During a 5-year intensive family support
(IFS) programme to provide effective,
lasting intervention for families and
children most in need Action for Children
created a redefined focus on neglect in a
selection of sites across the UK: the UK
Neglect Project. The intention was to
improve outcomes for children whose
developmental needs were being
insufficiently met, placing them at risk of
poor educational, emotional and social
outcomes. An earlier evaluation
2
reported
that IFS could “make a positive difference
to the lives of children and their families in
even the most challenging circumstances”.
This evaluation was designed to establish
the factors that made this possible. A fouryear longitudinal evaluation was
commissioned which would allow
researchers to follow families from referral
to closure, and to pursue the work of
individual sites over a period of
development of working practices.