What works to improve the educational outcomes of children in need of help and protection: a literature review

Reviewing the evidence on interventions aimed at improving outcomes for children in vulnerable situations revealed a number of programmes offered to children and their families which have been shown to be effective at dealing with risk factors common to the Children in Need population. The Early Intervention Foundation’s view is that children and families are more likely to benefit when services commissioned by local authorities have been rigorously evaluated, and are known to make a difference to outcomes. In order for positive benefits to be achieved from these evidence-based programmes, however, it is important they are carefully matched to the child’s age and to the specific needs of a family, which must be appropriately assessed. A literature review on effective interventions to support the educational outcomes of Children in Need found that it is difficult to say what works, for whom and under what circumstances as there are significant limitations to existing evidence. Whilst some individual study results were encouraging, the quality of these studies is, in too many places, weak and does not account for the complex needs of this group of children and their families.