Early Intervention
SIF provided funding of over £700k for large, strategic and coordinated Early Intervention project to provide interventions and family support from earliest stage (pregnancy) through to primary school to tackle systematic issues linked to deprivation. The project comprises of the following four stages: Perinatal, Transitions, Family Support and Children with Special Educational Needs (SENS).
Project Name: | Early Intervention |
|---|---|
Zone: | Belfast South |
Category: | Revenue |
Social Investment Fund Outcome: | Reducing Deprivation |
Status: | Delivery Complete |
Funding awarded: | £715,582 |
About the Project:
This project was a large early intervention project, which aimed to provide interventions and family support to tackle systematic issues linked to deprivation, from earliest stage (pregnancy) through to primary school. Each child was supported, to give them the best start in life and to allow them to develop from a health, education and personal perspective in order to reach their full potential. The Early Intervention programme worked closely with local schools, and was almost exclusively delivered within the local community based and home settings.
The programme is comprised of 4 separate strands including:
- Perinatal: specific interventions for expectant mothers and fathers and children up to a year old;
2. Transitions: comprising two components:
- Pre-Nursery component targeting 2 and 3 year olds who were most unlikely to take up opportunities at Nursery (in four communities of interest and specific support targeting Black and Minority (BME) communities) by working with parents to promote routine and enhance social cognitive behavioural development; and
- Play support and transitions component targeting 3-6-year olds or 10-11year olds in 9 venues across the Belfast South zone. This element aimed to deliver a 42-week programme (delivered twice weekly) focusing on emotional wellbeing and resilience
3. Family Support: aimed to target children aged 4-10 years across 9 communities including home visits, moving to small group support for families and children;
4. Children with Special Educational Needs (SENS): aimed to provide support for parents and direct support for children with SENS and their siblings. This included a ‘support club’ model providing 6 hour of support per week over a 2-week period. Provision included sensory play, music therapy, arts and crafts, sport, talking mats and also included siblings.
Progress to date:
This project has completed delivery. The significant investment from SIF in the early intervention services meant these services were better supported, responsive and flexible to meet the identified needs of families, young people and children. Engagement with education and training has contributed to behavioral, social and emotional wellbeing among the children and young people involved and to improved family and peer relationships. A strong partnership collaboration has grown across the South Belfast area and benefits include enhanced community capacity and partnership working to reduce deprivation and influence future delivery.
Impacts:
Monitoring and evaluation of all Social Investment Fund projects is carried out using “Outcomes Based Accountability” (OBA). The infographic below highlights some of the key impacts of the Belfast South Early Intervention project to date.
