Research highlights the fundamental effects of early childhood, when the brain and body are highly susceptible to environmental influences, which can have lasting effects. This work has helped to shape the Hub’s emphasis on intervening in the earliest stages of life to support families experiencing complex difficulties.
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Reduce pressure, enhance capabilities
Naomi Eisenstadt highlights the need for both reducing pressure experienced by families and enhancing capabilities; both forms of support are needed if the situation for families is to significantly improve.This principle has already guided the family support work undertaken by Reach Academy, and it continues to shape the provision of Reach Children’s Hub: for instance, emergency grants can reduce pressure whilst parenting courses can enhance capabilities.
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Social Ecology
Kerr & Dyson emphasise that effectively transformational interventions have to ‘match the complexity of children’s lives and the factors and processes at work locally’ (Dyson & Kerr 2015: 9); they have to address children’s social ecologies, not just one aspect of their lives.
This is a key principle for Reach Children’s Hub and one that informs the breadth of offer that we intend to bring the community.
