalities, improve health and wellbeing, and prevent adverse outcomes across the child and family life course.

Theme co-leads

Professor Jane Barlow and Professor Jess Deighton

Aim

To generate an infrastructure for evaluating early programmatic interventions for children and families across the life course.

Background

This theme covers

• intervening early in the child’s life and
• intervening early in the course of any difficulties (regardless of age).

Disadvantage that occurs in childhood has a disproportionate effect on the life chances of a child. Giving children the best start in life is recognised to be a significant way of reducing health and social inequalities.