Out of the ordinary

Nick Clegg concluded his "Fairness" speech last Friday with a brave assertion. He and the PM were, he said, "not willing to compromise on a better future for the poorest children. There's been a lot of talk about red lines in the CSR process. It should be obvious from what I've said today that the reddest line of all is the one around their futures". In a new compendium of learning, Out of the Ordinary: Learning from the Community Links approach to social regeneration , published today, we suggest that the only way this pledge could be met through the implementation of the CSR in the months ahead would be through the mantra, not of "more for less," but rather "earlier for less". Again and again the Community Links experience shows that the right early action, before social problems escalate, is the smart approach. And not just with under fives. Working with the 10-year-old who is struggling at primary school is cheaper and more effective than working with the 13-year-old who has been excluded from secondary. Supporting a chaotic family at an early stage is cheaper and more effective than managing the consequences of delayed intervention. The experience of Community Links' Rokeby Hub in Stratford, east London – a neighbourhood centre running a range of open access community activities – is considered in our book. Since opening in 2009 there has been a 48% drop in reported incidents of antisocial behaviour on the local estate (from 477 to 211) and a 56% drop in reported crime – both attributed by the police to the early action work of the hub. We know what works but we can never fully embrace this approach without appropriate economic intervention. Making the economic case is critical. Early action is not just one more demand on the public purse, it is the way – perhaps the only way – of reducing the deficit that affects sustainable, positive social change and contributes to long-term growth. The Stern Review on the economics of climate change led to a series of radical policies in the last years of the Labour government and influenced policy across the world, but it was originally conceived as an initiative of the Chancellor to explore, specifically, the economic rationale for government action on climate change. Early action needs its own Stern review. Graham Allen MP is currently chairing a Cabinet Office review on early intervention. If Allen's review is as visionary and ambitious as Nicolas Stern's it might have a similar impact. This is a stretching expectation but the auguries are encouraging. Allen has already pointed out in the house of commons that prioritising early action need not be a further burden on the economy but rather "a contribution to the structural deficit." The difficult question is not, "why should government protect and prioritise early action?" It is "how?" We argue that a swift and radical switch of resources from acute services to prevention is impractical but a steady, incremental migration could be achieved. Indeed incorporating such transition planning in the implementation of the CSR will be essential if the coalition is to honour Clegg's pledge. The government's approach to the reduction of carbon emissions is not dissimilar. Absolute proportions will vary from service to service but if the aspiration is to gradually shift the balance, departments and local authorities should be required to drive the progression by establishing and publishing early action milestones. For example, "we spend 5% of our budget on prevention and early action. We aim to increase that proportion by 5% each year for the next three years." Commissioners, charitable trusts and the Big Lottery could incentivise and sustain the transition in the third sector with milestones of their own; "We invest 8% of our grants in early action. We aim to increase that proportion by 4% each year for the next three years". And of course, if we expect open and ambitious milestones from the funders we should expect them also of the funded – the organisations delivering the services from community groups to council departments. Becoming a society that prevents social problems from arising rather than one that copes with their consequences is not easy and is not cost free, but Out of the Ordinary shows how it can be done, albeit on a relatively local scale in the communities in which we work in east London. David Robinson is co-founder of Community Links. His new book Out of the Ordinary: Learning from the Community Links approach to social regeneration is available to download or order free .