Effective early intervention works to prevent problems occurring, or to tackle them head-on when they do, before problems get worse. It also helps to foster a whole set of personal strengths and skills that prepare a child for adult life. Show Early intervention can take different forms, from home visiting programmes to support vulnerable parents, to school-based programmes to improve children’s social and emotional skills, to mentoring schemes for young people who are vulnerable to involvement in crime. While some have argued that early intervention may have its strongest impact when offered during the first few years of life, the best evidence shows that effective interventions can improve children’s life chances at any point during childhood and adolescence. How does it work?Early intervention works to reduce the risk factors and increase the protective factors in a child’s life. We have a good understanding of the risk factors that can threaten children’s development, limit future social and economic opportunities, and increase the likelihood of mental and physical health problems, criminal involvement, substance misuse, or exploitation or abuse in later life. These factors exist at different levels within the child’s environment – at the individual, family, community and society level – and interact in complex ways. Protective factors are the characteristics or conditions of individuals, families, communities and society that can mitigate these risks and increase the health and wellbeing of children and families. In many cases, risk and protective factors are two sides of the same coin: for example, poor parental mental health may pose a risk to a child’s healthy development, while good parental mental health may provide a protective factor against other negative outcomes, such as behavioural problems or poor academic attainment. These risk factors are not deterministic or predictive at an individual level: they cannot tell us exactly which child or young person will need help. But they can help us to identify children who are vulnerable and who may need extra support. Studies show that early intervention works best when it is made available to children on the basis of pre-identified risks. Universal or targeted?Many families need more support than is available through universal services, such as schools and GPs. Early intervention works best when it targets particular families or individuals, on a selective or indicated basis.
As early intervention moves up the scale from universal to targeted selective to targeted indicated, interventions become more intensive, and are offered to a smaller group of families. What can early intervention achieve?Early intervention approaches often focus on supporting four key aspects of child development – their physical, cognitive, behavioural, and social and emotional development – where it has the potential to make the biggest difference and provide benefits throughout a person’s life.
Early intervention also targets three key additional ‘threats’ to a child’s development which are strongly associated with adverse outcomes during adolescence and adulthood: child maltreatment, substance misuse and risky sexual behaviour. Which of the following accurately shows the influence of others on child selfWhich of the following accurately shows the influence of others on child self-esteem in middle years? Parents and classmates are equally influential, followed by close friends and teachers.
Which of the following is a major influence on a child's selfA major influence on children's self-esteem is the quality of their relationships with others who play an important role in their lives (e.g., parents and other family members, peers, coaches, teach- ers).
Which of the following is true regarding the influence of peers?which of the following is TRUE regarding the influence of peers? it is an important part of the socialization process.
Which of the following statements regarding the development of selfWhich of the following statements about the development of self-concept is true? Perspective-taking skills are crucial for developing a self-concept based on personality traits.
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