Getting children off to a good start needs more than a quick fix

Published on Wednesday 10 December 2008 20:29

ADAM INGRAM MSP, Minister for children and early years

THE future success of our country depends on our young people. Yet the truth is that for too many, limited life chances are mapped early on by factors beyond their control.

There is a cocktail of deep-rooted factors in Scotland – such as poverty, poor health and lack of opportunity – that blights families and affect the future of too many young Scots. The social ills that hold us back create an enormous waste of potential, hampering collective success and creating misery for individuals, families and communities

For Scotland, a nation with a proud history of social justice, this gulf between the haves and the have-nots is something we simply cannot accept.

Our young people are our greatest asset, and by getting children off to a good start and helping them fulfil their potential we will create future economic and social benefits for everyone.

That's why the Early Years Framework, which we have launched with Cosla following months of development with experts, heralds a new era in how the big issues facing Scotland are tackled.

When we step back and look at the bigger picture, people's experiences from cradle to grave, we can see that much of what blights the lives of individuals and communities can be prevented through effective early intervention, especially in the early years.

Experiences during this period in a child's life have a striking impact on future chances, and it can be startling how quickly disadvantaged children fall behind. A wealth of evidence shows that this period is a golden opportunity, when intervention and support can have a dramatic influence on the direction a child takes as they grow up.

Today's announcement is part of the most comprehensive and co-ordinated attack ever on disadvantage and inequality in Scotland. After joining forces with partners from across the country, the Scottish Government is rolling out a package of frameworks which signal a new way of working, with a focus on giving support at the first opportunity to offer better chances for those at risk, reinforce families and strengthen communities.

By working in partnership to intervene early and take sustained action we can help transform Scotland into a more just and prosperous nation, leading to benefits for us all. I believe strongly that we can do that by investing in our greatest asset – our people.

It's time to put an end to the culture of crisis management where risks are left to fester and develop. We need a radical shift towards concentrating on early intervention and building greater resilience.

Past efforts to solve these ingrained problems with quick-fix policies, dictated from the centre to grab quick headlines before the focus moves on, have not worked.

There is no magic bullet. For years we have seen short-term funding streams announced to a fanfare, yet the problems are still with us. The answer is not more new money for old problems. The answers are to be found in imagination, leadership, hard work and partnership.

We already spend 1.5 billion on the early years agenda and what we need to do is work better with that money through long-term agreements which share good practice and respect local solutions.

During our first year and a half, the Scottish Government has acted quickly to give children a better start.

We have put resources in place to make substantial progress towards a 50 per cent increase in nursery entitlement, introduce free, nutritious school meals and cut class sizes for the youngest pupils and have pushed the UK government to improve child care benefits to help hard-pressed parents.

We have also used that time to prepare the ground for a concerted attack on the biggest social problems affecting the country. We know these won't be changed over night but we cannot and will not be put off by the scale of the challenge. Our future is too important.