Effective Interventions for Children in Need

This book sets out the current state of knowledge about what works in reducing impairments to children’s health and development. Little and Maughan’s book applies a high standard of proof and reproduces only the work of the leading intervention scientists from around the world. After discussing the real world challenges to more effective children’s services, the book goes on to cover policy and practice proven to change the lives of all children, and extends also to effective programmes targeted at children with specific disorders. Examples include changes in household income, early years support, moving families to less disadvantaged communities, improving parenting and using schools to better mental health. The benefits of evidence-based programmes are specified, as are the costs to society of not intervening. The evidence is used to make recommendations about getting effective policy and practice into routine use, and includes illustrations of successful applications of these ideas.

Contents: Introduction; Part I The Effectiveness of Children's Services: Evidence-based practice in child and adolescent mental health services, Kimberley Hoagwood, Barbara J. Burns, Laurel Kiser, Heather Ringeisen and Sonja K. Schoenwald; Experimentation and social interventions: a forgotten but important history, Ann Oakley; Effect size, practical importance, and social policy for children, Kathleen MacCartney and Robert Rosenthal; Improving outcomes for children in the island of Ireland: the role of philanthropic investment, Michael Little and Ali Abunimah; A place of value for applied and policy studies, Edward Zigler. Part II The Relationship Between Need and Services: Use, persistence, and intensity: patterns of care for children's mental health across 1 year, Elizabeth M.Z. Farmer, Dalene K. Stangl, Barbara J. Burns, E. Jane Costello and Adrian Angold; Youth justice? The impact of system contact on patterns of desistance from offending, Lesley McAra and Susan McVie; Fast track randomized controlled trial to prevent externalizing psychiatric disorders: findings from grades 3 to 9, Karen L. Bierman, John D. Coie, Kenneth A. Dodge, E. Michael Foster, Mark T. Greenberg, John E. Lochman, Robert J. McMahon and Ellen E. Pinderhughes. Part III The Effectiveness of Public Health and Universal Programmes: Is Sure Start an effective preventive intervention?, Michael Rutter; Parenting intervention in Sure Start services for children at risk of developing conduct disorder: pragmatic randomised controlled trial, Judy Hutchings, Tracey Bywater, Dave Daley, Frances Gardner, Chris Whitaker, Karen Jones, Catrin Eames and Rhiannon T. Edwards; Efficacy of the Incredible Years basic parent training programme as an early intervention for children with conduct problems and ADHD, K. Jones, D. Daley, J. Hutchings, T. Bywater and C. Eames; The health and welfare effects of day-care: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, B. Zoritch, I. Roberts and A. Oakley; Is home visi

Michael Little, Professor, Director, Social Research Unit at Dartington, Devon/Chapin Hall, University of Chicago, USA and Barbara Maughan, Professor, Research Fellow, Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, UK