On 10 December 2015, we hosted Dr. Caroline White, Head of Children and Parents Service (CAPS) for Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to share learning and achievements in relation to early intervention implementation and knowledge transfer seminar on the Greater Manchester Early Years Delivery.
In 2012, 40% of children in Greater Manchester, a conurbation made up of ten authorities, were considered to be 'not school ready'. This equated to 16,000 children being put on a poor life trajectory from the outset, unable to engage with the national curriculum effectively and at risk of never catching up.
As part of their broader strategy to improve the early years' experience of all young people, Greater Manchester therefore decided to concentrate on 'school readiness' as a key indicator.
The Early Years New Delivery Model was implemented as a new approach to improve the outcomes of the bottom 20% of children in performance for the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.
After reviewing the evidence, taking a Cost Benefit Analysis of interventions and taking a whole family (and whole system) approach, the Early Years New Delivery Model was developed to ultimately increase the effectiveness of universal early years' services. Core interventions are limited to those with the best evidence: Baby Express newsletter; Incredible Years Baby Parent and Preschool Basic Parent programmes; specialist speech and language service; Video Interaction Guidance (VIG). Additional services including Solihull Approach and Family Nurse Partnership.
Early Years Outreach Workers were deployed across the city using an assertive approach and working in an integrated way with health visitors. This integrated way of working with health and other partners has supported the delivery of the Sure Start Core Purpose which has at its heart improving outcomes for young children and families and reducing equalities in: child development and school readiness; parenting skills and aspiration; and child and family health and life chances.
Early identification of need leading to intervention, through the new model, has already had a significant impact on children's school readiness at age five, overall education attainment and future economic potential, resilience and independence.
The model has also encouraged parents to get into or back into the labour market at an appropriate stage of the child's development and provision of quality day care and education has ensured that families choose to remain in their neighbourhoods.