Support from the Start: effective programmes from birth to two years
| Published date | 16 March 2012 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17466661211213643 |
| Pages | 18-28 |
| Date | 16 March 2012 |
| Author | Carole Sutton,Lynne Murray,Vivette Glover |
| Subject Matter | Education,Health & social care,Sociology |
Support from the Start: effective
programmes from birth to two years
Carole Sutton, Lynne Murray and Vivette Glover
Abstract
Purpose – Thispaper aims to update the chapter by Sutton and Murray in Support from the Start by providing
an overview of: researchlinking the development and experiences of infants and toddlers with the risks of later
antisocial behaviour; and evidence on effective interventions for childrena ged0-2 and their families.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors give a narrative review on the effects on mothers and
their babies of postnatal depression.
Findings – The review examines the effects on mothers and their babies of postnatal depression,
impaired bonding, insecure attachment as well as the impact of maltreatment in childhood. It considers
a number of evidence-based preventive interventions implemented in the UK to help childrenaged 0-2
and their parents.
Originality/value – The paper provides an overview of recent evidence for the factors contributing to
difficulties for parents of young children and identifies interventions demonstrated in high-quality studies
to prevent or address these problems.
Keywords Postnatal depression, Bonding, Attachment, Family nurse partnership,
Children (age groups), Behaviour
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
The British Government report Support from the Start (Sutton et al., 2004) argued that the
most- and cost-effective time for offering help and preventive support to families with young
children was during pregnancy and children’s earliest years of life. Evidence supporting this
argument has continued to accrue since then and – more importantly – policy decisions
have been in part based upon it. For example, the model of working with young families
known as the Nurse Family Partnership in the USA (Olds et al., 1999) has been introduced
and evaluated in England (as the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP)).
Glover and Sutton (2012) describe how risk factors associated with later problem behaviour
and mental health difficulties, as well as factors protecting children against these risks,
operate during pregnancy. In this paper we seek to update an earlier overview (Sutton and
Murray,2004) of key messages from research by exploring current evidence concerning risk
and protective factors that are influential from birth and during the first two years of life.
We also consider interventions during infancy and early childhood intended to enhance
children’swell being and reduce the risks of later problems. Our focus is on literature reviews
published in leading international journals, books and reports and, regarding interventions,
we draw on information from high-quality evaluation studies (randomised controlled trials
(RCT) in most cases) and focus as far as possible on interventions available in the UK.
Environmental factors
Since 2004, further evidence has emerged for the negative effects of neighbourhood
disadvantage, isolation and deprivation on very young children. In the UK, Smith (2010)
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JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S SERVICES
j
VOL. 7 NO. 1 2012, pp. 18-28, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-6660 DOI 10.1108/17466661211213643
Carole Sutton is a Visiting
Senior Research Fellow in
the Division of Psychology,
De Montfort University,
Leicester, UK.
Lynne Murray is Professor
of Developmental
Psychology at
The University of Reading,
Reading, UK.
Vivette Glover is Professor
of Perinatal Psychobiology
in the Department of
Surgery and Cancer,
Imperial College London,
London, UK.
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