Early intervention involves the identification and a programme of intervention (such as therapies, behaviour management, educational programme, community development programme etc) with individual children or young people, families or specific groups or communities. The children and young people may have difficulties in areas such as disability; behaviour (at home, in school and in the wider community); learning and mental and physical health; or may be at risk of maltreatment or exploitation. Typically the intervention is undertaken during the critical early phase of the difficulty. A challenge may be one that a child is born with or that develops during childhood or adolescence. Services might be provided for such individuals and their families in the early stages of the difficulty to lessen the effects of the condition or reverse its course. Programmes to support the development of children and young people’s resilience or empowerment to improve health and well-being are also important.

Early intervention can be curative or preventative in nature. Early intervention may focus on the child alone, on the child and the family together or on specific groups within the community. Services range from identification (e.g. social services, youth justice or school screening and referral services) to identification and direct intervention programmes.

Early intervention may also refer to programmes or initiatives, which are provided to children/young people/their families from the general population who are considered at risk of developing difficulties at a later stage of development. For example children living in areas identified as economically disadvantaged or recognised as socially excluded or marginalised may be identified as at greater risk of poor outcomes and extra support may be given to attempt to overcome this. In the context of the developing world, broader community development strategies are often used.

Different models of improving the health and well-being of children exist across the world. For instance the traditional model is where children and their families are seen as the problem and the impairment or difficulty is focused on, rather than the needs of the child and their family. The power to improve outcomes for children and young people appears to lie with professionals and policy makers rather than involving children, young people and their families in decisions that affect them.

A more rights based model starts from the position of a child's right to belong to and be valued in the community. Using this model the strengths of the child with the impairment or other difficulty are focused on and the physical and social barriers that obstruct them, whether at school, college or in the home are looked at.

• Early Intervention and Prevention
• What do we mean by Early Intervention?
• Why intervene early?
• Aims and sub-themes
• Additional information

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