Louise Warde Hunter: Prevention is better than cure – and cheaper too

There's an ad you hear on the radio from time to time about how to deal with chips in car windscreens. The simple message is that small chips can be repaired before they become big cracks and end up costing you money.

This idea applies to more than windscreens. My organisation has just submitted evidence to the Scottish Parliament's finance committee which shows Scotland could make huge savings over time if we invest in services that prevent social problems such as family breakdown, antisocial behaviour and youth crime rather than paying for the consequences.

At a time when everyone is looking to find savings in public expenditure, we believe this is a hugely important message that needs to be understood and acted upon. It would be doubly tragic if the very services that can help us build a better society are the ones that end up being cut to get us through our short-term economic difficulties.

The evidence for these savings comes from an in-depth study by the New Economics Foundation. It analysed the economic and social impact of a number of our early intervention services across the UK. This included the East Dunbartonshire Family Service, which provides short-term, focused and flexible support for children, young people and families in crisis. There are numerous examples of how this kind of intervention can help to stabilise families, prevent children being taken into care and reduce problems such as youth offending and antisocial behaviour.

The analysts concluded that for every 1 invested annually in the East Dunbartonshire service, society benefits from between 7.60 and 9.20.

We would like to see a greater commitment in Scotland to early intervention. It is encouraging that the committee is asking for evidence on the importance of preventative spending. We hope the analysis we have presented convinces them that early action applies to much more than just car windscreens.

• Louise Warde Hunter is director of children's services with Action for Children Scotland.