Children's social care and early intervention policy
Evidence from sure start
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9725289 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dan Anderberg (0000-0002-2138-4352, Royal Holloway University of London, Institute for Fiscal Studies, CESifo, corresponding author), Christina Olympiou (Alma Economics) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 90 |
| Issue | 359 |
| Pages | 953-977 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Economica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-0427 • E-ISSN: 1468-0335 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ecca.12473 |
| OpenAlex | W4366768950 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 27 |
We study the effect of a key early intervention policy, designed to support families with children up to age 4, on the rate at which children up to age 9 are taken into social care. The gradual build‐up of over 3600 Sure Start Children's Centres (SSCCs), operated by Local Authorities (LAs) across England, created large spatial and cohort variation in the provision of a service that included health and parenting support, early learning and some childcare. LAs are also responsible for the safeguarding of children, and about 25 children per 10,000 are taken into care annually, in the majority of cases to protect them from abuse and neglect. SSCC provision may help to identify children at risk from maltreatment while also improving longer‐term outcomes. We therefore estimate the causal effect of SSCC provision on care entry rates, allowing separate effects for children within versus beyond the policy target age. Consistent with the hypothesized effects, our findings indicate that SSCC provision raised the care entry rate among children aged 0–4 (within target age), but reduced it for children aged 5–9 (beyond target age). We also provide corroborating evidence using data on Child Protection Plans and Serious Case Reviews
Cohort · Intervention (counseling) · Neglect · Safeguarding · Child Abuse and Trauma · Child Welfare and Adoption · Early Childhood Education and Development · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology
Identifying children at high risk for a child maltreatment report
What’s trending in difference-in-differences? A synthesis of the recent econometrics literature
Effects of fully-established Sure Start Local Programmes on 3-year-old children and their families living in England
Work, Welfare, and Child Maltreatment
Longer-Term Effects of Head Start
Human capital development before age five
The Role of Home-Visiting Programs in Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
The co-occurrence of spouse and physical child abuse
Child Protection and Child Outcomes
Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries
Difference-in-differences with variation in treatment timing
Welfare reforms, family resources, and child maltreatment
Child Protection and Adult Crime
The Causal Impact of Removing Children from Abusive and Neglectful Homes
The Effects of Two Influential Early Childhood Interventions on Health and Healthy Behaviour
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |